Hearts 1 - 0 St Mirren, match report

Published Date: 16 January 2010
By BARRY ANDERSON
AT TYNECASTLE
Goal: Stewart 22 pen

HEARTS extended their unbeaten league run to six matches with a narrow victory over St Mirren courtesy of Michael Stewart's first-half penalty. A professional display characterised by the discipline which manager Csaba Laszlo said was was missing at Aberdeen last weekend was sufficient to see off the resilient visitors.

Stewart scored the decisive goal after St Mirren's Hugh Murray had inexplicably handled the ball without a Hearts player in attendance on 22 minutes. The Hearts captain converted calmly from the penalty spot and, although the hosts continued to press thereafter, they were content finishing the match with one goal and a clean sheet.

It was a considerably stronger Hearts team selected for this encounter compared with that which succumbed to defeat at Pittodrie last weekend. Out went teenagers Gordon Smith and Rocky Visconte plus the unconvincing Marius Cinikas and Suso Santana. Lee Wallace's heel complaint recurred to deny him a first-team return. In their place came Ruben Palazuelos, David Obua, Christian Nade, David Templeton and Jason Thomson. St Mirren replaced Stephen McGinn with Stephen O'Donnell after the former completed his move to Watford.

Templeton enjoyed a lively beginning and, after nodding Nade's cross wide, showed impressive upper-body strength to turn away from David Barron and dispatch a powerful drive which Paul Gallacher palmed for a corner. Nade was next to threaten, glancing Stewart's swerving left-sided cross narrowly wide of goal. It was indeed a sprightly opening by Hearts with Nade and Scott Robinson heavily involved in probing the St Mirren defence.

There was no pressure on Murray on 22 minutes, however, so what prompted the midfielder to jut an arm into the air and handle Palazuelos' cross was baffling. He appeared to stumble just inside the 18-yard line as the ball approached but manager Gus MacPherson would have viewed his concession of a penalty as utterly needless. Stewart confidently stroked the ball low to Gallacher's left for his fourth goal in five outings.

Robinson dispossessed Andy Dorman as the interval approached and teed up Obua, but the Ugandan merely succeeded in sending the ball sailing into the Roseburn Stand. Hearts finished the opening 45 minutes a little sluggishly but quickly resumed control after the interval. Marius Zaliukas tested Gallacher with a shot from distance and home supporters appealed for a penalty on 56 minutes, however referee Stevie O'Reilly rightly judged Chris Innes' tackle on Templeton as legal.

The most flowing move of the match was produced by Hearts' teenagers Templeton and Robinson on 56 minutes. Collecting a loose ball on his own 18-yard line, Robinson sprinted forward almost 50 yards past two opponents before feeding Templeton for a right-footed strike which Gallacher could not hold. Fortunately for the goalkeeper Jack Ross was in place to clear.

The second half was being played in a far less conservative fashion than the first with play ebbing and flowing from end to end. What ensued was an entertaining second period peppered with several meaty challenges which forced referee O'Reilly to fetch for his yellow card.

Gordon Smith, a goalscorer in the recent Edinburgh derby, replaced Robinson with 11 minutes remaining after the young striker had exhausted himself with incessant running throughout the match. Laszlo had to conduct another change three minutes from time when Zaliukas limped off, the result of a tackle from behind by St Mirren substitute Michael Higdon. He was replaced by Ian Black with Eggert Jonsson reverting to centre-back.

The rejigging did not upset the hosts and, despite a perplexing five minutes' stoppage time, they preserved their lead to secure another three points and consolidate their place in the SPL's top six.

Hearts (4-4-2): Kello; J Thomson, Bouzid, Zaliukas, Palazuelos; Templeton, Jonsson, Stewart, Obua; Nade, Robinson. Subs: Balogh, Suso 90 (for Templeton), Black 87 (for Zaliukas), Visconte, R Wallace, Mulrooney, Smith 79 (for Robinson).

St Mirren (4-4-2): Gallacher; Ross, Potter, Innes, Barron; O'Donnell, Thomson, Murray, Dorman; Mehmet, Dargo. Subs: Howard, Higdon 71 (for O'Donnell), Robb 86 (for Barron), Burns, Devlin, Ramsay, Johnston 86 (for Murray).

Referee: Stevie O'Reilly.

Attendance: 12,821.

Taken from the Scotsman