Skacel breaks Saints at the death

St Mirren issued an immediate threat to Hearts via Higdon's header after only 60 seconds. Arron Mooy's right-sided cross was met by the Liverpudlian, forcing Marian Kello into a crucial early parry. Higdon was then guilty of shocking profligacy six minutes later as he scuffed Steven Thomson's low cross with the Hearts goal gaping and no defenders in attendance. The ball was cleared off the line but it was difficult to fathom why the visitors were not ahead given their bold start to the afternoon.

With that, they promptly opened the scoring. Teenager Kenny McLean delivered a left-footed free-kick from the right, Darren McGregor headed intelligently back across goal and Higdon nodded the ball outwith Kello's reach and over the goal line before Craig Thomson could clear.

If that ought to have roused Hearts from their slumber, they were proving more lifeless than a grumpy teenager. On 30 minutes Paul McGowan's first-time effort from Steven Thomson's measured low cross struck Kello's left post. Mooy followed up and looked destined to burst the rigging until Craig Thomson's perfectly timed blocking tackle. Seconds later, McLean crossed for McGowan to lash a volley against the palms of Kello.

Hearts manager Jim Jefferies substituted the ineffective David Obua and Adrian Mrowiec during the interval as most inside Tynecastle would have considered that St Mirren should have been out of sight. Andy Driver and Scott Robinson were introduced in an effort to overhaul a one-goal deficit that could easily have been three or four.

It took them just 11 minutes to source an equaliser. Skacel capitalised on Lee Mair's uncertain clearing header to step forward and send a raking left-footed drive into the net from fully 25 yards. Paul Gallacher, the St Mirren goalkeeper, hadn't a hope of stopping the ball such was the venom in the Czech's strike.

Hearts seemed reinvigorated after scoring even though David Templeton departed through injury. However, they conceded again on 69 minutes as Higdon doubled his tally for the afternoon. Collecting the ball inside the penalty area with his back to goal, he turned with ease and moved clear of Marius Zaliukas to angle the ball into the top corner with his left foot.

The hosts were back to square one and again began the search for another equaliser. Skacel's acrobatic overhead attempt was pushed to safety only by Gallacher's fingertips, and Driver struck the side netting from distance. Stevenson, the replacement for Templeton, prodded Hearts' second with eight minutes remaining following clever hold-up play from Stephen Elliott inside the penalty area. That set the scene for a dramatic finish.

Stevenson dispatched a volley into the Roseburn Stand and Robinson headed tamely over the crossbar. St Mirren employed every time-wasting tactic in the book to ensure they did not concede again. The ploy didn't quite work, Skacel flicking home Craig Thomson's corner in the second minute of stoppage time to finalise the latest of recoveries for Hearts.

Hearts (4-3-3): Kello; C Thomson, Webster, Zaliukas, Palazuelos; Mrowiec (Driver 46), Skacel, Black; Templeton (Stevenson 65), Obua (Robinson), S Elliott. Subs: MacDonald, J Thomson, Bouzid, Glen.

St Mirren (4-1-4-1): Gallacher; McAusland, Mair, McGregor, Travner; Goodwin; Mooy (Wardlaw 77), Thomson, McGowan, McLean (Potter 90); Higdon. Subs: Samson, Van Zanten, Dargo, Cregg, Lamont.

Referee: Stephen Finnie.

Attendance: 12,763.

Taken from the Scotsman