Hearts 1 - 1 Kilmarnock

A draw for Hearts, but it felt like a victory. It was certainly a moral victory for Stevie Frail, who has been handed full control of team affairs. Whisper it, but from the rubble of the Tynecastle side's season something coherent may be starting to emerge. Frail, in his second game as caretaker manager, was at his vein-popping best, gesticulating wildly in his technical area and even becoming embroiled in a playground squabble with Kilmarnock assistant manager Billy Brown. At one point he was seen to furiously beat his chest, indicating his team's rediscovered heart.

But all this was a mere side-show. That Hearts emerged with a point after going a goal down and having a man sent off in the first half, was largely due to Frail's team selection. Mercifully, there were no inexplicable inclusions to the starting line-up and no hair-brained substitutions. They say football is a simple game made complicated by fools. Frail played it simple on Saturday, picked the right team and made the right substitutions. As a result, Hearts got what they deserved. They could even have pilfered three points if they had been more lucky in front of goal in the second half.

Deividas Cesnauskis was his trump card. Plagued by injuries for the past year, the Lithuanian winger started his first game at Tynecastle for over a year and played like a man possessed. He symbolised his side's commitment, particularly after the interval. I knew I wouldn't get 90 minutes from Deividas because he is just back from injury but I had to drag him off at the end," said Frail. "I thought he was magnificent."
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Ironically, this result saw Hearts slip back to second bottom of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, after St Mirren beat Hibs to move above them, but he will not be overly troubled by that. A speedy ascent is guaranteed if they can replicate their second-half form in the forthcoming weeks and months. "We have dropped to 11th in the table, which is something which disappoints us, but I think we saw in the second half, with 10 men, the spirit that I have asked for.

I was really proud of them in the second half and I think even with 10 men we could have won the game."

Frail also indulged in a spot of rabble rousing, sending his players out early for the second half and asking the stadium announcer to ratchet up the noise level. It worked. "We purposely sent them out early in the second half. I asked the stadium announcer, Scott, to try and lift the crowd, and I think the players fed off that. I don't think that was the only reason we got something out of the game but it probably had something to do with it. I can't get carried away with a point but there was something there to build on." Hearts have enough decent players to extricate themselves from their current predicament. Cesnauskis' fellow Lithuanian, Saulius Mikoliunas, made a strong impact when he came on as a second-half substitute.

The rumbustious Andrius Velicka, meanwhile, has emerged as a reliable scorer, converting his 10th of the season in the 63rd minute.

Frail refused to comment on Elliot's first half sending off, his side's fourth red card in four days, but he could have few complaints. The striker's first challenge was a deserved booking. The second was plain daft. The application of commonsense may have allowed referee John Underhill to overlook the second and keep Elliot on the park, but the rules must be adhered to at all times, or so they tell us.

Kilmarnock were also satisfied with a point after fielding a makeshift side due to another spate of injuries. Paul Di Giacomo's first-half opener marked a significant moment in the striker's rehabilitation. "I've always had a lot of faith in him," reflected Jefferies. "He had a few personal problems at the start of the season and we put him out on loan to Partick Thistle, but he didn't figure much with them. But we took him aside and told him he had a clean slate. One good thing to come out of it is I think he now appreciates what he has got. He was a surprise inclusion today but he gave me everything. He came into the middle and got his goal."

Kilmarnock could and should have rammed home their superiority against Hearts' ten men after the break, but their ball retention and finishing was abysmal. In the last 10 minutes they created three excellent chances but spurned the lot. Martyn Corrigan provided the one bright spot, coming in for a hugely composed debut. "I signed him as a young kid at Falkirk," said Jefferies.

"He's one of those guys who can play anywhere. He can play right-back, centre-half or midfield, he's just a good Premier League player and we are delighted to have him."

Tim Clancy, the 20-year-old Englishman, took advantage of Kilmarnock's injury situation to slot into the visitors' back three. He is confident they can go on a run over the next couple of months and challenge for a top-six place. "Look at the run that Inverness and Falkirk have put together over recent months," he said. "We are capable of that too."

Taken from the Herald