Monkey japes precede poor fare

THE bananas and nuts were rather tasty, the Hearts performance certainly wasn't. Perhaps Vladimir Romanov should train his thoughts more towards his team's lack of conviction than the endless castigation of the Scottish media.

Regarded until recently as a fortress, Tynecastle has now become something of a comfort zone for visiting sides like St Mirren who have now taken four points from a possible six in Gorgie this season. Continual disruption to the Hearts starting line-up left their overall cohesion shredded for Romanov's latest visit to Edinburgh, despite Craig Gordon being recalled to the team in place of the unfortunate Steve Banks.

Gordon's reinstatement became significantly more likely after the majority shareholder arrived in Edinburgh late last week.

On his previous sojourn to Scotland, Romanov sanctioned Steven Pressley's return to the Hearts team at Inverness after excluding him from the previous two fixtures. Repeating the gesture with Gordon on his first visit to Tynecastle since October last year ensured home supporters were moderately pacified by the time Romanov and wife Svetlana took their seats in the directors' box for kick-off.

Placing trays of bananas and nuts in the media room before the game allowed the Russian banker to continue his monkey-themed belittling of journalists in this country. It was all a bit of light-hearted entertainment, however when the serious business began he saw a listless display from the home side which must now become his primary concern.

St Mirren's recent signing, Stephen O'Donnell, delivered a perfectly-executed opener which was cancelled out by an even more spectacular strike by Hearts' new arrival, Laryea Kingston. The equaliser was one of few encouraging moments for head coach Valdas Ivanauskas, who was left bemoaning the paucity of his side's threat following the visitors' resilience. "It is definitely two points dropped because the league table situation is not good for us," said the Lithuanian, right. "We lost two points and I am disappointed, as are the players. We had chances, although not a lot. After their goal it was very hard for the players, our self confidence was down. If we want to take second place in the league we must win every game. We have lost points at home, so now we must try to get them away from home."

Hearts remain fourth in the SPL having played a game more than third-placed Aberdeen, and the possibility of missing out on European qualification altogether does not hold great appeal for Kingston. The tenacious Ghanaian midfielder is on a six-month loan from Russian side Terek Grozny, with the option to remain in Edinburgh for a further three years on a permanent contract starting in the summer.

"The important thing is to play in the UEFA Cup and the Champions League," he said. "There, people will get to know you more, so that is my aim. I'm praying that we win a lot of points to qualify for the Champions League, I will be very happy to see that happen.

"There is not a lot of difference between football here and in Russia. Here they play a lot of long balls and do a lot of running, and in Russia they like to keep the ball. But I am the type of player who will cope with any league."

Following a blast of "Hey, Hey We're The Monkees" over the stadium PA system, the match got underway in a solemn atmosphere as supporters appeared unsure how to greet Romanov's return. Some offered the thumbs up, he duly responded, whilst others extended different fingers in his direction to convey their dissatisfaction with his club management skills.

Andrius Velicka quickly demonstrated why he is Hearts' top goalscorer with a dipping volley in the ninth minute following a headed knockdown from Michal Pospisil. St Mirren goalkeeper Chris Smith reacted instantly to palm the ball over for a corner. Then Gus MacPherson's side promptly moved ahead in the 14th minute through O'Donnell. Garry Brady lofted a straightforward ball in between the static central defence of Marius Zaliukas and Christophe Berra, and O'Donnell, making only his second appearance since his January move from Clyde, was granted the necessary space for a controlled finish on the turn.

The home response saw Velicka threaten again from Andy Driver's incisive left-wing cross, which exemplified Hearts' early prowess in wide areas. From another move instigated on the left, Driver's shot careered into Velicka's path eight yards from goal but the Lithuanian could only side foot the ball over the crossbar by a foot.

MacPherson's defence was holding firm as the interval approached, despite Hearts enjoying an overwhelming majority of possession. The manager's 4-1-4-1 tactics proved a major source of frustration to the hosts, who suffered from the lack of a driving force in central midfield. And in Stewart Kean, the lone visiting forward, MacPherson had arguably the game's most industrious player.

The second half descended into a stop-start affair, not aided by fussy and often inexplicable officiating
from Dougie McDonald.

Perhaps he had taken offence at recent comments attributed to Romanov about Scottish refs.

St Mirren had a half chance through O'Donnell which Gordon held comfortably, and Julien Brellier replaced Takis Fyssas in a clear effort by Ivanauskas to afford his side greater influence in midfield.

The equaliser transpired from one of the many stoppages of play when Ian Maxwell fouled Saulius Mikoliunas, allowing Laryea Kingston to spectacularly curl his first goal in a maroon shirt into Smith's top-right corner from 20 yards out.

The instant roar that went up around Tynecastle emphasised local supporters' beliefs that this game was winnable for their side with over 20 minutes remaining.

The lack of a creative influence amongst Hearts' ranks decreed otherwise, however. St Mirren, in truth, were worthy of their draw, a point that won't be lost on Romanov.

Taken from the Scotsman