Jambos rage over McDonald

Hearts 0
St Mirren 1

"HOW can we win the league under these circumstances?" screamed an enraged Hearts fan as Roman Bednar sprawled on the turf. The question would have been posed by many others dispersing from Tynecastle on Saturday evening as the ineptitude of referee Dougie McDonald's performance was cursed thousands of times over.

And they had a case. Bednar, still irked by being denied a clear first-half penalty, took his protestations too far at full-time and incurred a needless red card for his temerity. He was alleged to have said something along the lines of, "it's always the same when you're the ref," to McDonald as the pair trudged up the tunnel.

Those who recall the same official denying the same player a similarly blatant penalty at Celtic Park in April may sympathise with Bednar's predicament. Gus MacPherson certainly wasn't offering any details on Saturday's commotion. "I don't know what was said. I don't speak Lithuanian," said the St Mirren manager, displaying the kind of good humour brought by a first win at Tynecastle since 1988/89. He was, of course, unaware that Bednar hails from the Czech Republic unlike a number of his eastern-European colleagues.

The incident which provoked so much outrage came as the first half was drawing to a close. McDonald had booked Saulius Mikoliunas on 27 minutes for diving when the winger appeared to be mercilessly cut down by a combination of Andy Millen and John-Paul Potter. The undeserved caution only fuelled SFA conspiracy theories already rife in Gorgie, and the suspicions seemed to be all but vindicated when McDonald ignored Kirk Broadfoot almost tearing the shirt from Bednar's back, thereby impeding the Czech as he tried to reach the ball in the box. A goal-kick was awarded yet a clearer penalty you will not see, and Valdas Ivanauskas' palpable disgust was evident in the technical area. The injustice seemed to gnaw at Hearts for the rest of the afternoon, undermining their attempts to keep apace with Celtic at the SPL summit. But it was more than merely incompetent refereeing which undid the hosts.

Vladimir Romanov's Saturday-morning concession that he exerts a strong influence on team selection was an unwelcome distraction, whilst a deluge of missed chances and an extremely motivated and capable St Mirren side could also be offered as reasons for Ivanauskas' first home defeat as head coach. "Over the last year and a half we've come to expect that," said captain Steven Pressley when questioned on the impact of Romanov's interference. "The one thing we try to do as players is concentrate on the job in hand and get results. You need to get the right balance in a team. Yes, you do need freshness at times but you certainly need an element of consistency to your selection.

"If you look back to last season, when we had such a good run of victories, the team more or less picked itself bar one or two players. I think we need to get back to more consistent selection in the team.

"We created a great deal of opportunities in the game but you can't take anything away from St Mirren. In the past we've had the knack of grinding out the result. What we must look at is things like Celtic losing at home to Dunfermline last season and then going on to win the championship. These are the games we are well aware we have to win." We've drawn with Falkirk and now lost to St Mirren and that's not good enough." The notion that Romanov is selective about who plays or does not play for Hearts is anything but new. He does not pick the side from goalkeeper through to striker, but equally has no reservations about insisting on certain players being either showcased or rested at any given time. Saturday's affirmation of the situation from the club's majority shareholder served as a pre-amble to an afternoon in which Hearts had to play catch-up after Jan Vennegoor of Hesseelink's decisive strike just after lunchtime at Pittodrie.

Chairman Roman Romanov made a rare foray onto the pitch to present Pressley with an honorary maroon cap, commemorating his club-record 30th international appearance for Scotland in Kaunas last week. The match then began with the home side displaying some erratic passing as St Mirren broke only occasionally from their shell, and the first proper opportunity didn't arrive until the 16th minute.

Neil McCann's cross from the left was expertly flicked on by Bednar to the feet of Mikoliunas, whose touch and left-footed shot from ten yards looked convincing until the visiting goalkeeper Tony Bullock intervened with his outstretched right arm. It was difficult not to feel a sympathy pang for the much-berated Lithuanian as he slumped to the turf with hands over face. From Hartley's subsequent corner Pressley's header forced Bullock to tip over.

Mikoliunas then entered the book for his supposed dive on the edge of the St Mirren penalty area. As is the latest fashion amongst footballers, Potter made a point of stooping to scream in the face of the Hearts player as he lay grounded. At the other end, Stewart Kean volleyed straight at Craig Gordon from John Sutton's knockdown when it looked easier to score, a move which emphasised the problems Hearts were encountering as a consequence of a bustling and physical St Mirren forward line.

Bednar tried to recover from his frustration at being refused a penalty and never deserted his industrious approach. Two minutes from half-time he muscled past Kevin McGowne and rounded Bullock, only for his finish to be cleared for a corner by Potter. The St Mirren goalkeeper was again at his instinctive best only seconds later to repel Christophe Berra's header from, of all people, Pressley's right-sided cross.

Bullock was in the process of enjoying a stunning performance and parried a dangerous Paul Hartley free-kick early in the second half. Sutton glanced a Simon Lappin cross wide as Ivanauskas adopted a 4-3-3 formation for the closing stages after introducing Mauricio Pinilla, pictured right, and debutant Andrius Velicka. The Chilean's endeavour seemed to refresh the home side and he was unlucky not to break the deadlock on 74 minutes with a vicious low shot that Bullock again did well to stop.

Pinilla's absence from the starting line-up was put down to his lack of match fitness, the player having not managed a proper pre-season. Jamie Mole was preferred, but given that he was named as an injury doubt on Friday the Chilean may have been the better option.

As Ivanauskas paced his technical area muttering to himself with the second half wearing on, the fear of it being "one of those afternoons" became all the more real. The only moment of respite shown to Hearts by the referee came after Bednar was adjudged to have fouled McGowne and Mikoliunas ran through to release a shot off the palms of Bullock. Had Mr McDonald wished to apply the laws of the game strictly he could have issued the Lithuanian with a second booking for continuing after play had been stopped. That, however, might have been the final straw for the home support.

St Mirren's goal arrived against the run of play, and again Sutton and Kean were heavily involved. The Englishman fed substitute Craig Molloy and his 18-yard shot was spilled by Gordon for Kean to slide in and sweep the ball into the net. The home fans' frustrations were taken out on Mikoliunas minutes later when he was booed off to be replaced by Mirsad Beslija. Yet still Hearts could have overturned the deficit had they not spurned two clear chances.

First, Bednar and Pinilla combined to sweep forward over the halfway line but when the Chilean played in the Czech the finish landed in the Gorgie Road end. The execution left both Romanovs with heads in hands in the directors' box. Minutes later it was Takis Fyssas' turn to be profligate in front of goal when he nodded Hartley's free-kick over whilst unmarked four yards from goal.

It was, to all intents and purposes, one of those afternoons. Pressley will now attempt to use the result to Hearts' advantage when they enter the UEFA Cup against Sparta Prague this week. "We have to look for the right reaction on Thursday night," he said.

"I said a few choice words in the dressing room after the game. Roman Bednar is a young player and a terrific prospect but you have to learn sometimes that during defeat you must take your medicine. I have a great deal of confidence and I believe that, come Thursday, we'll be ready and we'll get a result. It's a great opportunity for us to progress to the group stages and maintain a UEFA Cup interest towards Christmas. We managed it two years ago and it was a great experience."

The Sparta Prague spies in the stand on Saturday will, undoubtedly, have pinpointed weaknesses. One might have been the referee, but with Hearts' principle finishers subdued by St Mirren it leaves open the possibility of a surprise element at Murrayfield on Thursday.

It must be hoped, however, that the visitors don't provide a shock of their own again.

Taken from the Scotsman