Hearts take solace in lack of incident after humiliation

graeme macpherson at rugby park

22 Aug 2011

THIS was redemption of sorts for Hearts. After being thoroughly embarrassed at home by Tottenham Hotspur just three days earlier, Paulo Sergio's side picked themselves off the floor to thwart Kilmarnock and claim a hard-fought point in Ayrshire.

It wasn't exactly the barnstorming performance many Hearts players had promised following their Tynecastle horror show but there was a least a bit of fight and dig about them that had been so badly missing on Thursday.

They had decent chances to win the match only for Cammy Bell to thwart them with some excellent saves. When the visitors finally did manage to usher the ball into the net late in the game, an offside flag went up to curtail Stephen Elliott's celebrations.

Hearts travel to London later this week for the return match with Spurs with little to play for, but at least they make the journey south having restored a modicum of pride. "It was a hard game psychologically for us as Thursday's match is still like a hard thing in our back," said Sergio. "But it was a good answer from the boys and they deserved more than a point. We were the better team."

Kilmarnock had been rampant the previous week – putting four past Hibernian to earn Kenny Shiels his first win as manager – but there was little of that vibrancy on show here, even if they were the better team for most of the match.

Shiels was insistent that his side should have had a penalty when Hearts' Danny Grainger shouldered James Dayton to the ground, but was more concerned about Ryan O'Leary, who was substituted at half-time with suspected cruciate ligament damage. "I really feel for the boy and we have to see how strong he is and what his coping strategy will be in terms of addressing the rehabilitation period," Shiels said. "It's a long, long fight to get back."

Hearts had vowed to make immediate amends for that embarrassing going over from Spurs but they took a while to get going. Jamie Hamill, the former Kilmarnock full-back, fizzed in a fierce free kick from just outside the box that Bell should have gobbled up comfortably. Instead he grasped at it like a drunk man trying to catch a chicken and was relieved to see it squirm behind for a corner.

Hearts came even closer six minutes later. Andy Driver made good headway down the left and when his cross came in, Elliott nudged a header against the crossbar. Scott Robinson was poised to knock in the rebound but was thwarted by Manuel Pascali's excellent saving tackle.

Kilmarnock started well albeit with next to nothing to show for their superiority. Dayton trundled in a free-kick early on that was easily picked up by Marian Kello, while Paul Heffernan was wasteful after getting in to a promising position. It was more of the same after the break, Gary Harkins ballooning a half-volley high into the stand.

Hearts were left to try their luck on the counter attack and from set plays. Grainger bludgeoned in a free-kick from around 30 yards that Bell did well to parry, the goalkeeper then reacting swiftly to keep out Ryan Stevenson's follow-up attempt. "Grainger got some movement and it was just a case of trying to keep it out of the net," said Bell modestly. "I was fortunate the second one was within reach and I was able to get both hands to it."

The conclusion was fairly scrappy, with Shiels believing his side should have had a penalty. "The problem match officials have with Dayton is he's so light that he goes over easily because of his lack of weight. That gives the impression it was a dive but it was certainly a penalty kick from where I was."

Hearts would be similarly frustrated towards the end, Rudi Skacel coming close before Elliott's effort was ruled out. A goal would not come for Sergio's side but at least some respectability had been restored.

Taken from the Herald