London Hearts Supporters Club

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Last-gasp Hearts go in for the Kyle



Published Date: 03 January 2011
By BARRY ANDERSON
PATIENCE and perseverance paid dividends for Hearts in the first New Year's Day Edinburgh derby for 13 years. After 86 minutes of a tense encounter, Kevin Kyle's header from substitute Arvydas Novikovas' cross secured victory.
It also imbued the Tynecastle players with a feeling that retribution had been delivered, specifically in the direction of Hibs' Ian Murray.

The visiting captain knocked Ian Black clean out with his elbow after only seven minutes' play. Rising for an aerial challenge, Murray's left elbow connected full force with Black's temple, knocking him flat on the ground. As the midfielder lay sparked out, referee Calum Murray showed only a yellow card to his namesake for an offence which warranted straight red and nothing less. Then came a karate-style kick by Liam Miller on Black which went unpunished during a chaotic opening period.

Kyle's satisfaction at scoring the winner was heightened by an inner notion that justice was finally done for his colleague.

"It was a bit nasty from Ian Murray but we always get the last laugh on them because we're the ones who come away with three points," he said, clutching the sponsors' man-of-the-match champagne. "Blackie was taken out but he picked himself up, gave himself a shake and got on with it. That's credit to him. He's a Hearts diehard, supported Hearts since he was a boy and he just did not want to come off.

"The thing the gaffer always says to Blackie is that he's maturing, kind of wising up a bit. I didn't really know him before I came to Hearts but apparently he was guilty of late tackles, a bit like Ian Murray on Saturday.

"Now he's maturing and letting tackles go over his head. It's made him a better player. Blackie's one of the best (passers) we've got at this club. He's always motivating others and he's very comfortable and calm on the ball. That helps under pressure. He gets it down and tries to play it so he deserves the plaudits."

Black, to his credit, did not seek revenge. After briefly retreating to the touchline, he recovered to deliver one of his finest performances for Hearts. Kyle admitted he might have been targeted by Hibs for special treatment. "You can wind players up," he continued. "There are certain players in the SPL, Kyle Lafferty being one. You wind him up and you can get him sent off. So that's maybe what they thought, try to get at Blackie and see if he reacts but Blackie's grown up a little bit. He's 25 so it's taken a long time but he's getting there.
Hibs maybe thought that was a ploy but it didn't work. We just rose above everything Hibs threw at us and dealt with everything comfortably.

"Derby games, whether it's Hibs-Hearts, Kilmarnock-Ayr, Celtic-Rangers, there is always going to be that nasty edge to it. Ian Murray and Derek Riordan are Hibs boys through and through. In the last game, we were 2-0 up and cruising so you could see why they lost the plot. If we were 1-0 down, you would maybe see Blackie or myself losing the plot. I get wound up and frustrated. Even though I'm not from Edinburgh I know what it means for the Hearts supporters.

"Some of the treatment I get, it's very hard to grit your teeth. But that's part of a derby. You're going to have to expect that and be big enough to get on with it. I enjoy it. I enjoy the fact that Ian Murray is wound up and wanting to kill everybody. It's great."

Kyle was high on adrenaline in the aftermath of a win which, for 24 hours, propelled Hearts to within three points of the SPL summit. They began imposing themselves around the 20-minute mark but their forwards failed to gamble as a series of balls flew across the face of Hibs' goal in the first half.

Calum Elliot came close, Rudi Skacel tried an ambitious volley and Kyle sent his own first-time left-footer over the crossbar. For Hibs, Darryl Duffy's impromptu attempt saw Jamie MacDonald scramble the ball for a corner.

Mark Brown, the Hibs goalkeeper, gathered a driven effort from Skacel and Hearts' superiority gave rise to the assumption that they would eventually score as half-time arrived. They drew confidence from being in control of proceedings with Hibs venturing forward only sporadically, a pattern that remained when play resumed for the second period.

Elliot came close as Brown pushed his shot away following Kyle's downward header, and Marius Zaliukas saw his header from Black's corner cleared off the goal line by Steven Thicot. Hearts looked to be edging ever closer to a breakthrough. Skacel's 62nd-minute free-kick was touched on to the crossbar by Brown and, hopeful of stemming the flow, the visiting manager Colin Calderwood changed to a 4-4-2 formation as he introduced Colin Nish for the ineffective Valdas Trakys. This resulted in Hibs' best spell of the game.

Derek Riordan's left-sided free-kick landed at the feet of Francis Dickoh on 69 minutes but he was forced into a hurried shot which landed wide of goal. If that was a priceless opening, Nish squandered Hibs' best chance with 15 minutes remaining. Taking an angled pass from Riordan during an attacking break, the unmarked striker shot narrowly wide of goal from around 14 yards with only Zaliukas in close attendance.

Jim Jefferies refreshed his attack with substitutes Gary Glen and Novikovas, the introduction of the latter proving an inspired choice. Hibs supporters chanted "Who are ya?" as Novikovas trotted on in place of David Templeton, who had been completely nullified by Thicot.

Within seven minutes, the diminutive Lithuanian had proven his credentials in the best way possible as his crossing created two match-winning chances.

Although Glen put the first into the advertising boards from four yards with the goal gaping, Kyle made no such mistake with the second.

Novikovas skinned Murray for pace on the left flank and delivered a looping left-footed cross before Thicot could get close enough to block. Kyle met the ball at the back post to nod it past Brown's flailing palm and into the net. In the technical area, Jefferies initially thought the chance had been wasted and put his hands on his head. The realisation that the ball was nestling in the rigging prompted him into a fit of delirium as he turned and ran to hug supporters at the front of Tynecastle's main stand.

There were penalty appeals for handball from both teams during the closing stages. First Hearts as the ball struck Grounds' arm, and then Hibs for handball against Ismael Bouzid. Both were dismissed by referee Murray, leaving Kyle's goal as the deciding factor.

It might just prove to be a vital moment in a campaign which continues to gain momentum for Hearts.

"I scored 16 for Sunderland in one season, that's my best total," recalled the striker. "The more penalties we get helps but I'm not renowned for taking penalties. I feel I do more for the team than just score goals. Some weeks I'm not going to score but I feel I do enough up front to help other people get goals. If others weren't chipping in and I wasn't scoring I'd probably be the one getting stick.

"This run we are on is weird. I was on a run like this at Sunderland and we ended up getting into the play-offs. But I'm in the SPL now and it feels similar but there's no play-offs. It's either win the league or bust. We set out to finish third and we're going the right way to doing that.

"I can't remember the last time we played against a team, even Celtic or Rangers, where we thought 'we're going to lose this today'. We don't, we're just so high on confidence that we're looking forward to the next game. We have Celtic and Rangers later this month but we don't fear them. We relish the challenge of Celtic and Rangers and hopefully we can keep as close to them as possible. If not, then at least somebody is trying to have a go."

Kyle's late winner piled additional misery on Calderwood. Both men hail from Stranraer but have only ever spoken once having grown up with different generations on the west coast. "He was somebody I looked up to," continued Kyle. "Coming from Stranraer, he was the only other footballer you would talk about. That's two derbies we've played and I still haven't had a chance to get a blether with him. I suppose now is probably not the best time."


Taken from the Scotsman
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