Michael Duberry emerges victorious in the battle of the brawn

Richard Winton at Tynecastle

15 Aug 2010

About an hour had elapsed on Saturday afternoon when Kevin Kyle and Stephen Elliott clambered from the home dug-out.

The deafening din that reverberated round Tynecastle spoke of a sense of renewal among the Hearts supporters, but Michael Duberry simply smiled.

The behemothic St Johnstone centre-half had been waiting for this moment. Jim Jefferies, the home manager, reflected that the Perth side would have been relieved to note that Kyle was not in the starting XI, but having spent an hour rag-dolling the not insignificant specimen of Calum Elliot – one breathtaking breenge as the striker pursued a long ball highlighted the physical disparity – Duberry was relishing a real challenge.

As it happened, their half-hour contest ended equal – Kyle winning a couple of towering headers, the defender nudging one of them out from under his own crossbar – but the Englishman can be considered the victor in the wider duel. His side suffered not only Steven Anderson’s stupid yet still slightly harsh dismissal but also injuries to both full-backs yet still retained enough resilience to hold on to a point.

Much of that was down to Duberry. Derek McInnes could barely contain his awe when asked about his display, pointing to his organisational qualities, leadership and communication as much as his sheer might. Yet the 34-year-old was more comfortable citing the contribution of others. “They brought the big man on, and he was a handful, so it was backs to the wall,” he said. “But we did well even with a makeshift back four and two wide men playing as full-backs. We had to dig in but that’s the kind of spirit we’ve got at the club.”

We’re still going to be one whose looked at as relegation candidates but we want to stay in the division and show we’re not a one-season wonder.

To suggest St Johnstone have been constructed with such prosaic aim in mind would be a fallacy but McInnes’ side do possess a physicality that comes to the fore in such siege situations. That muscularity is epitomised by Sam Parkin, the scorer of their goal, but the Perth side now have a variety of options in attack as they strive to fulfil their stated aim of improving on last season.

“We’re still going to be one whose looked at as relegation candidates but we want to stay in the division and show we’re not a one-season wonder,” said Duberry. “The best way to do that is to bring in players to improve the standard and attract more quality each year.”

That is what Jim Jefferies hopes he has done with Kyle and Elliott. The duo will score but Hearts’ players must resist the temptation to launch balls at the former, something they were guilty of on Saturday.

In David Templeton and Suso Santana there is guile in the squad. What Jefferies must do is combine those brains with the brawn.

Taken from the Herald