Driver rides to the rescue for shaky Hearts

STUART BATHGATE
AT TYNECASTLE
CSABA Laszlo could hardly be described as a master of concision, but he needed only four words to sum up his team's last-gasp victory on Saturday. "Bad performance, good result" was the Hearts manager's verdict on a scoreline which took his side back up to fourth in the Premier League.
Over the piece, it was hard to disagree with Laszlo's assessment. Up against managerless opponents who had lost their last seven league games, the home team looked like they had a good opportunity to record a solid win. Instead, they produced a shaky showing despite the fact that Inverness Caledonian Thistle were reduced to ten men for the last 20 minutes after the sending-off of Roy McBain.

Having said that, there was nothing bad about the individual performance of Andrew Driver, who continues to attract interest from south of the Border. While his team-mates toiled to impose themselves, the young Englishman tormented Caley Thistle, and it was his cutting edge which made the difference in the end.

Driver created the opening goal towards the conclusion of an unimpressive first half, crossing from the left for David Obua to leap above Ryan Esson, and head in. McBain got a touch but could not prevent the ball crossing the line. After an unmarked Pavels Mihadjuks had headed home the equaliser from a Don Cowie free-kick, the Driver-Obua cross-and-header combination restored Hearts' lead, and, with 11 minutes left on the clock that should have been game over.

Instead, Obua needlessly gave away a free-kick two minutes from time, and when Dougie Imrie drove directly into the net with a superb strike, it appeared that Hearts had just as needlessly given away two points. Straight from the restart, however, Michael Stewart – who had missed a penalty at 1-1 – found Driver out on the right. The winger skipped his way into the box and cut back for substitute Laryea Kingston to slot home the winner.

After the game, Kingston was understandably eager to praise his team-mate. "Andy is one of the (most] talented players in the UK, not only in Scotland," the Ghanaian midfielder said. "For now, Hearts need him. I don't know his point of view. Every player's aim is to play to the highest level, (and] if one of the biggest clubs comes in and he likes to go, that's his decision.

"He's a good player than can fit into any other club in the UK. Any club. There are a lot of players in the top four in the Premiership that are his age – sometimes in football you just need opportunities to prove (yourself]."

Driver and club captain Christophe Berra are the two Hearts players most likely to be the subjects of offers as the transfer window enters its final week. Hearts would also be happy to get Kingston off the wage bill, but by his own admission he has not been at his best this season, and the hoped-for interest has yet to arrive.

"There is a lot of speculation around, but nothing concrete," he said. "I don't think my mind is on that.

"I'm just concentrating on getting fit and playing every game for the team now. I'm not getting my rhythm this season because of injury."

Kingston was not the only one who failed to find his rhythm on Saturday. The Hearts midfield failed to gel, and, while Laszlo must feel that Obua vindicated his selection with his goals, the Ugandan did little else right.

With 4-5-1 still the preferred starting formation, including the speedier Deividas Cesnauskis would make for a better balanced quintet. Up front, Christian Nade offered little, and Gary Glen had a quiet half-hour after coming on for Bruno Aguiar.

A determined display by Caley Thistle had something to do with Hearts' under-performance, of course. Far from being demoralised by recent events, the visitors worked well for each other, and headed north feeling they had been unlucky not to take something from the match.

Esson correctly suggested that many referees would not have allowed the first goal. But that, of course, does not mean that the officials in turn would have been correct to do so. The goalkeeper insisted that Obua had "just jumped straight into me", although that was not how it appeared from the main stand.

Still, if the goalkeeper was at fault both then and at Obua's second goal, he distinguished himself with a couple of excellent saves – one from a Christos Karipidis header, and another from Stewart's penalty.

Having been booked for conceding the spot-kick by fouling Driver, McBain was then sent off after the save on the advice of an assistant referee. It was unclear what the left-back had done to deserve his dismissal, and that was another incident which led Inverness to feel they were unlucky not to have ended their losing run.

Still, while Caley Thistle believe they deserved a draw or more, there is little doubt they deserve to be where they are at present. Indeed, the run of results which led to the sacking of Craig Brewster was so dismal that they can count themselves lucky they are still just two points behind second-bottom Falkirk.

Taken from the Scotsman