Equal measures are the order of the day in New Year derby

Published Date: 04 January 2010
By Stuart Bathgate at Easter Road
A GOAL, a sending-off and a point apiece – not to mention a similar number of chances – made this one of the most even Edinburgh derbies of recent seasons. It was a just result, but one in which both teams will find reasons to be pleased and dissatisfied at the same time.

For Hibernian, success in fighting back from a goal down was an indication that their heavy defeat by Rangers a week earlier has not done lasting harm to their self-belief. On the other hand, they have still not beaten another team in the current top five, and by dropping two points missed the chance to close to within two points of Celtic.

For Hearts, the draw represented an end to their winning run, and meant they are not yet within touching distance of fourth-placed Dundee United. They produced the best moment of the game, however, in the opening goal from teenage striker Gordon Smith, and can take satisfaction from extending their unbeaten sequence of results.

After a tame start, it was Hearts who had the first chance when Michael Stewart dispossessed Chris Hogg deep in the Hibs half. A one-two with Christian Nade took Stewart deep into the box on the left, and his low cross cut out Hibs' debutant goalkeeper Graeme Smith. Unfortunately for the visitors, it also evaded Gordon Smith, and Hibs were able to clear the danger.

Signed at the weekend after being freed by Brighton, Graeme Smith was part of a Hibs defence which had to be reorganised due to the absence on international duty of Sol Bamba. Ian Murray took over from the Ivorian at centre-half, Paul Hanlon played in his usual position of left-back despite having being groomed to deputise for Bamba, and Darren McCormack came in at right-back.

The latter selection allowed David Wotherspoon forward to play on the right of midfield, although at times he was further forward still as Hibs' flexible formation allowed them to play with four men up front when on the attack. That put a lot of responsibility on Liam Miller and John Rankin to hold their own in central midfield, but they did so with increasing authority as the first half went on and Hibs became more dominant.

For all their possession, the home team took long enough to create a decent scoring opportunity, with a long-range shot from Rankin being their best effort of the opening half-hour – and that was far too high to disturb Marian Kello. All the same, that was at least more than Hearts had done since Stewart's early break, and the captain's chances of making a more telling contribution were damaged when he needed treatment after a tackle by Miller.

Just after the 30-minute mark, Stokes should at least have got his shot on target when, with Zaliukas out of position, a through ball found him in space outside the penalty area. With the Hearts defence closing in, however, the Irishman could not keep his balance and sent his effort wide.

Just as the first half looked to be ending as meekly as it had begun, Hearts took the lead with a stunning strike. Christian Nade beat McCormack to a ball played upfield close to the goal-line and nudged it back to Ruben Palazuelos on the left touchline. Palazuelos' curving cross on to the box was met first-time by Gordon Smith with a left-foot volley which found the corner of the net. Hearts had seen less of the ball in the half, but they had also produced the only genuine moment of high-quality football, and in that sense could be said to have merited their lead.

Smith's touch was less sure four minutes into the second half when he shot well over his namesake's bar following a Stewart corner, but by then it was clear that his goal had invigorated Hearts and enlivened the game as a whole. It became livelier still some seven minutes in when Stokes equalised with his seventh goal in five games. Collecting a ball from Wotherspoon, Riordan evaded Marius Cinikas on the left and crossed to the back post for Stokes to head in.

Two minutes later, as Stewart prepared to deliver a free-kick into the Hibs box, the feverish atmosphere got too much for McCormack and Palazuelos. Amidst the usual jostling that accompanies such situations, the pair made head-to-head contact, and referee Charlie Richmond did not hesitate to dismiss both. With the game opening up, Riordan was denied a chance to give his side the lead when Cinikas reached a back-post cross inches in front of him. Hearts then reorganised by bringing Ian Black on for Smith, and moments later Hibs, who had moved Wotherspoon into the back four, took off Merouane Zemmama and put on Kevin McBride.

Black played his part in helping Hearts regain the upper hand for a spell, and 15 minutes from time produced a good save from the Hearts goalkeeper. Hibs bounced back in the last ten minutes, and Murray might have done better than shoot past from a Riordan free-kick. Four minutes from the end Riordan was put through by Stokes, but his limp lob was blocked by Kello.

With both teams running out of energy, a single goal in those closing stages would have settled the issue. But it would also have been injustice to either team, both of whom had contributed enough endeavour to deserve something from the match.

HOW THEY RATED

HIBERNIAN
Graeme Smith 6/10
Coped well with first back-pass as he played his way into his debut and then withstood a heavy Nade challenge which screamed "Welcome to the Edinburgh derby". No chance with goal.

Chris Hogg 6
Great volley blocked by Bouzid. Did not have too many problems at the back but might express some regret at the cross which evaded everyone except Smith for the opening goal.

Ian Murray 6
Moved into centre-back to cover for the loss of Bamba and appeared assured most of the time. But ruffled slightly by Santana deep in second-half, and earned booking after a clash on the bye-line. Made two direct threatening runs from the heart of defence, each of which required a foul and a booking to stop him. Almost managed to squeeze in the winner after 80 minutes.

Paul Hanlon 6
Kept Santana in check during first-half and looks able to live up to manager John Hughes' high expectations for him.

Darren McCormack 4
The opening goal came down the Hibernian left, but let himself down more obviously with the head-butt clash with Palazuelos which left both teams to finish the match with ten men. Has to learn to curb his temper in future.

Liam Miller 6
Tidy presence in midfield as always but needed to stamp his authority more as Stewart and Palazuelos began to dominate, before the latter's red card. Always a willing outlet for possession though.

John Rankin 6
Horribly mis-placed corner almost let in Hearts for an opener but worked hard in the midfield and attempted one "squiggler" – but far too high.

Merouane Zemmama 7
A buzz-bomb in the first-half, and his cross-field, reverse balls seemed destined to come off eventually. More often than not, though, Hearts were saved by a last-ditch clearance. Replaced by McBride.

Derek Riordan 7
Quiet first half and reasonably well shackled by surprise inclusion Cinikas. But that changed after the interval when he made room for himself to chip a fine cross on to Stokes' head for the equaliser. He had a great chance to win the game, but clipped shot was blocked by Kello.

Anthony Stokes 8
Got his first glimpse of goal just after half-hour mark after misjudgment by Bouzid, but thwarted by a good recovery from the defender. Proved deadlier with his second chance though, with a fine back-stick header for the equaliser.

David Wotherspoon 6
Began the match in preferred position of right midfield and looked bright. But forced to switch to right-back after McCormack's red card. Troubled by Wallace on occasion.

SUBSTITUTE
Kevin McBride 6
Replaced Zemmama to shore up the Hibs team after McCormack's red card left them short of defensive cover. Composed.

HEARTS
Marian Kello 7/10
The keeper had little chance with the Hibs goal, and otherwise dealt well with everything which came his way. A reassuring performance after a shaky outing against Motherwell.

Marius Cinikas 6
In at right-back in place of the suspended Jose Goncalves, the Lithuanian looked like being the weak link in the Hearts defence for a lot of the first half. In the second he lost Riordan at Hibs' equaliser, but later timed a clearance to perfection as the same player closed in.

Marius Zaliukas 7
Played solidly at centre-back, maintaining his composure better than he has done in some other heated atmospheres. Communication between him and Bouzid appeared to break down at the equalising goal, however.

Ismael Bouzid 7
The Algerian continues to improve in the centre of defence, and is also increasingly confident going forward. He does not always take the safety-first option, but has a robust physicality.

Lee Wallace 8
Applied himself well to his task in defence and attack, featuring more as an auxiliary winger than a left-back. Always posed a threat on his runs into the Hibs box, and no-one covered more ground than him.

Eggert Jonsson 6
The Icelandic midfielder gave one of his less influential performances for Hearts, although there were stages in the second half when he played his part in some promising attacks.

Ruben Palazuelos 4
Had a quiet afternoon, then came to prominence for the wrong reasons, being sent off after an incident with Darren McCormack. Displayed a tendency to pass the ball backwards too often.

Michael Stewart 8
Had a tough physical contest with Liam Miller, needing treatment in the first half after a foul by the Hibs player. Recovered well to play a leading role in most of Hearts' best moments. Booked late on for a trip on Ian Murray as the Hibs defender threatened to open up a goalscoring opportunity.

Suso Santana 5
Tried hard to get involved, and occasionally showed some tricky footwork, but is still some way short of his best in terms of both pace and ability. Gave way to David Templeton for the last five minutes or so.

Gordon Smith 7
Marked his SPL debut with a magnificent goal which will surely remain one of the best moments of his career. Had a difficult chance early on, and showed a lot of promise before being substituted after the double sending-off.

Christian Nade 7
The big striker did not hit the heights he reached in the first half against Motherwell, but over the piece he put in a more satisfactory shift. Is now looking sharper and better motivated for some time.

SUBSTITUTES
Ian Black 6
Did well after coming on for the last half-hour.

David Templeton
Had little chance to make an impact after being introduced for the last five minutes.

• Ratings by Alan Pattullo and Stuart Bathga

Taken from the Scotsman