V for vindicated as Velicka saves Valdas

A DRAW that felt like a victory to everyone connected with Hearts, yesterday's Edinburgh derby was neither for the faint-hearted nor the weak-minded.

That the visitors ultimately held their own is testament to the resilience of their most influential characters. Andrius Velicka would not have been considered part of that elite before kick-off, however after scoring twice to haul his team back from the dead the Lithuanian's attitude and application could only be admired. Come full-time, Valdas Ivanauskas looked to be especially grateful for Velicka's presence. As he was for Paul Hartley's and Craig Gordon's.

Hibs, although left to rue their own lack of composure in ceding a 2-0 lead, had soared into a dominant position from kick-off as midfielders Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson and Michael Stewart assumed complete control of proceedings. Hearts were overwhelmed and overawed by the occasion in some instances, but a helping hand from the hapless Zibi Malkowski and the adoption of a siege mentality after Saulius Miloliunas' red card served them in a way that perhaps even they couldn't believe.

Suggesting a draw after 15 minutes of this enthralling match with Hibs two in front would have seen you laughed out of Easter Road, but Ivanauskas' side succeeded in overcoming their own Achilles' heel - Mikoliunas - and restored parity after the winger's dismissal when Velicka scored his second. Leaving the stadium in a somewhat joyous state, they were mindful of just how vital this salvage job may prove to be in the context of the season as a whole.

"To a certain extent it feels like a win. At 2-0, even our own supporters possibly feared the worst," admitted captain Steven Pressley. "I don't know about the mentality of some of our other players but I always believed we could get back in to the game. It wasn't a win but to play 30 minutes with ten men at Easter Road and having put the performance in that we did in the second half, it almost did feel like a win.

"I think we have to take enormous credit and there are so many positives to take from the performance, although I wouldn't say it was vintage. It was a display of great spirit and we will require that over the season. The result was fantastic for us after being two down so early. We showed great resilience and I thought Andrius typified the spirit we showed. He led the line superbly."

Not for the first time on a visit to Leith there were pre-match contentions surrounding Hearts' team selection as Mauricio Pinilla and Julien Brellier were left out of the squad. Edgaras Jankauskas and Neil McCann were deemed unfit, which allowed a record number of Lithuanians - four - to begin the match in visiting regalia.

Now, weekly squad rotation at Tynecastle has ordained that no-one is guaranteed their place in the team, unless you happen to be Craig Gordon. Or Mikoliunas. In a match that was always likely to be won and lost in midfield, the visitors' Lithuanian contingent in that area expected oceans of time and space to play the game at their own tempo and were often hustled out of possession.

Mikoliunas' inclusion on the right flank at the expense of Mirsad Beslija, an outstanding contributor in his club's last outing against Dundee United, seemed difficult to comprehend. On the opposite flank, the selection of Deividas Cesnausis was more understandable with neither McCann nor Andy Driver fit, however with two wingers afield the central midfield pairing of Paul Hartley and Marius Zaliukas were unable to subdue the aggressive craft of Brown, Thomson and Stewart.

"Hibernian started the game extremely well and I think you have to credit them for that," continued Pressley. "They had a three-versus-two situation in the midfield and they certainly took a grip of that. We slowly began to impose ourselves when Paul became more influential."

Hibs moved ahead on five minutes. Ivan Sproule turned Lee Wallace just inside the Hearts half down the right and sprinted into the space behind the teenager. Sproule's cross deflected off Zaliukas to Stewart, and from his cutback Chris Killen cushioned the ball to Merouane Zemmama on the penalty spot. The Moroccan showed outstanding composure to calmly take the ball past the sprawling Pressley and Ibrahim Tall and slot into the corner.

It wasn't long until the game's first moment of controversy. After a late tackle by Mikoliunas on Thomson, for which the Lithuanian was cautioned, Hartley and Hibs' manager-for-the-day Mark Venus were seen engaging in a heated verbal exchange with the Hibs boss calling for Mikoliunas to be instantly red carded. Tony Mowbray, were he still at Easter Road, would doubtless have gone for the more diplomatic style of complaint.

Minutes later, Zemmama's corner was flicked goalwards by Killen at the near post and ended up in the Hearts net, leaving Tall and Velicka debating who was covering who at the set-piece. At 2-0, the game was dead and buried. Except nothing is ever a formality when this Hearts side are involved. Granted, they were toiling to construct attacking moves with no natural left-footer from midfield to front, but out of nothing Velicka dragged them back into contention.

A high and hopeful ball from Wallace prompted the bustling Lithuanian to take to the air, and he rose above the needlessly-committed Malkowski to nod the ball into empty net. Thomson was berating his goalkeeper for rushing almost 18 yards from his goal line, but almost in an instant you could see the hairs lifting on the backs of the Hearts' players' necks.

Pressley said: "I told the boys we had to keep at it and try to impose ourselves on the game because it's difficult for a team to sustain a level of pressure like Hibs had in the first 15 or 20 minutes. There's always a time when it changes. The key is taking the opportunity when it does and thankfully we did with Andrius' header. That gave us some belief."

Zaliukas began to acclimatise in midfield and Ivanauskas saw his team finish the half strongest, but not before another moment of ugliness that could easily have seen Mikoliunas dismissed before the half-time tea had brewed. He chased a 50-50 ball to the main-stand touchline with David Murphy and as the Hibs defender went to ground Mikoliunas appeared to kick out, catching the full-back in the head with his studs.

Zemmama felt the need to protest extensively to referee Charlie Richmond and was dragged away from the incident to avoid being ordered off himself after his 30th-minute caution for encroaching. The Moroccan delivered possibly his finest performance since arriving at Easter Road from Raja Casablanca, but his was also a display peppered with bitter complaints and niggling fouls that may, on another day, have seen his afternoon terminated early.

The second period was a much more balanced affair. If anything, Hearts looked more likely to score than Hibs, and when Mikoliunas received his second caution on 58 minutes for an inane trip on Sproule their cause seemed strangely reinforced. Ivanauskas went three versus three in central midfield which allowed for a much more balanced contest, and in the 72nd minute Hartley pinged a wonderful long ball out of defence which dropped in behind a static-looking Hibs rearguard.

Velicka, a player noted more for his physical strength than pace, was quick to spring the offside trap and moved clear of Steven Whittaker to strike a low left-footed effort beyond Malkowski at his near post. Again the goalkeeper appeared more than a little culpable, but that had no bearing in the visitors' technical area as Ivanauskas and John McGlynn danced with joy. The unbridled delirium in the travelling support caused several to spill out from the East Stand on to the track, but referee Richmond took on the role of spoilsport by booking Velicka for some innocuous celebrations.

Hibs were understandably deflated but were ordered forward by Venus in an attempt to restore their advantage. Richmond dismissed strong penalty claims when Gordon sprinted out and caught Sproule just outside the six-yard box on 77 minutes, but the Hearts goalkeeper was vindicated by getting a touch on the ball whilst also connecting with the Irishman.

Before the end, Ivanauskas was ready to take on all comers in a moment of outright rage. Picking up the ball after it had gone for a throw-in, he threw it over the head of Hibs substitute Dean Shiels to waste a few seconds and was shoved by the slightly-built midfielder for his troubles. Shiels quickly shuffled back into position whilst Ivanauskas, eyes bulging from his head, required restraining by a combination of McGlynn and Craig Mackay, the fourth official.

The customary outstanding save from Gordon didn't arrive until the dying seconds. From Thomson's cross, Rob Jones towered above Pressley to power a header against the goalkeeper's balance, but still Gordon was equal to it as he clawed the ball away. The save put the seal on a result that was a triumph in all but name for Hearts.

"I think we come to expect these types of saves from Craig. I just said to him: 'Well done big chap. That's the norm,' joked Pressley. "Seriously, it was an incredible save. A really incredible save."

Taken from the Scotsman