BED: REF GAVE US PUSH OFF

ROMAN BEDNAR last night poured fuel on Hearts' pyre of paranoia with the SFA when he claimed ref John Underhill was BIASED.

The Czech was at the centre of a 32nd-minute flashpoint when Michal Pospisil caught Falkirk stopper Kenny Milne with a bad late challenge.

Bednar squared up to Milne who pushed the Hearts forward to the deck with both hands.

But on the say-so of assistant ref Neil Brand, Underhill flashed only a yellow and sent Tynecastle into a fury that it rarely emerged from in 90 pulsating minutes.

It may have finished goal-less but there was no shortage of action in a game that also saw Bairns gaffer John Hughes red carded going up the tunnel at half-time for his own blast at Hearts' strike pair.

Hughes could be in hot water with the SFA but Bednar talked his way into trouble afterwards, claiming Underhill showed double standards.

Asked if he thought Milne should have been sent off Bednar said: "If it's a Hearts player it's 100 per cent a red card.

"We were just speaking and he went and pushed me down to the ground. It wasn't so hard or aggressive but it's still a red card."

Milne confessed he expected a red as well when the whistler was alerted to the incident - but insists Bednar made a meal of it and went down like a lightweight.

The defender admitted: "I was on the end of a bad tackle and the next thing he's in there squaring up - he almost put the head on me.

"I did think a red card was coming though. I did lose the plot a wee bit. I was delighted when it was only a yellow.

"Did he go down easily? Either that or I'm the strongest man in the world."

The incident threatened to overshadow a game that had everything except a goal.

And the fact the Jambos were BOOED off the park, despite going to the top of the league, does a disservice to the contribution Falkirk made to the match It's 11-and-a-half years since the Bairns last took a point at Tynecastle but they were worth every bit of it.

And if they'd had a cutting edge up front to match their slick play in the middle of the park they'd maybe have been sitting top of the table on their own this morning instead of second and a goal behind the Jambos.

Hearts made the one change they probably wished had been available on Wednesday for the Champions League qualifier with AEK Athens.

Julien Brellier did not feature in the 2-1 defeat but shook off the flu to take his place back from Christos Karipidis.

But like in midweek Hearts were a man short in midfield - four v five - and having the game taken to them by a dreadlocked maestro.

Swap Emerson for Russell Latapy but the effect was the same as the veteran picked his way through a midfield desperately missing the dynamism of Paul Hartley.

Assisted by the excellent Liam Craig and Paddy Cregg, Latapy made the Bairns tick and engineered arguably the best chances of the half.

Pedro Moutinho blew two - one in particular a glorious chance at a volley in acres of space on the half hour that he should have buried.

But he nearly atoned when he brilliantly teed up Cregg inside the six-yard box - only to see Christophe Berra desperately hack the shot wide.

Hearts had their fair share as well, though. In the first minute a bad Tam Scobbie throw-in saw Karl Dodd cough up a chance to Bednar, whose shot was turned wide.

Pospisil and Saulius Mikoliunas also passed up decent chances without forcing anything sensational from Scott Higgins in the Bairns goal.

But it was the flashpoint on the half hour that had the punters screaming the loudest.

Milne was caught late after skipping past Pospisil but with the ref playing advantage and his eyes elsewhere Bednar squared up to the Bairns stopper.

Milne's two-handed shove sent the striker to the deck but amazingly he escaped with only a yellow.

Even that let-off wasn't enough to appease Hughes though - and HE saw red for coming on the pitch and giving it to the Hearts strikers with both barrels at half time.

The Bairns sawa lot less of the ball after the break but kept their shape and frustrated the home side.

The Gorgie fans' patience spilled over into a barrage of boos when Ivanauskas hooked Brellier on the hour in favour of Mirsad Beslija.

It was clear in the stand, however, that technical director Eduard Malofeev had more than a passing hand in the substitution.

Still the clear-cut chances wouldn't come for Hearts and they had Takis Fyssas to thank for keeping them in it with 20 minutes left.

His heroic block as Scobbie's volley headed for the top corner was as brave as you'll see. Bednar came closest for the Jambos at the death, a hooked volley falling just over the bar, but it would have been harsh on Falkirk if that had deprived them.

REFWATCH

JOHN UNDERHILL tries to let games flow, to his eternal credit. Plenty niggles but did well not to turn it into a yellow card fest.

Neither boss would agree. Rating: 7/10.

Supporting the 23rd Man

MATCH STATS

SHOTS ON 11

SHOTS OFF 6

OFFSIDE 2

FOULS 13

CORNERS 10

BOOKINGS 0

HEARTS v FALKIRK

SHOTS ON 6

SHOTS OFF 4

OFFSIDE 3

FOULS 9

CORNERS 7

BOOKINGS 3

Taken from the Sunday Mail