Ivanauskas praise for Beslija as Bosnian begins to show true worth

HEARTS are three points behind Celtic and four ahead of Rangers, as they were before all three teams played yesterday. They have, however, improved their goal difference compared to both members of the Old Firm, and for that they have in large part Mirsad Beslija to thank.

The Bosnian created the second goal for Juho Makela with a superb cross, and was also the cause of his team's third when referee Eddie Smith awarded a penalty after ruling he had been tripped in the box. Even before a goal had been scored, though, Beslija displayed some exquisite touches, as well as the turn of speed which saw him labelled one of the fastest players in Europe during his days with Racing Genk.

Since leaving the Belgian club in January, Beslija has been given little chance to prove his worth at first-team level, which has always been baffling given that someone at Hearts believed he was worth shelling out £850,000 for. He has talked, as any player would, about thinking of moving on if he continues to remain on the margins at Tynecastle, but if he keeps on playing like this he will surely hold on to a position in Valdas Ivanauskas's starting line-up. "Mirsad has quality, and has been working very, very hard," the coach said. "He's an international player and this was his best game for Hearts.

"I can understand [his frustrations] because he doesn't play regularly here and maybe he did in other teams. Mirsad has had to wait for his chance, and today he took it. Every player has a big future if he keeps working hard and is ready for the fight."

That last remark was a non-committal answer to a question asking if Beslija was likely to become a regular member of the first team. However, when Paul Hartley, who scored from the penalty spot, was asked the same question, his response was less equivocal.

"Hopefully he'll stay in the team now with performances like that," the midfielder said. "I'm really pleased for Mirsad, because he's had a really hard time and has not played an awful lot.

"Today he looked like an £850,000 player. He's not had a chance to play here and today he was fantastic. That will give him confidence. I'll say one thing about him. He's always come in with a smile on his face every morning. You wouldn't think he hadn't played a lot."

Hartley's penalty, his first goal of a season which began late for him because of injury, was his 13th consecutive successful spot-kick. "I've not missed one, even in training," he said. "I scored against [Dundee United goalkeeper Derek] Stillie last season, so I changed my mind this time and went for a different corner."

According to Ivanauskas, the points had been secured long before Hartley stepped up to take the penalty. "After the first goal the game was easy," the coach added. "After the second goal the game was over."

That being the case, all Craig Brewster could look back on fondly was a decent start in which his team should have taken the lead. "I thought the first 30 minutes were excellent and I can't believe the goal [by Noel Hunt] was disallowed," the Dundee United manager said after his team had slipped to second bottom of the Premierleague. "The performance was good. Hearts were ruthless, we weren't, and that was it."

Taken from the Scotsman