Kilmarnock 1 Hearts 1

Alan Cochrane @ Rugby Park

A tough, uncompromising game between two committed sides, a goal each, a sending off each, one manager who wouldn't shake hands with the other, and some interesting banter at the end - another good day out at Rugby Park. The pre-match press coverage of what had been said during the week meant that the likelihood of a warm handshake between the two managers was remote, and that is how it turned out. Kenny offered his hand, Paulo ignored it, and we got on with the game.

Recent signing Dieter Van Tornhout made the headlines within 30 seconds of his first start for Killie. He clattered into ex-Killie man Jamie Hamill and got himself booked. So did the annoyed Jamie, for retaliating. Two minutes later he should have made the headlines for the right reasons. James Fowler sent over a terrific cross from the right, Van Tornhout was unmarked, but his powerful header went wide. And the rest of the first half was an anti-climax. It was almost all played in mid-field, with the hard work of the two teams cancelling each other out. A Sissoko header from a Hay free kick troubled Hearts Keeper Jamie MacDonald as it dropped under the bar, Hay had a lob drift over after he had won the ball well, and a Van Tornhout head flick went past the back post, while for Hearts, Zaliukas headed a corner over the bar.

The second half started with MacDonald scrambling to save a Dean Shiels free kick, but it was Van Tornhout again who got into trouble. Another poor tackle earned him a second yellow card, so his game was over after 53 minutes. But that spurred Killie into playing better. The tempo quickened, the passes were slicker, and the work rate went up. A good Killie move was finished by a dangerous low cross from the right by Toshney, but it was just too far ahead of Paul Heffernan.

Ben Gordon and Dean Shiels combined well and won a corner on the left. When the ball was swung in, Michael Nelson's attempt came back off the keeper, and Paul Heffernan swept it into the net. One minute later, Jamie Hamill was late on Garry Hay, got a second yellow card, and the sides were down to ten apiece. Before the end, Garry Hay had a shot go narrowly past the post, but as Killie seemed to be seeing the game out, in the 92nd minute, Stephen Elliot manufactured a terrific cross to the back post, and Suso Santana bulleted a header past Cammy Bell.

With Kenny Shiels having to leave to catch a flight at the end of the game, Jimmy Nicholl took the after match press conference. He thought a lot of the game seemed to be going nowhere, but Killie actually improved after they went down to 10 men. It was disappointing for him that Killie had lost the lead so late in the game. Listen to Jimmy, and to goalscorer Paul Heffernan at www.kicktalk.co.uk.

Kilmarnock: Bell, Toshney, Hay, Fowler, Nelson, Kelly, Heffernan, Gordon, Shiels, Van Tornhout, Sissoko

Hearts: MacDonald, Hamill, Grainger (McGowan), Webster, Black, Elliot, Driver (Santana), Skacel, Taouil, Zaliukas, Mrowiec (Smith)