Wait proves worth it for hosts

SOMETIMES 90 minutes aren't enough to cram in everything that happens in a football match. Referee Charlie Richmond allowed 101 minutes of play before bringing the curtain down on a remarkable Edinburgh derby here. Stoppage time at the end of the first half was a treat in itself: it lasted seven minutes and contained two red cards and more drama than there was in the whole of the last Old Firm game.

Paul Hartley was right about today's Co-operative Cup final overshadowing this fixture, but not for the 15,000 who made a rare old racket inside Easter Road. The empty seats betrayed a lack of faith among the Hibs support, who could not fill all their stands. Shame on those who were absent, because they missed Mixu Paatelainen's first derby win in 14 months as manager and Csaba Laszlo's first defeat. Hibs remain nine points behind third-placed Hearts with nine games left. They have perked up: after five without a win they beat Hamilton last midweek and now this.

They were bright and hungry from the start and had too much for a Hearts side which made chances but lacked a finisher. Christian Nade was blunt once again.

"We don't get carried away," said Paatelainen. "We've had three clean sheets on the bounce, which we're delighted with. Our target is to qualify for the top six first and foremost. After that we try to finish as high as possible. It's only three points to add to our tally but the pride of the derby matches means they are special days. The players' determination and effort was fantastic. It was visible. From the back through the midfield to the strikers. Unbelievable performances."

Hibs got their winner early, from an accidental finish at the end of a sumptuous piece of play. Denes Rosa used to play for Laszlo at Ferencvaros but here he was his tormentor, firing a terrific cross-field pass to pick out Alan O'Brien on the right. The winger controlled the ball and cut on to his left to send it into the penalty area where Steven Fletcher leapt to head it but it connected instead with his left shoulder. That gave the ball an unexpected flight path, up and over Janos Balogh and into his net.

Hearts began with an extra man in midfield yet they were outplayed in it. When Andrew Driver was lost to an early hamstring strain they were deprived of their most direct threat. Sol Bamba gave them a present with a backpass which Nade anticipated and intercepted, but his attempt to dribble round Grzegorz Szamotulski was foiled and an excellent chance evaporated. Another chance came and went for Nade later: he did not worry Hibs. At the other end, Derek Riordan unloaded a wonderful shot from 35 yards which hit the top of the post and then fizzed a free-kick across the goalmouth which was crying out for a connection.

It was a bright, eventful derby even before the anarchy at the end of the first half. Colin Nish hooked a low pass which sent Fletcher through and Balogh racing from his goal to mow him down. It was a crude challenge worthy of a straight red regardless of any debate about denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Bruno Aguiar was sacrificed to let Jamie MacDonald come on as substitute goalkeeper.

Hearts were in trouble, a goal and a man down away from home, but perversely they still went into the interval with renewed hope because of a red card shown to Sol Bamba. Michael Stewart sent Nade racing away down the left. Bamba's challenge was clumsy, maybe calculated, and certainly worth a yellow card, but to be sent off was harsh and smacked of levelling up by Richmond.

The referee seemed to have misplaced his watch. There was still time for Stewart to be booked, and then to unload a terrific free-kick which Szamotulski tipped on to the post, before Richmond ended the first half 52 minutes and 18 seconds after it began.

"I don't think there were any questions about the first red card," said Paatelainen, unsurprisingly. "Clear-cut, an easy decision for the referee. I thought the second one was questionable. Sol Bamba was looking in the other direction and he turned. It was more of a collision, it wasn't overly-aggressive play. I don't think he was denying a goalscoring opportunity. But the referee saw it the other way and wanted to level it, simple as that."

Scotland manager George Burley was present to see a strong Fletcher performance, although he should have finished Hearts off when he was sent through but struck an unconvincing shot which MacDonald pushed past for a corner. Hearts' attacks were laboured although they piled on late pressure. When Szamotulski failed to collect a cross into his goalmouth the ball spilled for Nade to nod a header on to the face of the crossbar.

"We had a lot of chances and we didn't score," said Laszlo. "Maybe that has been the biggest problem for us this season. Christian tries but he doesn't have the killer instinct. He touches the ball too often. But it's not just about Christian, we all lost the game. I am not angry with him but if he gets chances in the future he must be focused to score."

Taken from the Sunday Herald