Jambos turn on the style to earn crucial away victory

By BARRY ANDERSON
A DOMINEERING display from Christian Nade and some incisive Calum Elliot finishing helped Hearts earn a priceless victory in the Highlands.

In a match with critical implications for both sides' intentions of finishing within the SPL's top six, the visitors effected a comfortable triumph which lifts them within one point of their target area.

Both Nade and Elliot have encountered criticism for their performances at various junctures this season but against Inverness they were simply scintillating, justifying the faith of manager Stephen Frail in their individual capabilities.

The hosts lacked a cutting edge in attack and appeared to suffer from deploying Marius Niculae as a lone striker during the first half. By contrast, Hearts' strikers were uninhibitable, with Nade in particular finally evincing his potential.

Christos Karipidis' goal opened the scoring before Nade took part in a flowing move to create the second for Elliot. That presented the Edinburgh side with a useful interval advantage before Elliot's third early in the second half ended the match as a contest.

It was the kind of assured offering Frail would have wished for at a venue where Hearts hadn't won since 2005, although there was a pre-match surprise with Jose Goncalves omitted from the visitors' starting line-up. The defender jetted home to Portugal on Saturday morning having been excluded from the matchday squad - punishment for storming out of Tynecastle on Wednesday evening after his substitution against Rangers. Frail expects the player to report back to Riccarton for training at 9.45am on Monday morning, although Goncalves' long-term future may now be called into question.

The necessary reshuffle sae Lee Wallace retreat to left-back with Andy Driver returning from injury on the left of midfield. Frail was also forced into naming the teenage goalkeeper Mark Ridgers amongst his substitutes. He has yet to recover from a serious knee injury but with Eduardas Kurskis and Haraldur Bjornsson also injured and Anthony Basso ill, the visitors' options were decidedly restricted.

Inverness were unchanged following Wednesday's defeat at Celtic Park, and amid awkward, blustery conditions this game was expected to be nothing other than the proverbial turgid encounter between two sides desperate to secure top-six status.

It took more than 20 minutes for either side to seriously threaten, Nade striking an impromptu shot which goalkeeper Michael Fraser successfully clawed for a corner. From the set-piece, the visitors moved ahead. Karipidis rose to nod a textbook header beyond the flailing Fraser from Driver's pinpoint cross. It was the Greek's first goal for Hearts, hence the delirium exuded in the aftermath.

Then came one of the best attacking moves the SPL will witness during this or any other season. Saulius Mikoliunas supplied Nade with the ball in behind Grant Munro, and the Frenchman swivelled to flick it through the defender's legs. Showing a decent turn of pace, he galloped past Russell Duncan's sliding challenge to slide a cutback towards Elliot, which the striker dispatched powerfully into the Inverness net.

Elliot's first league goal since February 2006 accorded his side a vital cushion, with Craig Brewster's defence appearing less stable than a soggy slice of bread. Don Cowie curled a 20-yard free-kick over Steve Banks' crossbar, but that apart Frail's side weren't perturbed by their hosts and extended their advantage moments after the interval.

Defensive confusion as Elliot and Mikoliunas lurked saw a weak clearance fall to the striker, who expertly returned it over Fraser's head and into an unguarded net from 18 yards. Hearts were now sauntering along easy street, a place they haven't frequented too often this season, but to the 1500 travelling support
ers it was a most welcome experience.

Frail granted Fernando Screpis, the Argentinian midfielder, his debut after 74 minutes. Although still short of full match fitness, he had the luxury of easing himself gently into Scottish football during the latter stages of a victory which will do much to restore confidence at Tynecastle following the midweek defeat by Rangers.

Inverness (4-4-1-1): Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, Munro, Hastings; Imrie, Duncan, Black, Paatelainen; Cowie; Niculae. Subs: Malkowski, McBain, McAllister 85 (for Cowie), Wyness 46 (for Paatelainen), Kerr, Vigurs, Proctor 74 (for Black).

Hearts (4-4-2): Banks; Neilson, Karipidis, Berra, Wallace; Mikoliunas, Jonsson, Palazuelos, Driver; Nade, Elliot. Subs: Ridgers, Zaliukas, Ivaskevicius 66 (for Driver), Beniusis 86 (for Nade), Tall, Screpis 74 (for Mikoliunas), Glen.

Attendance: 4489.

Referee Alan Freeland.

Taken from the Scotsman