Hearts 1 Inverness 0

Hearts had substitute Michal Pospisil to thank for a victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle - but Craig Gordon's omission from the matchday squad provided the real talking point.

Pospisil came off the bench with eight minutes remaining to head in Andrew Driver's cross with his first touch and earn all three points in the Bank of Scotland Premier League clash.

Gordon was surprisingly not even included on the Hearts bench, despite the Scotland number one being reassured by new national team boss Alex McLeish this week that his international place is not in doubt.

There will now be major questions surrounding his future.

With Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley having already been moved out of Tynecastle, Gordon may be the final member of the so-called 'Riccarton Three' to pay the price for criticism of owner Vladimir Romanov.

Steve Banks was handed a start for the third match, and there were also five changes made by head coach Valdas Ivanauskas to his starting line-up.

With such major alterations, Hearts would have been looking for a period of possession to help settle themselves into the match.

However, had it not been for the agility and magnificent reactions of Banks they would have been a goal behind less than two minutes into the game.

A long throw from Grant Munro was flicked on by Darren Dods and Graham Bayne's volley from close range was wonderfully parried away by Banks.

The save would have heartened the Englishman amid all the controversy over his selection.

However, there was little else to warm the home fans, other than their heckling of referee Eddie Smith.

They roared for a penalty after half an hour when Takis Fyssas tumbled theatrically under a challenge from Darren Dods, but Smith waved the hopeful appeals aside.

Five minutes from the interval, Hearts again had Banks to thank for keeping the scoreline blank.

Roy McBain worked hard to gain possession on the edge of the box and Russell Duncan shuttled the ball on to Barry Wilson on the edge of the area.

The Inverness captain's shot was not the most powerful but was accurate enough and Banks had to dive full length to his right to beat the effort away.

January signing Laryea Kingston looked to be Hearts' most creative force but there were few on the same wavelength as the Ghanaian international.

Kingston again showed his class after pouncing on a loose ball in midfield as he sent substitute Roman Bednar scampering in on goal with a tremendous pass but Caley Thistle keeper Michael Fraser rushed from his line to block.

Yet, for all Hearts' dominance of possession, Inverness continued to create the more clear-cut opportunities.

In the 71st minute the visitors came within a whisker of taking the lead when Richard Hastings' pinpoint cross was headed goalwards by Rory McAllister, only for his effort to skim off the top of the crossbar and over.

Ivanauskas tried one last throw of the dice when he replaced Polish debutant Arkadiusz Klimek with Pospisil eight minutes from time.

The Czech forward wasted no time in making a difference as he headed in Hearts' winner with his first touch of the ball.

Driver's penetrating cross was perfect for the striker arriving at the far post and Inverness goalkeeper Michael Fraser had no chance from close range.

Teams:

Hearts Banks, Tall, Zaliukas, Berra, Fyssas,Klimek (Pospisil 81), Kingston, Brellier, Driver,Jankauskas (Bednar 61), Elliot (Jonsson 73).

Subs Not Used: Kurskis, McCann, Wallace, Karipidis.

Booked: Brellier.

Goals: Pospisil 82.

Inverness CT Fraser, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings,Wilson (McSwegan 85), McBain, Duncan, Rankin (Morgan 63),Bayne, McAllister.

Subs Not Used: Ridgers, McCaffrey, Black, Paatelainen, Soane.

Booked: McBain.

Att: 16,631

Ref: E Smith (Scotland).

Taken from sportinglife.com