Kilmarnock 0 Hearts 0

Following the midweek Europa League defeat to Tottenham, manager Paulo Sergio made three changes to his starting line-up. In came David Obua, Scott Robinson and Stephen Elliott which meant David Templeton and John Sutton dropped to the bench while Ian Black missed out through suspension.

The opening quarter of an hour failed to produce any real moments of magic. Kilmarnock came closest to breaking the deadlock when an early James Dayton free kick hit the target but was easily stopped by Marian Kello.

Bang on the quarter hour mark Hearts got their first shot on goal, an ambitious but well driven 20 yard shot from Robinson sent the Kilmarnock 'keeper Cammy Bell sprawling to his right to make the save.

With half an hour played the Jambos had another chance to test the home goal when Elliott was fouled on the edge of the box. Ex-Killie man Jamie Hamill struck the dead ball and his powerful shot was awkwardly pushed over the bar by Bell.

It was the Gorgie men who came agonisingly close to taking the lead five minutes before half time. Driver broke down the left and hit a pinpoint cross onto the head of Elliott in the six yard box, his effort beat the 'keeper but cracked off the bar and just out of both Ryan Stevenson and Robinson's reach.

Only ten minutes into the second half Hearts made a substitution. Sergio introduced Templeton onto the field of play, Driver made way for the change.

The Jambos again came close to scoring the match's first goal. On 63 minutes Danny Grainger beautifully struck a free kick from 25 yards out which brought out an equally impressive save from Bell, Stevenson got on the end of the rebound but couldn't force the ball over the line.

Twenty minutes remained on the clock when Paulo Sergio made his second substitution of the match, replacing Robinson with Rudi Skacel in an attempt to shake up Hearts' attacking options.

Hearts began to take the game by the scruff of the neck, keeping possession well and attacking the home goal time after time. On 80 minutes Skacel was teed up inside the box but his thunderbolt drive was wide of the target and took a deflection off of Elliott for good measure on its way out of the park.

The men in maroon did have the ball in the back of the net two minutes later, Elliott slotted past Bell after a goalmouth scramble, though he was judged to be offside.

John Sutton was brought on as Sergio made his final change with five minutes remaining, Elliott made way after a hard afternoon's running himself into the ground.

Despite a vast improvement in performance from midweek, Hearts could not get the breakthrough that they deserved as the match finished 0-0. Paulo Sergio's men now travel to White Hart Lane during the week before facing Hibs at home next Sunday in the season's first Edinburgh derby.

Kilmarnock: Bell; O'Leary (Fowler 45), Ada, Pascali, Kelly; Buijs, Dayton, Harkins (Galan 58), Heffernan, Sheils, McKeown. Subs not used: Jaakkola, Clancy, Hay, Racchi, Fisher.

Hearts: Kello; Hamill, Webster, Zaliukas, Grainger; Driver (Templeton 55), Obua, Mrowiec, Stevenson, Robinson (Skacel 70); Elliott (Sutton 85). Subs not used: MacDonald, Jonsson, Novikovas, Prychynenko.

Referee: Calum Murray

Top Man: Andrew Webster

Hearts World