Kingston winner begins salvage operation

Stuart Bathgate
LIKE a child who smashes a window then runs away, Roman Romanov was nowhere to be seen around Gorgie on Saturday.
He had done the damage the day before with an embarrassment of a performance at Hearts' annual general meeting: others would have to deal with the consequences.

In terms of the harm done by the chairman to his club's already bruised reputation, it will be left to the likes of Campbell Ogilvie, Hearts' managing director, to attempt some repairs. Some club sources think it will take months or longer to counteract the debilitating after-effects of Romanov's rants, which included allegations of corruption within the SPL.

In terms of the team on the pitch, Stephen Frail, the caretaker manager, was the one who had to handle the repercussions of the chairman's self-indulgence. Romanov had branded five or six unnamed players as high-earning underachievers who would have to go in the summer, which may be a correct assessment but was not best timed to boost the squad's morale. He had not helped Frail's own morale either, by first suggesting the caretaker should be given a chance at doing the job full-time and then saying a man with greater experience was required. In the early stages of this match, it appeared that everyone in the ground barring the away team and their small pocket of supporters was still suffering from a sense of dismay. The crowd looked well down on the official figure, the atmosphere was almost non- existent, and Hearts were playing with little purpose.

To an extent, those symptoms would have been present in any case in the club's first match after their failure to maintain their ever-present status in the post-split upper half of the league. But they were surely exacerbated by Romanov's inept and insulting display.

But Hearts managed to shake themselves out of their lethargy and produce a positive performance which merited the three points. They had to come from behind to do so, though, as St Mirren deservedly went into the lead at the end of an opening spell in which they had enjoyed the bulk of the possession and a virtual monopoly of creative play.

The first chance of the match had seen Steve Banks, Hearts' goalkeeper, get down well to save from Andy Dorman. After 19 minutes, however, Banks was unable to keep out a 20-yard shot from Ryan McCay, who had been allowed far too much space to run into by the Hearts defence. Frail's team had been struggling to mount a proper attack, but they got back on terms more quickly than seemed likely, thanks mainly to a good run out to the right by Gary Glen.

Making his first start for Hearts, the teenager reached the ball from Christos Karipidis and clipped it on to Christian Nade, his fellow striker. From close to the byeline Nade cut the ball back to Eggert Jonsson, and the Icelander's shot found the net with the help of a deflection.

Glen gave his team the lead four minutes before half-time, keeping his composure well when put through on goal by Saulius Mikoliunas. His first shot was saved by Mark Howard, but the ball broke to him off the goalkeeper and he made no mistake the second time.

Juho Makela came on to partner Glen on the hour after Nade was forced off by an injury, and could have put the game beyond St Mirren with one of his first touches when the ball broke to him following a mix-up between Howard and Ian Maxwell. His shot from the right edge of the box looked to be on target, but it was cleared for a corner several yards short of the line.

That was the first incident of any note in the second half, and after it the game drifted on in similar style for another 15 minutes. Then, realising they had a chance of salvaging at least a point, St Mirren began playing with more urgency, and were rewarded with an equalising goal. A free-kick from a centra
l position was chipped into the box and headed clear to the edge of the box only as far as Gary Mason, who volleyed it home with his left foot.

In games that have mattered far more this season Hearts have tended to become despondent at such setbacks, but on this occasion they responded more positively, and were back in front within three minutes. Laryea Kingston had been playing well below his best, at times hogging possession when a pass was on, at others giving the ball away. When it mattered most, however, he showed his class, scoring direct from a free-kick given for a trip on Mikoliunas. It was the first time this season that Hearts have come back to win after going behind. After that sluggish start, they owed their recovery to professionalism and self-discipline – qualities from which their chairman might conceivably have learned something had he bothered to turn up.

Taken from the Scotsman