Hamilton 0 Hearts 4

Aug 22 2010 Gordon Waddell, Sunday Mail

KEVIN KYLE netted his first goal in Hearts' biggest win for four years - then claimed the credit for Calum Elliot's double as well.

Elliot, so often the whipping boy for Jambos fans, book-ended the triumph with two superb strikes.

And Scotland striker Kyle reckons the 23-year-old is running on fear and adrenalin that he'll be dumped on the bench as soon as Kyle and fellow new signing Stephen Elliott are fully fit.

Instead Calum's been a standout, scoring against St Johnstone in the opener and leading the line superbly in the absence of his crocked rivals.

Kyle came off the bench to bag his strike from the spot in the second half while David Templeton got on the scoresheet too with a stunner.

But it was Elliot - without a goal to his name last season - who got all the plaudits. Kyle said: "We've brought in a couple of big signings with a lot of experience in myself and Stephen and Calum probably wondered if he's going to get a game.

"But he's got the nod because of our fitness and fair play to him - what he's done in the first two games has put us right under pressure.

"It's great for him - he's got confidence. For our last goal he could have squared the ball to me for an easy tap-in but he had the belief just to smash it into the bottom corner.

"His first goal was outstanding too and his all-round play was great.

"I said to him, 'Isn't it better that you've got a couple of guys like me and Stephen pushing you, making you want to play better because you don't want to be out of the team?'

"And he agreed. He'll probably end up keeping one of us out the team and no one could argue.

"I'm lucky I got 25 minutes and a goal but I'm phoning Stephen to tell him not to bother coming to training as he won't get a game next week!"

Accies will be wishing they didn't have one either.

If this was trumpets and fanfares for their first home game of the season then they need help.

It felt more like a church service than a game of football.

But Accies had more to worry about than the pitiful sub-3000 crowd though, after week one's 4-0 hounding at Pittodrie.

Compounding the absence of the moved-on James McArthur, they were still missing stoppers Mark McLaughlin and David Elebert and skipper Alex Neil. Just one of them could have stopped Jambos' seventh-minute opener.

The class of Elliot's finish, a magnificently-curled left-foot strike from the edge of the box, wasn't up for debate. The way he got his second in two games, though, was.

Ian Black's ball found him with most of New Douglas Park between him and the nearest stopper and he had all day to pick his spot.

Shambles But that was nothing compared to the shambles at the second.

Faffing around in possession at the back, the normally rock-solid Simon Mensing launched a bizarre high pass-back to Tomas Cerny.

Even more bizarre was the Czech keeper's decision to try to clear with a diving header instead of getting the laces through the ball.

And just when you thought it couldn't get worse wee Templeton muscled past the mass of Martin Canning to blast a fantastic strike home from 20 yards.

Billy Reid went bananas in the dugout - it's anybody's guess how angry he got when the cameras weren't on him in the dressing room at the break.

Whatever he said, it worked. Temporarily anyway.

In 47 minutes Accies should have had a penalty as Lee Wallace shoved Flavio Paixao flat as Joel Thomas' cross begged for the finish.

And two minutes later, the Portuguese frontman headed a dreamy Dougie Imrie cross off the bar from four yards out.

Accies also went a man up. Ruben Palazuelos had picked up a cheap booking for kicking away the ball - so as soon as he went studs in on Paixao he was off.

Before Accies could take advantage they were down to 10 too and the price they paid was higher.

Canning trailed Elliot like a caravan for 50 yards as the striker raced for the box before bundling him over. Straight red and a penalty Kyle - on the park as a sub for two minutes as he eases his way back to fitness - stepped up and blasted a perfect penalty high past Cerny to net his first goal for the club.

But it was Elliot's day, his second and the Jambos fourth coming nine minutes from time.

He was given freedom down the right to stroll in to the box unchallenged and smack a finish low inside a post.

And he could have had a hattrick, Cerny just getting a fingertip to another blazing drive.

Jim Jefferies was happy - apart from the red card.

He said: "The ref had a good game but there's no way Ruben went over the top. It was a soft decison."

Taken from the Daily Record