Jambos put four past Falkirk

HEARTS 4
Ksanavicius (5)
Zaliukas (27)
Velicka (58)
Nade (68)

FALKIRK 2
Barrett (87)
Moutinho (89)

LAST week Hearts went a full 37 minutes without a Lithuanian on the field at Love Street, this week Vladimir Romanov's comrades returned with a vengeance to orchestrate a thoroughly convincing victory.

Saturday's win over Falkirk was conspicuous for the fact that three Lithuanians found the net and, in general, allowed Hearts to dominate despite a late rally by the visitors.

Audrius Ksanavicius, Marius Zaliukas and Andrius Velicka had Anatoli Korobochka's side coasting before substitute Christian Nade scored a convincing fourth. Falkirk fashioned two goals in the latter stages to quicken the heartbeat of Tynecastle regulars, but in truth the three points were never in question.

The often-derided Lithuanian influence in Gorgie stood out as the major force behind the win, which ought to please Romanov no end whilst offering some reassurance that FBK Kaunas loanees can live prosperously in the SPL.

Falkirk suffered from poor defending at times, but that couldn't detract from the impressive home performance.

The Hearts side detailed four alterations from last weekend, the strangest apparently being Ibrahim Tall's relegation to the bench amidst an imperious spell of form. His absence allowed Zaliukas to slot back into central defence and was fully vindicated when the Lithuanian scored the second goal.

On the lushest of autumn surfaces, the hosts took just five minutes to display their efficiency. Michael Stewart had scooped Andy Driver's left-side cross over the Falkirk crossbar, but the opener was fashioned down the opposite flank with Larry Kingston the principal architect.
GO TO WORK ON AN EGG: Hearts' Eggert Jonsson in action at Tynecastle today. Picture: IAN GEORGESON

GO TO WORK ON AN EGG: Hearts' Eggert Jonsson in action at Tynecastle today. Picture: IAN GEORGESON

Playing a one-two with Eggert Jonsson, the Ghanaian sauntered forward to stroke a delightful early ball across to Ksanavicius for a sumptuous finish at the back post. The tone was set for an emphatic afternoon.

Falkirk, having tried a couple of long-range attempts, then settled into a pattern of play which largely centred around the evergreen Russell Latapy. Ksanavicius sent a dipping volley straight at Tim Krul on 19 minutes and the visitors appealed for a penalty when Tomas Kancelskis - deployed at left-back instead of the jettisoned Jose Goncalves - executed what was a fair sliding challenge on Dean Holden inside the box.

Holden's marauding runs from right-back were causing consternation in the Hearts camp but they also left his defensive colleagues exposed. Shortly before the half-hour, Zaliukas struck a fine second goal. Stewart's free-kick was only partially cleared by Darren Barr and the Lithuanian's volley went sailing into the net from 18 yards.

By now, it was virtually game over. Driver scampered in behind the Falkirk defence to collect Velicka's pass but, as he approached Krul one-on-one, his tame shot was blocked by the advancing goalkeeper. Velicka then insolently flicked the ball through Kenny Milne's legs and Holden almost diverted the subsequent cross past Krul.

Referee Stuart Dougal brought rousing applause from Tynecastle supporters by booking Pedro Moutinho for a 44th-minute dive, and it was little wonder the Portuguese sought to gain his side an advantage. Hearts, after all, had overwhelmed Falkirk with a fine display of pass-and-move football.

The third Lithuanian to get on the scoresheet was Velicka, gathering Kancelskis' pass and homing in on Krul before arking the ball home. The appreciation in the stands for the eastern Europeans was evidenced when first Ksanavicius and then Velicka were replaced, both departing to spine-tingling ovations.

Hearts' dominance continued when Nade emerged from the substitutes' bench to score the fourth. The Frenchman initiated a tidy one two and bustled his way past three Falkirk players before a low finish into the corner.

John Hughes' side commendably stuck to their ball-on-the-ground thesis despite the four-goal deficit and managed two consolation strikes through substitute Graham Barrett and Moutinho. Both goals were contested intensely as Hearts appealed to standside assistant Martin Cryans for offside.

Nonetheless, the visitors finished the afternoon playing for pride. Hearts, in spite of the late panic caused by two quick concessions, knew they had excelled on a day when their recent renaissance hit top gear.

Hearts (4-4-1-1): Banks; Neilson, Zaliukas, Berra, Kancelskis; Kingston, Stewart, Jonsson, Driver; Ksanavicius; Velicka. Subs: Basso, Elliot 60 (for Ksanavicius), Tall, Palazuelos 75 (for Stewart), Nade 65 (for Velicka), Karipidis, Ivaskevicius.

Falkirk (4-4-2): Krul; Holden, Barr, Milne, Scobbie; Cregg, Riera, Latapy, Arfield; Higdon, Moutinho. Subs: Olejnik, Allison, Thomson 65 (for Latapy), Barrett 65 (for Higdon), Finnigan 65 (for Riera), Wallner, Craig.

Attendance: 15,855.

Referee: Stuart Dougal.

Taken from the Scotsman