Assured Hearts offer Laszlo both right result and performance

STUART BATHGATE
AT TYNECASTLE
HEARTS reached third place a week before this match thanks in part to three consecutive single-goal victories, but also to the inconsistency of the teams around them. Csaba Laszlo, their coach, acknowledged that those wins came despite their playing below their best, yet understandably said he would settle for a good result rather than a convincing performance.
On Saturday, however, he got both. There was not much between the teams, but Hearts were noticeably more confident than they had been, say, at home to Hamilton, and they also played better football than they have managed for some time. All this without either the suspended Michael Stewart or the injured Laryea Kingston, the two supposedly key players in midfield.

The return of Bruno Aguiar from long-term injury has given Hearts an extra dimension in the middle of the park, and so far at least the Portuguese player has shown greater consistency than Stewart or Kingston. He has also enabled Laszlo to persist with his preferred 4-4-1-1 formation, but to greater effect. Playing just behind the single striker, Aguiar is a bigger threat to the opposition defence than those who took up that role before him, as he is far more dangerous on the ball himself and can create chances for others too. He is also lethal in dead-ball situations, as he showed again here with an outstanding equaliser direct from a free-kick after Darren Barr had been penalised for a foul on Christian Nade.

That impeccable strike came just three minutes after Steve Lovell ran on to a nicely weighted through ball from Michael Higdon and opened the scoring by stabbing the ball past the advancing Janos Balogh. The swiftness of the riposte was an indication of the self-belief of the home side, who had pressed strongly from kick-off and dominated the first quarter-hour of the game. However, it should be added that there was an element of fortune about the equaliser – Barr, for one, thought Nade had been backing into him – and Hearts must know they may not get the chance to hit back so quickly if they go behind on Saturday, when Rangers visit Edinburgh. The goal they conceded was not the only instance where the home defence looked less than composed, and a lot of work remains to be done on the communication between Balogh, the goalkeeper, and his centre-backs.

Both sides had chances to take the lead before the break, Falkirk through a Chris Mitchell free-kick which was just wide of the left post, Hearts when Marius Zaliukas headed over from Aguiar, but the half remained evenly balanced. Eager to make the breakthrough, Hearts began the second period at a higher tempo, and went ahead with a goal of the highest quality from Andy Driver.

The winger, who turned 21 last week, had begun the game on the left, and would later switch to the right to accommodate substitute David Obua, but his goal actually came from a more central position. That is why, while some spectators were fancifully likening it to Diego Maradona's celebrated second strike against England in 1986, Tynecastle regulars would probably find it more reminiscent of a goal scored several years back by Ricardo Fuller after he dribbled straight down the middle of the pitch from a starting position in the centre circle.

Driver was set on his way by a short back pass from Arnau Riera, but thereafter the masterpiece was all his own work. He nicked it past Lee Bullen, evaded Riera's attempted recovery, and then jinked inside Barr, who was trying to shepherd him out to the left. Driver then looked as if he was going to shoot as Scott Flinders came out of his goal, and that was enough to deceive the keeper. The Hearts player took the ball right, and drove it into the empty net.

Indeed, there was still time for Falkirk to hit back, and on several occasions they came close to doing so. A long, looping shot by Mitchell was just tipped over for a corner by Balogh, Aguiar headed a Bullen header off the line, and then right at the death Higdon headed just wide after a cross from the right to the far post.

Failure to convert any of those chances meant the visitors' five-game unbeaten run came to an end, but with several first-choice players out injured, John Hughes was not too disappointed by the way his team played. They are back down in tenth now, but still only three points off the top six.

Hearts, meanwhile, are three points clear of Dundee United, and could at least put up a good fight for the best-of-the-rest title. "We've got the players to be third," Driver said. "I don't think anyone would have expected us to be where we are at this point, but we are."

MAN OF THE MATCH: Andy Driver (Hearts)

The winger secured the three points with a sensational goal, and harried the Falkirk defence from both the left and the right with his dribbling skills and impressive acceleration.

Taken from the Scotsman