THE EXCHANGE & HEART

HEARTS 1

DUNFERMLINE 1

FOR SALE: Football team, reasonable condition, one careless owner. Contact Vlad the Mad at Heart of Midlothian FC.

Don't be surprised if that's listed in this week's Exchange and Mart because nothing about the ongoing soap opera at this club would surprise you now.

If Romanov is a man of his word - and Racing Genk certainly don't think so as they're still waiting for their money for Mirsad Beslija - then the entire Hearts squad is up for sale today.

That's the price Romanov said the players would pay for failing to beat Dunfermline - the threat that sparked the public spat between the madcap club owner and his senior players.

So presumably we'll be seeing a mass exodus to "Kilmarnock, Dunfermline or whatever club will take you" as the Lithuanian so bluntly put it.

Or maybe Romanov will have opened his ears at Tynecastle and listened to the punters who sang for rebel trio Steven Pressley, Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon.

And rather than punishing the players he will look at himself. Vlad will then see the damage he has done to team spirit made dropped points almost inevitable.

At least common sense prevailed in team selection with the Riccarton Three spared the axe for their defiance, for now at least.

Hearts fans are used to hearing their controversial owner taking stick.

But for it to come from within - and from the three sacred cows - has clearly stirred something in the support.

The chorus of "One Steven Pressley" echoing around the ground before kick-off was a clear message to Romanov as he sat in the directors' box.

And as the maroon shirts locked together for an age to form perhaps the longest huddle in sport, Dunfermline got the message they would NOT be facing a side weakened by bitter divisions.

Still, the Pars have their own problems to drive them on in the wake of boss Jim Leishman's resignation last week.

And their fired-up players almost put the cat among the pigeons after just two minutes.

Former Jambos star Stephen Simmons let rip with a rasping first-time effort that was bound for the top corner until Gordon produced a superb reaction save.

That moment hammered home how crucial the Scotland keeper is to this team - and the other two rebels didn't waste time in making their point as they played a vital role in Hearts' 11th-minute opener.

Pressley's long ball somehow caught out Fife keeper Roddy McKenzie who had to scramble back to claw the ball off his line as it bounced over his head.

However, it only went as far as Hartley at the back post and his quick-witted back-heel fell perfectly for Andrius Velicka to tap into the gaping net.

All talk of a crisis seemed forgotten and Deividas Cesnauskis almost grabbed the second with a shot that was deflected on to the near post by Aaron Labonte.

Then Pressley, playing like a man possessed, stormed 50 yards up field to work a neat one-two with Velicka and race clear on goal.

But just when it looked like the fairytale goal was certain his shot curled a foot wide.

Even Romanov couldn't help but smile at the sight of his skipper making such a lung-bursting run.

Roman Bednar had a penalty claim rightly turned down as Greg Shields slid in just before the break but referee Brian Winter was in for a harder time in the second half as the Pars levelled after 47 minutes.

Simmons headed an inswinging corner into a ruck of players on the six-yard line and Jim Hamilton bundled the ball home, sparking furious protests for handball.

Gordon copped a booking for sprinting across to linesman George Drummond to give him abuse and there were more cards in the post.

Goal hero Hamilton saw yellow for persistent fouling and was followed by team-mate Darren Young.

Robbie Neilson then joined them for crashing into the back of Owen Morrison.

Hamilton had the ball in the net again just after the hour but this time it was chopped for offside. Dunfermline continued to make chances and Mark Bur chill wasted a golden one in 81 minutes.

Young teed the hitman up with time to spare in the box but he drilled his shot wide.

Midfielder Julien Brellier - a player Romanov doesn't rate - then came on for Hearts and was given a huge ovation from the fans.

But it was two defenders who played a key role in the final drama as Neilson's superb strike was bravely headed off the line by Andy Tod to sicken Hearts.

But it's the sickness deep within a club locked in civil war that should be worrying the Tynecastle faithful most.

REF WATCH

BRIAN WINTER had a bad view of Jim Hamilton's equaliser but it was handball and shouldn't have stood. After that he struggled to keep a lid on the game and made a few poor decisions. Supporting the 23rd Man Rating: 5/10.

MATCH STATS

HEARTS

SHOTS ON 7

SHOTS OFF 6

OFFSIDE 0

FOULS 19

CORNERS 15

BOOKINGS 2

DUNFERMLINE

SHOTS ON 4

SHOTS OFF 5

OFFSIDE 5

FOULS 17

CORNERS 5

BOOKINGS 2

Taken from the Sunday Mail