CHRISTIE: REF'S DODGY DECISION COST US GAME

HEARTS 4

INVERNESS CT 1

RAGING Charlie Christie last night laid into ref Steve Conroy for being swayed by the Tynecastle crowd and gifting Hearts the goal that turned the game.

The dazed Inverness boss was still struggling to believe a match he thought was theirs for the taking ended up looking like a one-sided DOING.

Christie traced the start of Caley's downfall to a dodgy passback decision that turned the game on its head in the 20th minute.

Neil McCann's ball back into the box was collected by Craig Gordon amid protests from the Inverness strikers.

But by the time they had turned, McCann was at the other end delivering the cross for Mauricio Pinilla's first ever goal for the club.

Graham Bayne levelled before strikes from the outstanding Jamie Mole and subs Andy Driver and Bruno Aguiar wrecked the scoreline for Caley.

And Christie seethed: "I've NO idea how that game finished 4-1. It'll look like a doing in the record books but was the opposite.

"It's hard to take, especially when their first goal came from a clear passback to their keeper at the other end. How it wasn't given I'll never know but we went from having a great goalscoring chance to being 1-0 down in seconds.

"The fourth official told me it was because their full-back left the ball for Gordon which made it unintentional but that's such a lame excuse.

"I don't know if the Tynecastle crowd swayed the referee but I guarantee if it had been the other way round the decision would have gone Hearts' way 99 times out of 100.

"We didn't take our chances. Graham Bayne was clean through two minutes into the second half to level and Barry Wilson missed a glorious header from five yards.

"Then we gave away the second and third goals so cheaply. A free header then Ross Tokely made a huge mistake for the third."

When Inverness clocked the Jambos team they really must have fancied their chances.

It was unrecognisable from Wednesday night in Athens. FIVE changes, SIX players making their SPL and their Tynecastle debuts.

Three of the regular back four missing, three top strikers crocked, three players scoring their first SPL goals.

Ironically it was Gordon who came closest to opening the scoring. His 90-yard free-kick skidded wickedly on the heavily-watered pitch and had Mark Brown scrambling to claw it away from his top left-hand corner.

Caley's No.1 had harder work to come - and his stop after McCann teed up Mole's brilliant flashing header in 11 minutes will be one of the saves of the season.

But there was nothing Brown could do nine minutes later as Jambos took the lead. Another superb McCann cross from the left laid waste to the Highlanders backline and Chilean Pinilla stepped in to cushion the ball home with his right foot.

It should have been their platform - instead they stopped dead and thought the job was done.

And Barry Wilson wasn't slow to notice. He rattled Gordon with a 25-yarder that needed palmed wide then right on the half hour pinged in an irresistible cross from the right.

Bayne attacked, full-back Tiago Costa let him, and the big striker buried the header from six yards out.

It was the first goal Hearts have lost in a first half at Tynecastle for more than a year - and it should have been two nine minutes later.

Costa again was cut to ribbons by Roy McBain and Richard Hastings -no thanks to Saulius Mikoliunas' lack of support - and Dennis Wyness' diving header from the Canadian's cross flew millimetres wide.

But Hastings quickly turned sinner and Inverness paid a heavy price.

The full-back cemented Mikoliunas deep in their own territory, exactly the kind of spot Paul Hartley relishes.

Demonic right foot outswinger to the back post, up goes Mole, and Inverness are back in a hole.

The Newcastle-born frontman's header was just reward for a game full of good movement and quick thought. But if he carries on like this he could find himself on loan at Motherwell before next season's out just as hit kid Calum Elliot did this year.

Mole was just as influential after the break, peeling out wide and sending in a sizzling cross that had Inverness all over the place.

McCann picked up the loose ball and battered the bar with his effort before Caley scrambled clear. It was not all one way traffic though. Bayne should have had a second when sent clear but sclaffed a panic shot wide.

Ian Black made Gordon work with a 25-yarder and with 15 minutes left Wilson had the goal yawning but missed a header from inside six yards.

However, Hearts always had something in reserve and with 10 minutes left it was all over.

Tokely's header clear from a right wing cross was poor but the finish Driver smashed home was anything but. The ball was falling with snow on it but he buried it through Brown with a crashing volley.

Hearts added a fourth right on full-time. SubJuhoMakela's cheeky dink, Mole's header and Aguiar prodded home from eight yards.

REF WATCH

STEVE CONROY had some hairy decisions that put him under pressure from the Tynecastle crowd. But on the plus side he at least managed to get through the game without dishing out cards.

Rating: 5/10.

Supporting the 23rd Man

MATCH STATS

SHOTS ON 9

SHOTS OFF 5

OFFSIDE 1

FOULS 12

CORNERS 3

BOOKINGS 0

HEARTS v INVERNESS CT

SHOTS ON 7

SHOTS OFF 8

OFFSIDE 3

FOULS 17

CORNERS 11

BOOKINGS 0

Taken from the Sunday Mail