Fletcher gives Hibs the edge in enthralling Easter Road encounter

Colleen Paterson
Scorers: Hibernian: Fletcher 13.
A FIRST-HALF header from Steven Fletcher gave Hibs a vital victory over old rivals Hearts - but both sides ended a hugely entertaining Edinburgh derby with just ten men on the park.

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Fletcher sent a looping header over Janos Balogh with the game just 13 minutes old, but before the half-time whistle had been blown the goalkeeper had been sent off for a late challenge on the striker outside his area.

The numbers were even within a couple of minutes of Balogh's red card though, Hibs defender Sol Bamba handed the same fate for a late challenge on Christian Nade.

Hibs midfielder Ian Murray passed a fitness test late in the week to make the squad for the first time in two months but had to make do with a seat on the bench.

Hearts had Marius Zaliukas back after a four-match ban but, like Murray, the defender started the match as one of Csaba Laszlo's seven substitues.

Hearts winger Andrew Driver had caused all sorts of problems down the left-hand side in the opening stages but it was the home side that came closest to opening the scoring.

With nine minutes gone Steven Fletcher played strike partner Derek Riordan in with a diagonal ball out to the left flank. The former Celtic striker pushed forward and it looked as though he would try to pick out Fletcher, who had hared in to the edge of the box. Instead he unleashed a vicious effort from almost 30 yards that left Janos Balogh beaten but came thundering back off the woodwork in the top left-hand corner of the keeper's net.

They did take the lead though just four minutes later when Alan O'Brien lifted the ball in from the right-hand side for Fletcher, who sent a header looping over the goalkeeper - who had come too far off his line -and into the net.

The Jambos should have levelled with 20 minutes gone when a short passback by Sol Bamba gifted Christian Nade possession just six yards out but the big striker tried to round Grzegorz Szamotulski when he should have tried to chip it over him and his hesitation allowed the keeper to squeeze him out.

Hearts were forced to shuffle their pack after 25 minutes when Andrew Driver pulled up with what appeared to be a strain to his left leg and, after failing to run the problem off, was replaced by Saul Mikoliunas.

The Easter Road outfit came close again ten minutes before the break when Fletcher head-flicked Riordan's corner across the face of goal but the Hearts defence did well to stab it out for a corner that came to nothing.

On the stroke of half time referee Charlie Richmond had a huge call to make when Nish played Fletcher through on goal. Before he could get there though, Janos Balogh had raced well out of goal and cut the striker down in his tracks.

The keeper injured himself in the challenge but as soon as he was back on his feet the whistler waved a red card at him and as a result Hearts had to make yet more changes, sacrificing Bruno Aguiar to bring on replacement stopper Jamie MacDonald.

Before the half time whistle could be blown though, Richmond evened up the scores when Bamba brought down Nade wide on the left and the referee decided that it merited another sending off. In the melee Michael Stewart was booked for dissent as he waited to take the free-kick - but it was well worth the wait, his curling effort just touched onto the left-hand post by Szamotulski.

Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen took off Colin Nish at half time to counteract their sending off, replacing the striker with right back David van Zanten.

The Jambos could have edged in front in 63 minutes when Stewart took another free kick, but this time Szamotulski got both hands to it to push it away from the danger area.

Hibs almost made certain of the points in 72 minutes when an inch-perfect ball from Riordan was played into the path of Fletcher. He raced towards goal but MacDonald did well to stay close to his goal and managed to get a touch on the shot to take it past the post.

The Tynecastle side almost bagged a leveller as the game enetered the last five minutes when Nade's effort came off the bar but before the Frenchman could have another go, it was headed clear by Van Zanten.

Hibs: Szamotulski, Hogg, Jones, Fletcher, Nish(Van Zanten 46), O'Brien (Keenan 68), Stevenson, Rankin, **Bamba, Rosa, Riordan (Murray 88). Unused subs: Ma-Kalambay, Thicot, Chisholm, Johansson.

Hearts: **Balogh, Neilson, Wallace, Karipidis, Palazuelos, Aguiar (MacDonald 42), Driver (Mikoliunas 25), Nade, Obua, Jonsson, *Stewart (Mrowiec 75). Unused subs: Zaliukas, Cesnauskis, Elliot, McGowan.

Refree: Charlie Richmond.

Taken from the Scotsman