Big Hearts prove match for graceful Hibs

ONCE a graveyard for good football, the Edinburgh derby has reclaimed its place as a celebration of exuberant play. This latest instalment of capital rivalry delivered 90 minutes of breathless excitement yesterday in which both sides could be reasonably pleased with their contributions to the game.

Hibs dominated the first half and deserved their half-time lead, courtesy of an own goal from Christophe Berra. On his 100th appearance for the club, Guillaume Beuzelin returned from an operation on his ankle to dictate play for long stretches with vision and athleticism. Little wonder, his manager, John Collins, who was a stylish enough footballer in his own playing days, praised the Frenchman as a joy to watch.

The game offered a vivid contrast in style with Hearts preferring the more direct style of play. If Hibs were easier on the eye, Hearts created more chances. Having fallen out of the game in the first half, the Tynecastle side raised the tempo after the interval and secured an equaliser through Christian Nade.

Hearts also sorted out their tactics during the interval after conceding Hibs far too much space in the first half. Michael Stewart and Eggert Jonsson, who backed off their opponents for 45 minutes, were outnumbered by the three men used by Hibs in central midfield, and this slackness allowed the home side to take charge.

Although it was widely expected the visitors would pack the midfield and attempt to pick off the home side on the break, Hearts started with two strikers and two attacking wide players in a 4-4-2 formation designed to push forward. However, you can't attack without the ball and Hearts' sloppy work in the opening phase - they were guilty of conceding possession carelessly - enabled Hibs to establish an advantage.

With Hearts' back four sitting far too deep, their midfielders were not able to press Hibs as they would have wished. The home side might have been awarded a penalty before they were gifted a goal when Berra clashed with Lewis Stevenson after 13 minutes. Referee Charlie Richmond, who incurred the wrath of the Hibs' supporters for his performance, waved away the claims.

For all that Hibs were the more fluent side, Hearts squandered the first chance when Robbie Neilson's cross found the unmarked Andrew Driver in the six-yard box. The young Englishman was so intent on heading down into the ground that he exaggerated the effect and the ball bounced over the bar. Hearts had less to work with, but still looked threatening when they broke down the flanks. Velicka's angled drive ripped into the side-netting after lively work from Driver on the right.

Derbies are often influenced by errors rather than moments of inspiration, and it was a mistake at a corner from Velicka in the 18th minute which handed the initiative to Hibs. From Filipe Morais' corner, the Lithuanian striker completely missed the cross at the front post. Standing unsighted behind Velicka and Rob Jones, Berra was powerless to prevent the ball deflecting off his leg into the corner of the net.

Hearts were rattled by the self- inflicted wound, while Hibs grew in confidence. Only a fine sliding tackle from Berra inside the box on Mickael Antoine-Curier prevented the home side increasing their advantage. With an extra man in central midfield, Brian Kerr, Beuzelin and Morais had an edge over Stewart and Jonsson in the first half. Apart from a deflected Neilson shot and a Driver free-kick, both of which missed the target, Hearts didn't put Hibs under any pressure until just before the break. From Stewart's pass, Velicka had a chance to equalise, but was too deliberate with the shot and Yves Makalambay saved with his boot.

That would have been the goalkeeping highlight of the game had Anthony Basso not pulled off a fine stop seconds earlier when Hibs launched a counter-attack which swept from box to box. Beuzelin's pass to Steven Fletcher looked sure to set up a second until the Frenchman sprinted off his lane and intercepted the ball with a one-handed stop.

The urgency which typified the action before half-time continued after the interval when Hearts equalised in the 46th minute. Stewart's corner on the right was missed by both sides and ran through to Driver on the left of the box. The winger picked out Audrius Ksanavicius, whose header was deflected by Nade's outstretched leg past Makalambay from close range.

Revived by the equaliser, Hearts seized the game by the scruff of the neck and might have gone in front had Driver and Velicka not chosen wrong options in promising positions. Having pushed up their back four, Hearts had raised the tempo of their play, while Driver moved closer to Stewart and Jonsson to nullify Hibs' advantage in the middle of the park. While Beuzelin remained the coolest head on the pitch, the game was breathlessly compelling.

Morais' header from a Beuzelin corner was booted off the line by Velicka at one end, while Driver blasted high and wide with time to do better at the other. Hearts sent on Mauricio Pinilla for Nade in the hope South American guile might sway the match in their favour. Pinilla, truthfully, should have scored three minutes from time when he collected Driver's angled pass only to squander the opening. But it was not a game either side deserved to lose.

Collins full of praise for brilliance of Beuzelin

HIBERNIAN manager John Collins last night heaped praise on midfielder Guillaume Beuzelin and the rest of his players for an ebullient performance in a thrilling Edinburgh derby, but complained his side suffered an injustice when referee Charlie Richmond failed to award a penalty for Christope Berra's first-half challenge on Lewis Stevenson.

Berra collided with Stevenson when the ball was still in play and Collins said: "I thought it was a definite penalty, there's no doubt about that.The ball was still in play. Some you get, some you don't.

"But we're not getting much just now when it comes to 50-50 decisions. Never mind that's football. Mind you, the penalty certainly wasn't 50-50. It was significant because if we'd gone in 2-0 rather than 1-0, it makes a big difference to the outcome."

While Hearts fought back to force an equaliser from Christian Nade, Collins was delighted with his side's overall performance if slightly disappointed with the result. After producing a lacklustre effort in their previous home game against St Mirren, Hibs looked much more like the side occupying the pre-eminent position in the SPL after the Old Firm.

"Our first half performance was magnificent - you would never have believed it was a derby match," added the manager. "We showed great composure and controlled the ball and passed it well. All credit to our boys. I was absolutely delighted with the first half performance and thought we deserved more than one goal.

"In fairness to Hearts, they started the second-half very well and caused us problems down the right.They put good balls in the box which were difficult to defend. You don't want to lose an early goal in the second half because it gives them a lift. But we came back and it was end-to-end stuff."

As for Beuzelin's contribution, Collins was particularly impressed. "To come back after injury in a derby and give us 90 minutes was absolutely fantastic. He was spraying the ball over the park in the first-half and showed talent and vision. He's a joy to watch. That's what fans come and pay to see. I only thought we'd get an hour from him. To get the whole game was a bonus."

With Hibs still seven points clear of Hearts in the SPL, goalkeeper Yves Makalambay was happy with a share of the spoils. "I thought Christian might have been offside at their goal, but when I saw it again on TV I could see we had a player on the line. It was a typical striker's goal, because I had it covered otherwise. I don't think it was an opportunity lost, it's a long season. Taking a point from your local rivals is always good."

The one other blemish for Hibs was the bottle thrown onto the pitch near the assistant referee in the second-half which may well cause the club trouble.

Taken from the Scotsman