Latapy twists knife into Hearts

Hearts 1 Palazuelos (28)

Everything is relative, and Hearts still have a long way to go to get anywhere close to the standards they should be reaching, but compared to some previous performances this was an almost respectable display.

Falkirk, it should be said, made life easier for their visitors in the first half by falling far short of their own recent high standards. They have been transformed almost beyond recognition since early October when they went 4-0 down at Tynecastle before two late consolations gave the scoreline a flattering look for them, and latterly have been playing some of the most attractive football in the country. Here, however, they took a long time to get going against a Hearts side whose five-man midfield had width, aggression and purpose.

Ruben Palazuelos, playing alongside Michael Stewart in a central pairing, was particularly impressive in the first 45 minutes, and, after a period of sustained pressure, it was fitting that he should give his team the lead with a header from an Andrew Driver corner. Lee Wallace and Kestutis Ivaskevicius were among those Hearts players who also had scoring opportunities in the first half, and, when the teams turned around with only one goal between them, there was always going to be the chance of a Falkirk fightback.

So it transpired, though only once Russell Latapy had come on for Patrick Cregg. Falkirk have generally been playing better without the veteran midfielder, as they can reach a consistently higher tempo without the 39-year-old. On this occasion, though, they were in need of some creativity to make the difference, and Latapy supplied just that.

He brought out a good save from Steve Banks with a low drive not long after coming on, and then laid on a chance which another substitute, Carl Finnigan, sent crashing off a post before realising he had been flagged offside.

By that time, with the Hearts defence reduced to aimless clearances in their attempts to lift the Falkirk siege, it was obvious the equaliser was on its way. It eventually came when Finnigan was perfectly positioned to shoot home from a few yards after a corner had been knocked on to him in the 78th minute.

Three minutes later and Falkirk were ahead. Latapy set off on a little dribble, then slipped a pass through to Michael Higdon, whose first-time shot left Banks with little chance three minutes later. Including stoppage time, there were still ten minutes or so to play, but it simply did not look as if Hearts had anyone capable of conjuring up a goal for them. Michal Pospisil shot wide late on, but otherwise Tim Krul was able to enjoy a calm conclusion to the game in the Falkirk goal.

Hearts' 4-5-1 formation had been effective early on, but once they were chasing the game, it did not allow them to get enough men forward quickly. That problem was worsened by the evident slump in confidence once their lead had been cancelled out, and there was only so much Stewart and Palazuelos could do on their own.

The draining away of talent from Tynecastle has been identified as one reason for
Hearts' present plight, and there is no doubt the present squad is inferior to the one which set the SPL alight in late 2005. But the misuse of the talent which remains on the books is also a contributory factor.

Deividas Cesnauskis and Mauricio Pinilla were just two of the players who could have made a difference, but were omitted on Saturday. Both have had injury problems, but the feeling remains that, in their cases and those of others, Hearts have been unable to make the most of their talent.

If they are able to offload a few fringe players, Hearts should be able to recruit during the transfer window, but it is highly unlikely they will make the sort of big-name signing which could transfer the team's fortunes. Instead, they will simply have to rely on a lot of hard work and a greater resilience when the chips are down – and on Gretna failing to find a sustained run of form.

Taken from the Scotsman