Kilmarnock 2-2 Hearts: Hearts can't draw away from United

A sweet strike four minutes from time that snared on-loan Everton striker Kieran Agard his first Kilmarnock goal consigned the Tynecastle side to a fifth consecutive tied scoreline. The longest such sequence in Scottish Premier League history, it equals a run by Dunfermline back in 1999. When, at the turn of the year, Jim Jefferies dreamed of the season ending in landmark fashion for his club, it becoming a genuinely drawn-out affair was probably not what he had in mind. Yet, Hearts could now be sleep-walking into a possible nightmare.

Only one win in nine and the inability to shake off Dundee United in the pursuit of the third place that will guarantee a place in the Europa League qualifiers threatens to make their last three games - which see them away to Rangers and home to Celtic, before a trip Tannadice on the last day - exceedingly hairy. "If there is a harder way to do it (finish] third, I'd be surprised," said Hearts scorer Ryan Stevenson afterwards of the fact that United, once a speck in their rear-view mirror, are now looming larger in now being eight points behind with a game in hand.

Yet Jefferies was willing to reserve judgment on a seesaw encounter that his men might well have lost after having fought back from going a goal behind early in the second half to lead 2-1 heading in to the final quarter of an hour. The outcome of the Tayside club's assignment at Celtic Park this afternoon will determine how he assesses events at the Ayrshire club he left 16 months ago. "It could be a good point; it depends what happens tomorrow," he said. "Even if United draw, nothing changes. We might have to go and do it the hard way, take points from Rangers and Celtic that we are not expected to do. I'd still take our position."

The position of Hearts keeper Marian Kello, meanwhile, has been plunged into uncertainty. The general thinking was a personal issue believed to relate to monies and Mr Vladimir Romanov, the Hearts owner - would you believe - was sorted out when Kello played in last week's 3-3 draw at home to Motherwell. Think again, Jefferies said in his post-match, with Jamie MacDonald having ably deputised with a point-saving display. "We hoped a private matter had been resolved," Jefferies said. "It had been last week but now it isn't.

We will wait another week to see what goes on." It would have been impossible for Hearts and Kilmarnock to keep up their stirring form of earlier in the year but you might have thought they could have rustled up some sort of decisive scoreline in the past month.

In fairness to the Rugby Park team, they looked a lot more like their Mixu Paatelainen selves in interim manager Kenny Shiels' fifth game in charge. Maybe just not quite to the extent claimed by Shiels after he was left still seeking his first win but cheered to have moved on from two heavy loses.

"We were hard done by. In terms of chances and entertainment there was quite a difference between the two teams," he said. "We played with expression, invention and imagination and, from a spectators' point of view, there was plenty of incident, action and excitement." Almost all of it in the last 36 minutes, a rip-snorting passage kicked off by a 22-yard biff from Jamie Fowler that brought the player his first home goal, and only his fourth overall, of his near-400-appearance, 14-year Kilmarnock career.

"The bloody bugger picks the time... wait till I see him," Jefferies joked of his former charge's first net-billowing moment in five and a half years.

Hearts were fortunate to be back on terms within seven minutes with a David Templeton shot bouncing into the ground and rearing up beyond the reach of Cammy Bell, striking the crossbar and dropping for Rudi Skacel to poke in. Another fairly momentous goal, it was the Czech's 13th of a season in which he has outscored all others at the club and his first for the Edinburgh club outside of Tynecastle since he netted in the 2006 Scottish Cup final.

When Stevenson beat Manuel Pascali in the air to head in from a Craig Thomson corner after 76 minute, it looked like Hearts had got away with an exceedingly bitty performance.

But from then on, it was all Kilmarnock. "Like the Alamo, the way we attacked in waves," said Shiels. When a poor defensive header dropped to substitute Agard and he curled a hooked shot in from 14 yards, it seemed the home side would go on and win. They should have when James Dayton was one-on-one with MacDonald but allowed the ball to get caught under his feet and the Hearts keeper to block. Even then, Kilmarnock were not finished, Agard hitting straight at the keeper when in a fine position. Nothing could fracture the uneasy equilibrium, however.

KILMARNOCK
Bell
Hamill
Sissoko
Pascali
Clancy
Bryson
Fowler (79)
Silva
Kelly
Eremenko
Aubmeyang (74)

Subs used
Agard (74)
Dayton (79)

MAN OF THE MATCH
Jamie MacDonald (Hearts)
Pulled off three excellent saves.

TALKING POINT
In a season when Hearts were supposed to be challengers, they could finish 25 points behind the Old Firm.

Referee: E Norris.

Attendance: 5,006.

HEARTS
MacDonald
Thomson
Jonsson
Zaliukas
Palazuelos
Templeton (75)
Black
Mrowiec
Skacel (81)
Elliott (92)
Stevenson

Subs used
Driver (75)
McGowan (81)
Glen (92)

Taken from the Scotsman