Strength in depth helps Hearts hit heights

THE SPL table is assuming a familiar look after a muddled start, and Hearts are in their predicted place towards the top. What has not been established yet, however, is anything approaching a settled first-team line-up at Tynecastle.

Three players were making their debuts for last season's runners-up, and three more were representing Hearts in the league for the first time. A lack of understanding was inevitable in such circumstances, particularly in the back four, where Steven Pressley was the only survivor from the defeat in Athens three days earlier. After riding their luck for a while, though, Valdas Ivanauskas's side finished with a late flourish which took them level with Celtic on points.

For the club's detractors, all this chopping and changing is a sure sign of Vladimir Romanov's meddling, and can only end in tears. For others, Hearts' biggest win of the season so far may just suggest that there is method in the majority shareholder's alleged madness.

Ivanauskas's refusal to say who was injured and who had been dropped from the midweek team certainly provided ammunition to the conspiracy theorists. The coach could easily have explained that squad rotation was necessary after a tough match and a fatiguing return journey, but preferred not to do so, which left us wondering whether Julien Brellier, sent off along with Neil McCann against AEK, had become persona non grata again.

Clearly, squad rotation will always leave some players unhappy, particularly if it is done because of the owner's caprice. On the other hand, if you are to insure against injuries, you need back-up players who are ready to step into the team. A balance is required, and Hearts at least appear to be getting closer to equilibrium than they have been so far this season.

When Paul Hartley's absence through injury was exacerbated by knocks to others, the Edinburgh side had a threadbare look to them, especially in midfield. Now, Hartley is back, and Ivanauskas has more options throughout the team.

Lee Wallace was a more than adequate replacement for Takis Fyssas at left-back, as has been shown before. Christos Karipidis was a solid presence at centre-back, and may have done enough to be preferred to Christophe Berra for a time. Tiago Costa at right-back was a liability at first, being caught out of position too often, but he showed a decent touch going forward. In midfield, Marius Zaliukas also looked hesitant to begin with, and appeared to lack the aggressive drive which allows Brellier to take a grip on games. But he also lacks the Frenchman's recklessness, which will count in his favour.

So there are more options, then, for Ivanauskas in defence and midfield. It was up front, however, where the coach surely finds most grounds for optimism, with both strikers, Mauricio Pinilla and Jamie Mole, getting on the scoresheet. The decision to allow Calum Elliot to go on leave baffled many, but it seemed a lot more reasonable come close of play on Saturday, given the form of the two frontmen. Pinilla, on loan from Sporting Lisbon, is a hardworking target man who can also get into the penalty box and finish off moves, while Mole is Elliot's equal in terms of strength and technique, but is superior when it comes to speed. Elliot will surely be back challenging for a place in the first team next year, but for the moment regular football elsewhere could do him more good.

It was the exuberant Pinilla who got Hearts' first goal when he met a McCann cross with his right foot a few yards out, and Mole who scored the second three minutes before half-time with a back-post header from a Hartley free-kick. Graham Bayne's header from a Barry Wilson cross had levelled for Caley Thistle in between the two home goals, and at the break there was little in it.

There might have been nothing at all to separate the teams had Bayne done better when through on goal four minutes after the restart, and following that miss Hearts slowly took a tighter grip on the game. McCann missed a chance to secure the points when he rattled a volley back off the bar after Darren Dods had spooned a clearance towards him, and was replaced by Andrew Driver 15 minutes from time. In just his second touch after coming on, the young left-winger showed his colleague how such shots should be executed. This time it was a misdirected header from Ross Tokely which fell to the Hearts man, and Driver, from the same spot as McCann on the edge of the six-yard box, simply lashed the ball into Mark Brown's net.

Hearts, who had failed to score at all in more than five hours of football before Pinilla's opener, and had only managed one goal in three meetings with Inverness last season, were buoyant thereafter, and it was no surprise when they added a fourth on the verge of stoppage time. It was another substitute, Bruno Aguiar, who got on the scoresheet when, following a move initiated by Wallace, he swept in a pass by Juho Makela from just a few yards out.

The final score flattered the home side, and left Inverness still seeking their first win of the season. Charlie Christie, the Caley Thistle coach, could do with some of Ivanauskas's selection headaches - his squad, already small, will be without Denis Wyness for a time after the striker dislocated a shoulder in the first half.

Provided they remain robust and industrious, and refuse to panic, Christie's side should still do enough to keep their heads above water this season. Hearts, meanwhile, are once more looking like genuine top-three material - but which players will do most to keep them there has yet to be determined.

Taken from the Scotsman