Third horse still in the hunt

Stewart Fisher

23 Jan 2011

The third horse in the title race has cleared a difficult hurdle and now has the two leaders in sight.

Ryan Stevenson’s winner with 13 minutes left at Tynecastle yesterday inflicted Rangers’ first away defeat of the season and moved the Edinburgh club to within two points of their visitors, with the chance to make similar inroads into Celtic’s advantage when they arrive in the east end of Glasgow on Wednesday night.

A return match with the Ibrox club follows in 10 days’ time, and no-one will be able to disregard the claim of Hearts to be recognised as genuine championship challengers if the three clubs are still neck and neck by then.

Stevenson – formerly of Chelsea, St Johnstone and Ayr United – started the game as an auxiliary centre-forward – “I just thought I would go up there and make a nuisance of myself,” he said – and spent various points of the match at centre, right and left midfield. But the moment when he latched onto Stephen Elliott’s scuffed shot, took a touch and prodded in from close range, was as important as any in his career to date.

“People have been saying we are in the title race, but there is still a long way to go,” said Stevenson, who took the place of the injured Kevin Kyle. “We still have to play Celtic and then Rangers. If we come through that and are still within distance by then, we can maybe look at it.”

The result was all the more galling for Walter Smith because his team played as well as, if not better than, on any previous visit to Tynecastle since he returned to the club in 2007. Rangers would have taken all three points were it not for the heroics of Hearts goalkeeper Marian Kello and some unconvincing finishing. Whether Kenny Miller would have made any difference or not we will never know but Smith admitted he hopes to bring in a couple of bodies before the end of the month. “We don’t just need fresh faces because Kenny has gone,” Smith said. “We might need a couple because we rely a lot on the younger boys. But it is only this week that we managed to free up the money for Kenny.”

Hearts have now taken 31 out of the last 33 points available, compared to Rangers’ 20, so it was hardly a surprise that there wasn’t a seat to be had at an expectant Tynecastle. And those who suspected the congested midfields and the stakes on offer might result in a tight, cagey encounter were proved wrong. This was a lively contest – as good as any Scottish game I have seen all season – and most of the credit for that goes to the Rangers midfield. They exerted such a stranglehold on the centre of the pitch that they threatened to overwhelm their hosts.

Within 30 seconds, Kello had dived full length to his right to save Kyle Lafferty’s snap shot. Then Jamie Ness, a youngster who looks more accomplished with each passing week, ran on to a Steven Naismith pass only for Kello to beat out his effort at the near post. Next, Ness turned away from Elliott to fire in a searing drive which was destined for the top corner until Kello got a hand on it. Before long the Slovakian was at it again to defy Lafferty and Naismith. There was no way Rangers could sustain their exertions and Hearts almost broke the deadlock in bizarre fashion when Eggert Jonsson’s long pass reared up off the turf, and almost embarrassed Allan McGregor, the Rangers goalkeeper.

There was less football around in the second half, more of players surrounding referee Mike Tumilty, as this game started to get away from the official. Rudi Skacel, after a spat with McGregor, could have been sent off for deliberate handball when on a booking. while Rangers substitute Vladimir Weiss somehow escaped censure after hurling the ball to the turf.

Hearts finally got the spell of territory and possession they had been waiting for and made it pay. Lee Wallace burst away from Steven Davis and Ness and laid the ball back. Elliott’s daisy-cutter rolled towards goal, and Stevenson did the rest.

Still, Rangers had won 19 points from losing positions this season and they almost grabbed another here. Nikica Jelavic, back where Ian Black had injured him in October, came off the bench and almost scored the most spectacular of equalisers with four minutes left. Instead, the Croat’s acrobatic volley struck the underside of the bar and bounced out.

But the day belonged to Jefferies and his team. He will travel to Parkhead on Wednesday night in bullish mood. “It is a good result for us and a good result for the league,” Jefferies said. “With our record away from home we can go there without fear. Who would bet against us?”

Taken from the Herald