Hearts 2-1 St Mirren

Aug 24 2008 Rob Fairburn At Tynecastle

GUTTED St Mirren striker Billy Mehmet came within inches of snatching an unlikely point for the battling Buddies at Tynecastle. Reduced to 10 men midway through the first half when Spanish winger Tonet was sent packing for two rash challenges in quick succession they were always up against it.

Hearts made them pay just before half-time when Jamie Mole cracked in a 25-yard effort. St Mirren refused to buckle and Mehmet pulled them level in 70 minutes but the home side hit back five minutes later when Michael Stewart slammed in a penalty.

Then deep into injury time St Mirren had the chance to earn a point when they won a free kick on the left but Mehmet sent a point-blank header inches wide.

The 24-year-old Londoner sighed: "I just got too much on the header. If I had glanced it then it would have been a goal and we'd have got a draw which we deserved for effort alone.

"The boys put in a terrific shift and worked really hard.

"The sending off was harsh and he got two bookings for his first two challenges.

"It was a blow to lose the goal on the stroke of half time but we tried to keep passing the ball.

"I thought I was offside with the equaliser as I was in plenty of space but I looked round and it hadn't been given.

"Unfortunately we gave away the penalty soon after but the positive thing is we kept going and could have snatched a point."

It was Tonet's 25th minute dismissal which gave the Buddies a mountain to climb. The Spaniard was clearly culpable when he took out Jason Thomson in the 22nd minute as the rightback threatened to burst into the box on the flank.

Three minutes later the 29-year-old produced a typical forward's challenge to bring down Thomson again - this time in the middle of the park.

It was hardly malicious and Hearts were not in a threatening position but ref Calum Murray whipped out the card.

After that, it was backs against the wall for Saints and the only surprise was that they held out until first-half injury time before conceding the opener.

There looked little danger when Mole picked the ball up 35 yards out but he took a couple of strides before unleashing a stunning thunderbolt which Mark Howard could only palm into the roof of the net.

Lee Wallace was replaced shortly after the re-start as Hearts went in search of more goals.

Larry Kingston and sub Deividas Cesnauskis both went close as the Buddies looked ready to wilt.

But they showed amazing resilience and conjured up an equaliser in the 70th minute.

Jim Hamilton won a header in the box and the ball fell to fellow sub Hugh Murray whose cross was tapped home at the far post by the unmarked Mehmet.

But the Buddies were behind again five minutes later after Franco Miranda needlessly upended Andy Driver in the box with Stewart netting the penalty.

Hearts should have killed the game when Jack Ross fouled sub Audrius Ksanavicus for another spot kick in the dying seconds.

This time Howard read Stewart's penalty and dived to his left to fist the ball out and completed a remarkable save by hacking clear.

And then in injury time came the moment when Saints almost grabbed a point with Miranda's free-kick picking out Mehmet who headed agonisingly wide.

REF WATCH

CALUM MURRAY was wrong to send Tonet off. He was then under pressure to card someone at every foul. RATING: 5/10

Taken from the Sunday Mail