St Mirren a tough nut for Hearts

Romanov routinely refers to football reporters - especially those who work for tabloid newspapers - as "monkeys" and Hearts' official website has carried pictures of chimps as a sarcastic representation of media coverage. Now, though, Romanov's own antics are under the spotlight, despite his heavy- handed attempt at damage limitation.

On Thursday night, after the storm about his Old Firm bribery remarks had broken, the club website carried a statement from Romanov in which he said: "Thank God I have found no corruption in Scotland."

However, the Scottish Football Association had already begun their own investigation into the affair and there were angry condemnations by both Old Firm managers on Friday. The Hearts website nevertheless carried the usual jibe at the media, in customary mangled syntax.

"Edinburgh is an amazing city," Romanov wrote. "Its beauty was created during the times of the kings of old and now I see how everything that people were gathering for centuries, a culture, all Walter Scott's heritage, is being ruled and destroyed by monkeys from the safari park."

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon was restored to the first team, having spoken to Romanov personally after being dropped for three games - he was one of five changes to the side that won at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle the previous Saturday - but the Scotland international was beaten by a Stephen O'Donnell volley after 14 minutes as St Mirren, aiming to close in on SPL survival, fielded a hard- working 4-5-1 formation to effect.

Hearts improved noticeably in the second half and retrieved a point late in the contest when Laryea Kingston curled in a 25- yard free-kick and St Mirren ended the afternoon pushed back upon their own lines. They found, too, that they had not put any additional distance between themselves and the bottom club, Dunfermline Athletic, who began the afternoon at home to Kilmarnock, having failed to score an SPL goal in 810 minutes of football.

Steven Naismith extended Dunfermline's misery with a 10th-minute volley, but almost on the stroke of half-time Killie's Simon Ford conceded a penalty by fouling Adam Hammill - and was sent off - leaving Steve Crawford the task of ending the scoring hoodoo. Crawford converted coolly to register the Fifers' first goal in 13 hours and 13 minutes of league action.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk