Hearts 2 - 0 Hamilton: No quick fixes but Jim Jefferies slowly healing Hearts

Published Date: 22 February 2010
SINCE Jim Jefferies returned as manager, the reaction of many Hearts supporters has been a combination of nostalgia for better times and genuine hope for the future, so it was wholly appropriate that at the end of yesterday's game the cheery theme tune to Jim'll Fix It rang out from the PA system.

After three defeats on the road immediately after taking over, Jefferies has now won two home games in a row. This victory, achieved in the face of stubborn opposition, was the first time this season that Hearts have won in the league by more than a single goal.

The manager knows, however, that there will be no quick fix at the club. His work is just beginning, and what he has been able to do so far, especially given the number of players out injured, is make some running repairs.

As he said after second-half goals from David Obua and David Templeton strengthened Hearts' hold on sixth place, Jefferies is still at the stage of selecting some players he does not really know, in some cases in positions with which they may be unfamiliar. Given that situation, and noting that Hearts' next three games are at Pittodrie, Tannadice and Fir Park, he will not be tempted into thinking that everything at the club has taken a decisive turn for the better.

Even so, the picture is clearly one of steady improvement. The team are playing with more confidence, determination and self-belief, and with two strikers are creating more scoring chances than was the case even when they went on a seven-game unbeaten run under Csaba Laszlo. Their relative rawness was evident in a first-half in which Hamilton displayed the better teamwork, but once they were ahead Hearts never looked like allowing the three points to slip from their grasp.

The aforementioned injury problems forced Jefferies to make two changes from the line-up which had beaten Falkirk eight days earlier, with Ian Black and Gary Glen being ruled out. The return of Jason Thomson at right-back, however, allowed Eggert Jonsson to revert to midfield in place of Black, while up front Calum Elliot come in for his first start of the season instead of Glen.

In a first half of few chances, the best fell to Marius Zaliukas from a Suso corner, but the centre-half was off target with his header. At the other end, the lively Flavio Paixao was unfortunate to see a shot from wide out on the right flash across goal and go past the far post.

Hearts began the second half at a quicker pace, with Lee Wallace bursting down the left and forcing a corner within 60 seconds of the restart. A minute later the same player blasted a chance over after the ball came out to him following a cross into the box by Thomson.

Thomson himself then came closer to scoring when a corner from the right by Arvydas Novikovas was headed on by David Obua, but the full-back's diving header at the far post went wide. Marco Paixao then put his brother through on Marian Kello, but the goalkeeper got down well to save.

Hearts had been forced into a change two minutes into the second half when Templeton replaced Suso, who had failed to run off a thigh strain. Jefferies then made a voluntary switch with just over an hour played, putting Ryan Wallace on for Elliot, and within a minute of coming on to the field the substitute was involved in the build-up to the opening goal.

With Hamilton having attacked in numbers, Ryan Wallace initiated a quick break by clipping a ball down the wing for Ryan Stevenson. The midfielder checked on the edge of the box, waited for support to arrive, and then chipped a cross into the middle for Obua to head into the far corner.

There was another sign of the new spirit under Jefferies when Laryea Kingston came off the bench to make his first appearance since December. The Ghanaian looked keener to get involved than had been the case for some time, and had a couple of shots late on, one being saved by Tomas Cerny, the other going wide.

By that time, however, Hearts had made sure of the points thanks to a bizarre mix-up between the goalkeeper and Brian Easton. A through ball from Stevenson was meant for Templeton to chase, but Easton got to it first and should have dealt with it cleanly. Instead, he lobbed the ball over Cerny and towards the net, allowing Templeton to tap it in from very close to the line.

Easton tried to make amends moments later, but his fierce volley from 25 yards was well saved by Kello. Hamilton were a spent force after that, and Hearts saw out the remaining minutes in resolute manner.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Lee Wallace (Hearts)

The left-back performed his defensive duties with quiet efficiency, and was always dangerous as an auxiliary attacker, linking up well with Arvydas Novikovas. His season has been punctuated by injuries, but his form is now getting back to what it was during the last campaign.

Taken from the Scotsman