Hearts 2-1 Falkirk

THE framework coming closest to collapse at Hearts these days has nothing to do with Csaba Laszlo's team.

The Jambos were forced to call in an emergency welder on Saturday morning after vandals struck overnight at Tynecastle and tried to snap the crossbars.

One visitor arriving in Gorgie over the weekend with a mask on his face to do his job was enough because it would have been a travesty had John Hughes stolen away with a point and made it another.

Big Yogi tried manfully to talk up his team afterwards and they were certainly a set-piece threat in the closing stages of the game as they chased frantically for an equaliser. But overall, Falkirk were as convincing as a lecture to agroup of five-year-olds on the credit crunch and its effect on the operating budget of Santa Claus this festive season.

Slowly but surely, Hearts fans are beginning to believe again as they stretched their winning streak to four SPL games in a row for the first time since George Burley took control in 2005.

Laszlo has spent the opening weeks of the season putting the basics in place and now flair is beginning to emerge from the industry, energy and organisation of a side that has conceded only once in those recent matches.

Fans of any Scottish club will wait a long time to see two better strikes than those that cemented third spot in the SPL for the Jambos,a delightful free-kick from Bruno Aguiar followed by a brilliant,mazy dribble of pace and poise from Andrew Driver.

Driver's goal was emblematic of the surge of self-confidence coursing through his club at the moment and Laszlo's influence is such that surely even that infamous dressing room fax machine has fallen silent out of respect for his management skills.

Certainly, Vladimir Romanov - remember him? - appears to be poking his nose in elsewhere as the Lithuanian football authorities last week apparently advised him not to give his 61-year-old legs a run-out he'd planned in a meaningless, end-of-season league match between FBK Kaunas and Silute.

Such is the endeavour of the current crop of Jambos under Laszlo they could probably still cope with Vlad standing out on a wing, but the sound of silence from abroad and the noise of only one dominant voice around team affairs is music to the ears of the players, according to Driver.

He said: "By now the players are used to all the talk that goes around the club so we don't even listen to it any more. We've developed a siege mentality to concentrate only on what we do on the pitch. Anyway when you win all the bad things are forgotten.

"Earlier this year I don't think I would have been confident enough to score that goal but the way Csaba manages helps get the best out of players.

"He has done a lot of one to one talking with me, for example, and explained exactly what he wants me to do. He does it with others and it's those personal gestures that help pull the team together.

It's bringing results because football is a confidence game.

"I don't think many people expected us to be third at this stage but it's easier to put a shift in when you know your mate is there to back you up. We all know exactly where we're supposed to be on the pitch and that surely can't be detrimental."

Dare it also be suggested Laszlo is learning as quickly about the Scottish set-up as his players are learning about his philosophies?

Gone, thank goodness, is the pantomime of theatrics in the technical area, although thankfully not the passion. He cuts a much more impressive figure as a result - he even remembered to shake the hands of Hughes and Brian Rice on the final whistle.

And his post-match analysis was spot on when you eventually picked it out from a train of thought ramble that took in God, Diego Maradona, his own mental health and next week's game against Rangers. He had every right to jabber excitedly as this was as good as Hearts have been in months, maybe even since the days of Burley himself, despite being sliced open early on by the Bairns as Steve Lovell ran between defenders to poke home.

It was the only time the Hearts defence were turned in open play as they played at a tempo, particularly middle to front, Falkirk surprisingly struggled to match.

Aguiar curled a brilliant freekick into the top corner for the equaliser,despite claims from Darren Barr it was he who was fouled in the original challenge with Christian Nade.

Hearts had a couple of valid penalty claims waved aside and a Christos Karipidis shot shaved the post before Driver's piece of brilliance on the hour highlighted the difference in the teams.

Not for the first time, Arnau Riera was careless with a pass on the halfway line and Driver nipped in to make immediately for goal. He magically slipped past one, two, three defenders, moving this way and that, before rounding Scott Flinders and rolling into the empty net.

Falkirk tried in vain to respond, with Lee Bullen and especially Michael Higdon going close with headers late on while Janos Balogh also turned a Chris Mitchell cross over the bar.

Bullen said: "Andy showed great composure for his goal, although maybe a professional foul from Arnau when he won the ball in the first place would have been the right thing. I was never getting to him and then he was on to Darren Barr, who was last man. If we were in the last five minutes I would have taken him out but Darren was mindful there was still half an hour to go.

"We're frustrated because no one has really opened us up to score against us this season,apart from Georgios Samaras,and while it was a great goal from Andy it was from our mistake again.

"The manager is frustrated we didn't try to play a little more football but you sometimes go more direct when you're chasing a game.

"I thought Michael had scored near the end with that header, but it was wide by only inches. I was on my knees."

MAN OF THE MATCH Lee Wallace (Hearts)

MATCH STATS

POSSESSION %

54 46

SHOTS ON TARGET

3 3

SHOTS OFF TARGET

4 7

CORNERS

3 3

FOULS CONCEDED

18 8

OFFSIDES

2 0

HEARTS

MAN BY MAN

Janos Balogh: A rare case of being underemployed in era of credit crunch. 6

Robbie Neilson: Mr Dependable rarely put a foot wrong. 6

Christophe Berra: Stood up well to physical threat, especially late on. 6

Marius Zaliukas: Hardly overworked for much of game but solid nonetheless. 6

Lee Wallace: Maturing into player we hoped he'd become down left flank. 8

Christos Karipidis: Solid defensive midfield shift gave platform for others to shine. 6

Ruben Palazuelos: Classy distributor helped keep upbeat tempo throughout. 6

Bruno Aguiar: Set-piece magician proved impossible for Bairns to pin down. 8

Eggert Jonsson:Performed around the fringes, played tig with anonymous. 5

Christian Nade: No goal joy but worked like a Trojan across frontline. 7

Andrew Driver: Fleet of foot and finish to match his elegance on the ball. 7

Subs: David Obua - helped stretch game down the left, 4.

Juho Makela - on at death, 1.

FALKIRK

MAN BY MAN

Scott Flinders: No hope at either goal. 6

Chris Mitchell: Pinned back by pace of Driver, rarely influenced. 5

Lee Bullen: Swamped at times by midfield's failure to ease pressure. 6

Darren Barr: As flustered as he has appeared for a long time. 6

Dermot McCaffrey: Timid display as he hardly got on front foot. 5

Patrick Cregg:Worked tirelessly but touch deserted him on day to forget. 7

Kevin McBride: Played second best for long spells in middle of park. 5

Arnau Riera:Overshadowed on comeback in central midfield by countryman Aguiar. 5

Burton O'Brien: Neat and tidy enough on the ball but rarely moved forward. 6

Steve Lovell: Super goal but too often starved of meaningful service in attack. 6

Michael Higdon: His strength and link-up play a feature Falkirk didn't always use. 6

Subs: Graham Barrett - helped push team on to front foot late on, 3.

John Stewart - on for Riera but had little chance to make any impact, 2.

MAGIC MOMENT

Andrew Driver's winning goal for Hearts is already a goal of the season contender.

Taken from the Scotsman