THERE IS nothing like the introduction of a teenage sensation to take the creases off the foreheads of long-suffering football fans.

The patience of Hearts fans is constantly being tested by the club's owner Vladimir Romanov and after a stormy annual general meeting this week, in which Romanov's son Roman had to face the music, manager Stephen Frail's introduction of Gary Glen to the Gorgie faithful was timely, to say the least.

Frail, depending on whose account of the situation you believe, is in serious danger of losing his position at the club despite the sterling work he has done since being handed the manager role in January.

Fault for the club's failure to make the top six can hardly be laid at Frail's door and since he moved up to his current position, performances and results have improved. For the fickle owner of Hearts, however, the improvement has been short of adequate.

Romanov was not at Tynecastle yesterday to witness the application of the players, nor the wonder debut of Glen, who turned his nose up at the possibility of signing for Manchester United when he turned 16, to remain in Edinburgh and play for his home city club.

With little to play for but pride - and perhaps his future at the club - Frail took the opportunity to blood two teenagers against a St Mirren side that themselves would at this stage of the season have been involved in a relegation battle had it not been for the implosion of Gretna.

Of the two debutants it was full-back Jason Thomson who got the first touch of the ball, but the youngster looked decidedly nervous on the big stage. Glen, however took up the challenge of Premier League football with relish.

The teenager's first shot on goal came within the first few minutes and resulted in a corner. By half time the industrious youngster had got himself an assist and his name on the score sheet.

He also managed to aggravate St Mirren's Gary Brady enough for him to be clattered to the ground, having to temporarily leave the field. The interlude gave his manager the opportunity to give him a well-deserved pat on the head.

When he finally left the field of play for good, six minutes ahead of everybody else, Glen received the ovation his afternoon's work deserved.

Glen aside, there had been a timid start to proceedings. Before Ryan McCay had given the visitors the lead on nineteen minutes there had been no indication that this would be a five-goal thriller with action lasting well to injury time when substitute Jamie Mole stung the hands of Mark Howard, the St Mirren goalkeeper.

Yet McCay's wonderful strike set a standard for goalscoring that was maintained by everybody else that found the back of the net. He picked up a stray ball fully 25 yards out and sweetly struck a shot that swerved away from Hearts goalkeeper Steve Banks, just staying the right side of the post.

Hearts drew level after Glen's persistent work had won the ball on the right flank just inside the penalty area. The ball was pulled back to a more central position for Eggert Jonsson to smash home from 18 yards out.

St Mirren seemed comfortable at that stage that their offside trap would contain Hearts, but the number of close calls told a different story and predictably it was the effervescent Glen that caught the visitors out with his dart down the middle of the pitch.

Glen's first effort, with his right foot was well parried by the advancing Howard, but although the goalkeeper pushed the ball out to the right of his goal, Glen reacted quickly to send a firm angled shot into the roof of the net with his left foot.

"It was a fantastic feeling," beamed the teenager. "It should have been in the first time, so I was delighted to get the rebound."

With a half-time lead established, Hearts looked comfortable for a home win. The ineffective Christian Nade was replaced on the hour mark by Juho Makela, with Laryea Kingston pushing further up the pitch, Hearts' domination seemed complete. Yet despite their lowly league position, St Mirren showed enough self-belief to mount effective, if infrequent counter-attacks.

On 70 minutes a long-range shot from Andy Dorman tested the concentration of Banks in the Hearts' goal.

Seven minutes later Banks could do little to stop a rasping 25-yard volley from Gary Mason that flew into the net.

Mason no doubt had visions of being hailed the hero of a point gained in the capital, but three minutes later his mistake led to Hearts deservedly re-establishing the lead.

From a similar distance to his own goal the defender brought down Saulius Mikoliunas, Kingston stepping up to take the free-kick.

Having watched three long distance shots find the back of the net already, Kingston eschewed any idea of setting anybody else up to score the winner. His kick was per fectly weighted to beat Howard.

St Mirren boss Gus MacPherson admitted Kingston's strike was impressive even by the standard of the other goals.

"I doubt if anybody else on the pitch could have done that," he said.

Taken from the Sunday Herald