JEFF’S A JINX FOR HEARTS

Scorers: KILMARNOCK: Murray, Di Giacomo

By Colin Brown

JIM JEFFERIES must wish he could play Hearts every week.

In a desperately disappointing season for the Kilmarnock gaffer, the Jambos are the only Premier League side who have failed to beat his injury-ravaged team.

Jefferies secured a first away win since last September against his old club and he is hoping that has set the tone for next season.

He said: “I was missing 10 players, so I’m thrilled to win, but maybe our poor form of this season will act as a driving force for next year.

“A lot of our problems this season have been down to injury or the sale of key players and a number have now had operations, so they will be fit for July.

“We need to make changes and I need to think of the longer term and not react to one good performance.

“It’s a long time since we’ve won a game, so it’s good for the fans and it’s not often you go through a season without losing to Hearts.”

Things just get worse and worse for the Jambos. They are in eighth place with the biggest wage bill in Scottish football outside the Old Firm.

And for caretaker boss Steven Frail the frustration is clearly growing as he has no idea what role — if any — he will fulfil at the club next season.

He said: “I don’t know how my future looks and I’ve not sought any assurances. I’ll just try to do my best each game and I fell short here. In football you never know what’s round the corner and I treat every game as if it’s my last.

“I will still have an input into who stays and who goes at the end of the season, but a lot of our players are on long-term contracts anyway.

“I’m on my own in the dugout every week, apart from the fitness coaches, which is surprising for a club this size. There’s no one to bounce ideas off on the touchline.

“The second half of the season until the split was much better and the players have given me a reaction, but there was apathy here.

“I feel we need an overhaul of the squad for next season and we must bring in players who will enhance the youngsters at the club. We need to freshen up in most areas and I hope we’re allowed to do that.”

The biggest cheer of the first half was for a noisy clap of thunder high in the sky above Tynecastle rather than the action on the pitch.

It was poor fare, only lit up by an occasional moment of brilliance for Laryea Kingston.

Killie created the first opportunity when Jamie Hamill’s free-kick broke to David Lilley. He beat Fernando Screpis, before slicing his volley high and wide of the target. It took a fine interception from Christos Karipidis to prevent David Fernandez racing on to Hamill’s pass before Kingston smashed a shot well wide from 25 yards.

A mix-up in the visitors’ defence almost led to the breakthrough when Fowler and Hamill collided and the ball broke to Eggert Jonsson. The Icelandic midfielder was steadying himself to shoot before Simon Ford produced a fine goal-saving tackle. Kingston made light of a massive clatter of thunder which seemed to distract the Kilmarnock defence as his angled volley flew narrowly over the crossbar.

Screpis missed a great chance five minutes from the interval as Lilley’s misplaced clearance fell into his path 12 yards out. He hurried his shot which was easily gathered by Alan Combe.

Kilmarnock showed more attacking intent after the interval and Paul Dalglish took a quick free-kick in an attempt to catch out Steve Banks, but he shot wide from 25 yards.

Mehdi Taouil missed a brilliant chance to fire Killie in front after 49 minutes. He profited from a complete mis-hit by Alan Johnston, but sent a free shot inches wide from only 12 yards.

Hearts introduced Jamie Mole into the action to try and provide some support for Gary Glen. But still Hearts’ most likely source of a goal was Kingston, who drifted in and out the game but always looked dangerous on the ball.

He fired in a dipping 25-yarder that had Combe beaten all ends up but it skimmed the top of the bar on its way over.

Kilmarnock took the lead from an unexpected source 15 minutes from time as former Hearts player Grant Murray popped up with a vital goal, below .

Dalglish delivered an excellent ball at pace to the near post and Murray ran across the defence to glance a perfect header high into the net.

You would have expected a frantic reaction from the Jambos to try and rescue the game but instead it was Kilmarnock who scored again.

Dalglish was the provider for the second time as he picked out sub Paul di Giacomo with a cut-back that was volleyed home from 12 yards.

It will do Di Giacomo, below, no harm as he looks to win a new contract for next season, but Dalglish is sweating on being offered a deal.

Jefferies added: “I haven’t decided whether to offer Paul a deal for next season yet because I need to look at who accepts the offers we’ve already made.

“But I thought in the second half we were the better team in every department and we had good chances before we scored.”

Frail groaned: “I didn’t feel we hurt Kilmarnock, despite our possession, although to be fair they didn’t hurt us either until Grant Murray’s good header from the corner kick.”

HEARTS: Banks, Zaliukas, Wallace, Cesnauskis, Kingston, Thomson, Jonsson (Ivaskevicius 57), Stewart (Mole 65), Screpis, Karipidis, Glen. Subs not used: Rodgers, Palazuelos, Goncalves, Rapnik, McGowan.
KILMARNOCK: Combe, Fowler, Hay, Lilley, Ford, Johnston (Di Giacomo 69), Murray, Fernandez (Locke 86), Dalglish, Hamill, Taouil (Cox 86). Subs not used: Rascle, Flannigan, McInnes, Anson.