Hearts' plans intact after derby victory

Victory over Hibs coupled with Aberdeen's defeat at Parkhead means this angst-ridden UEFA Cup contest goes to the final day of the season.

That scenario was all Anatoli Korobochka, pictured below right, and Stephen Frail hoped for prior to the Edinburgh derby. Whilst confident that their side's recent vivacity would overcome a lacklustre Easter Road group, there was no telling the fate of Aberdeen on a visit to what is presently the most lethargic Celtic side for some time. But a 2-1 defeat for the Pittodrie club reduces the gap between third and fourth in the SPL to just a solitary point, and there can be no doubt now about who has accumulated the greater momentum.

Hearts' pace-and-power opening against Hibs proved overwhelming, although it was not entirely bereft of quality passing either. Without the work ethic of Scott Brown the visitors succumbed rather tamely to goals by Michal Pospisil and Andy Driver inside 23 minutes. The victory helped reduce Aberdeen's goal difference advantage to two and a mouthwatering Sunday afternoon is now in prospect this weekend.

"We've managed to do our bit, which is pleasing," said Frail, assistant coach at Tynecastle. "I was really happy with the start. I've seen games like that before where you score early and the other team ends up getting a lift from it, but thankfully Hibs didn't. We then scored a second and to go in at half-time 2-0 up was a real bonus. They put us under a little pressure second half, but we managed to ride that out.

"We always hear how well Hibs pass the ball and they do try to play that way, but we know we have good players who can also do it. I think that showed in the first half, the way our boys passed and moved and the pace they played at as well. I was slightly disappointed with the second half in terms of performance, but I'll take that result every week."

In front of an away support with a quarter of their seats empty, Hearts strode in front inside 30 seconds. Christophe Berra's long clearance saw Pospisil muscle between Shelton Martis and Chris Hogg to slide a controlled shot past Andy McNeil with his left foot. The presence of the Czech alongside Roman Bednar in attack had an unsettling effect on Hibs throughout the first half as McNeil was subjected to the mocking of his every kickout by home supporters. Those jibes were to have repercussions later.

Hearts continued in the ascendency, their players betraying signs of motivation which the visitors could not equal. Even Saulius Mikoliunas displayed an early tenacious streak and robust upper body strength to win a shoulder challenge against David Murphy and gallop off down the wing. However, the Lithuanian appeared culpable when he failed to track back in the 16th minute as Hibs broke through Damon Gray and Steven Fletcher. It required a last-ditch tackle from Christos Karipidis to prevent Gray's shot reaching Craig Gordon, and the Hearts management team were then seen berating Mikoliunas for his lack of defensive awareness.

All was forgotten on 23 minutes when the second goal arrived. Bednar had forced two commendable saves from McNeil with first a header then a right-footed shot, and the Czech then opted for the high-and-hopeful approach when lofting the ball into the penalty area with no particular target in mind. McNeil emerged, under no apparent pressure, to collect but mistimed his jump and failed to catch the ball, allowing the alert Driver to convert into the exposed net. Not surprisingly, Tynecastle regulars weren't slow during the aftermath of the goal to make comparisons between McNeil and his uninspiring predecessor, Zibi Malkowski.

By now, little over a quarter into the match, the scene was set. One more Hearts goal would extinguish what little was left of Hibs' morale. Visiting manager John Collins had employed a 3-4-1-2 formation which, quite frankly, failed. Hibs' only effort on target in the opening 45 minutes was Guillaume Beuzelin's long-range drive which Gordon palmed over the crossbar, although Fletcher wasted a good chance when clear of the home defence. His delay in shooting allowed Berra to intervene.

In the closing seconds of first-half stoppage time Berra's header rebounded off the woodwork from Mikoliunas' cross. But 2-0 it remained and, just for the day, Tynecastle's interval hospitality included slices of Barcelona chorizo to cheekily emphasise that Ronaldinho, Messi and co have chosen to play the maroon half of Edinburgh during their sojourn to Scotland this July, rather than the green.

Hibs substitute Ivan Sproule clipped a reasonable chance high of Gordon's goal just after the restart as his side reverted to a conventional 4-4-2 formation, and Merouane Zemmama's free-kick was repelled by Gordon low at his right post. The visitors' ball retention had improved slightly but clear opportunities in front of goal were still at a premium. Wary of Sproule's pace, Hearts introduced Jose Goncalves for Takis Fyssas after an hour, and the Greek seized the moment to conduct an extensive farewell to supporters in his last Tynecastle appearance before departing on freedom of contract.

With jersey in hand and Goncalves waiting patiently by the touchline, Fyssas trotted around the pitch for over a minute shaking hands with colleagues and waving to the stands. The Hibs players and Collins complained to referee Stuart Dougal about the delay, and the official produced his notebook to prompt Fyssas into accelerating his departure. The moment was emotional and perhaps a little over-played to irritate the guests from Leith, but it was also extremely good natured - although as Fyssas eventually neared the home dugout, interim head coach Korobochka, below left, was almost as enraged and animated as the Hibs support. The veteran Russian was poised over the edge of his technical area urging Fyssas off to end the sideshow.

Eventually Goncalves entered the fray, and Hearts were pressed into another alteration following Larry Kingston's collision with the Hibs captain Rob Jones on the edge of the visitors' penalty area. The Ghanaian was replaced by Ibrahim Tall and left the stadium on crutches with an injured ankle. His absence blunted the hosts' attacking prowess and forced a retreat from their outgoing approach of the first half.

"We don't know how bad the injury is and he'll need to be assessed," said Frail. "He also has this appeal hanging over him, so hopefully we can get him fit first and take it from there."

Several home players, notably Mikoliunas, looked evermore nervous in possession as the game wore on. However, they needn't have fretted as sound defensive organisation ensured they remained difficult to break down.

Hibs left Tynecastle in a state of submission at the end of a season in which they have failed to record a league victory over their city rivals. Following a post-match squad appearance in the centre-circle to thank supporters' loyalty, the Hearts players would have headed home in a quiet state of confidence. By the time the result from Celtic Park filtered through to Edinburgh, the adrenalin must have been positively coursing in anticipation of potentially realising their final-day UEFA Cup destiny at Kilmarnock.

HEARTS

Gordon
Karipidis
Zaliukas
Berra
Fyssas
Mikoliunas
Kingston
Ivaskevicius
Driver
Bednar
Pospisil

SUBSTITUTES

Velicka 46 (for Bednar)
Goncalves 60 (for Fyssas)
Tall 70 (for Kingston)
Banks
McCann
Kancelskis
Wallace

FORMATION

4-4-2

HIBS

McNeil
Whittaker
Hogg
Martis
Jones
Murphy
Shiels
Beuzelin
Stevenson
Gray
Fletcher

SUBSTITUTES

McCann 46 (for Martis)
Sproule 46 (for Gray)
Zemmama 58 (for Beuzelin)
Brown
Chisholm
Campbell
McCaffrey

FORMATION

3-4-1-2

Taken from the Scotsman