Hibernian 1 - 2 Hearts: Jefferies' men show grit lacking in rivals after penalty setback

Published Date: 02 May 2010
By Moira Gordon
SCORERS: Stokes 53 pen

Santana 72; Obua 89

IT WASN'T the first time Hearts had harboured a sense of injustice following a refereeing decision by Dougie McDonald but on this occasion it seemed to spark a positive reaction from the Gorgie side and, having conceded a soft penalty in the 53rd minute, they battled back with two goals in the final 18 minutes to retrieve the situation and leave them just three points behind their city rivals with two league games remaining.

A late goal from David Obua was enough to give Hearts victory in the last capital derby of the season and leave Hibs in desperate need of wins in the final two games of the campaign if they are to not only hold off Hearts but also overhaul Motherwell in the quest for fourth place and a guaranteed shot at Europa League football.

It was as recently as mid-December that Hibs enjoyed a plump 18-point cushion over the Tynecastle side but two wins in 16 matches, including six straight defeats, have allowed the gap to be closed, and with two games remaining Hibs goalkeeper Graeme Smith admitted that he and his team-mates need some "balls" and "a bit of luck".

There was a feeling that while they enjoyed a fair slice of good fortune, with Laryea Kingston's 23rd-minute shot slamming back off the upright and the penalty decision being such a soft award, they did not have the steel required to see out the game.

Although it was the merest of contacts, John Rankin was the man who was impeded by Marius Zaliukas in the box and despite the Hearts players' attempts to put him off, Anthony Stokes converted from the spot to take his tally for the season to 21 goals. But having enjoyed their fair share of the opening 45 minutes, Hibs struggled to impose themselves on the play following that opener and when Suso Santana levelled in the 72nd minute courtesy of some weak and indecisive defending, the stage was set for Hearts to wrap up all three points.

The balance of previous meetings between these sides this season had been tipped in Hearts' favour following the last tussle at Tynecastle, where the home side had rampaged to a comfortable victory. It meant that with two draws in the first two meetings of the season, Hibs manager John Hughes was still waiting for his maiden derby triumph. With Obua's late intervention the final nail in the coffin, that wait will extend into next term.

More pressing is the need to find the winning capability which had seen Hibs challenging for second place earlier in this season. Without it they have slipped further down the table, relinquishing fourth spot last weekend on the back of defeat to Rangers and their city rivals' loss at home to Motherwell. It was a match which had seemed to all but kill off Hearts' hopes of Europa League involvement, and the ease with which the Gorgie players had succumbed to hungrier and more committed opponents had infuriated manager Jim Jefferies.

A similar lack of application would never be tolerated in a capital derby match and there was a more obvious desire yesterday. They were aided in their comeback by two useful substitutions by their manager.

The irony was that as the Hibs fans goaded their rivals with chants about the man who has led a goal-shy strike force all term, Christian Nade, Hearts got the equaliser. It was scored by Suso Santana, who had replaced Ryan Stevenson in the 67th minute, but Hibs were culpable in the build-up. Another second-half sub, Calum Elliot, hassled Paul Hanlon for possession as an Obua ball was played into the area and with Smith and Ian Murray unable to clear the danger, the ball spun to the Spaniard, who drilled it into the net.

It put the cat among the pigeons and gave Hearts the momentum. They had shifted the impressive youngster David Templeton to the left wing to accommodate Santana on the other and they both posed problems down the flanks. But it was the former who sealed the victory with an exquisite delivery in between goalkeeper Smith and Hanlon which neither attacked and the grateful Obua came in at the back post to bury it high into the goal.

Smith refused to take the blame, though, but was cagey in articulating exactly what was the cause – the rutted Easter Road pitch. He suggested that there had been a wicked bounce which took the ball away from him but, with team-mate Derek Riordan still fighting financial sanctions for criticising the playing surface earlier this season, he was careful about being too overt in the accusation, no doubt hoping that his gaffer would study the video evidence and come to that conclusion himself.

If there is merit in the claims then the state of the pitch could be even more costly to the club than to individual players. Hearts are now breathing down their necks and Hibs' only saving grace could be that Hearts run out of games before they run out of steam.

Hibs of course still have matters in their own hands but it would mean reversing the current poor trend and finding a couple of wins from somewhere to end the season, which had started so brightly, on a relative high.

Taken from the Scotsman