Hearts 2 Inverness Caley Thistle 3

: Highlanders use their set-piece expertise to put Jambos to the sword
24 Feb 2013 11:22
By Mark Guidi

AARON DORAN wins battle to be fit and leaves Tynecastle stunned as he conjures up deliveries for all three of his side's goals.
Hearts captain Andy Webster grab's his side's second goal Hearts captain Andy Webster grab's his side's second goal
Craig Watson/SNS Group

THE injured Aaron Doran was treated with kid gloves all week by Terry Butcher – and he recovered to lay three goals on a plate for Inverness.

While Caley Thistle were practising their set-piece drills, the dead-ball expert was confined to quarters as he battled to be fit.

And he was given a clean bill of health to float in two pinpoint free-kicks and a corner that were tucked away by Billy McKay and a double for Gary Warren.

Boss Butcher joked he’s now considering locking Doran indoors during the week as he celebrated their return to second place in the SPL.

Butch, who laughed off reports linking him with a move to Swindon, said: “We practised free-kicks last week and Aaron didn’t take part as he was hurt and stayed indoors. We’ll need to keep him there more often!

“But it’s good to win again. It’s good to be back. We’re now back in second place in the league yet we are meant to be on a slump.”

This was the Caley Jags’ first win at Tynecastle for five years and although Hearts equalised twice through Jason Holt and Andy Webster, Warren’s second of the game in 76 minutes gave Inverness a lead that was never again threatened.

John McGlynn’s side clearly don’t have enough experience in their team – they look a club on the edge, on and off the field.

The Jambos gaffer decided to go with just Michael Ngoo up front on his own. The big striker had a battle-and-a-half against the Inverness defence in the League Cup semi-final win last month and it took only 20 seconds to all kick off again.

Unhappy with the attentions of Warren, he gave the Caley Thistle man a powerful push to the deck and was booked by ref Bobby Madden.

Hearts had a real chance after two minutes when Webster should have lashed home from a scramble after a corner. But in space at the back post he lashed over the bar.

That miss was punished in 15 minutes when the visitors went ahead. Doran whipped in an inviting free-kick from the right and Warren rose above Darren Barr to head past Jamie MacDonald from seven yards.

Just five minutes later Owen Tudur Jones rattled in a free-kick from 25 yards that whistled just a foot past MacDonald’s right-hand post. Inverness should have been further ahead but for ref Madden and his assistants.

McKay was slipped in by Andrew Shinnie for a one-on-one with MacDonald but was wrongly flagged offside.

It was a major let-off for the Jambos who struggled to cope with the Highland side.

Only Danny Wilson, on loan from Liverpool, stood out for them. He’s a defender with an excellent future and the Jambos are fortunate to have him.

McGlynn resisted the temptation to use any of his experienced subs at the break and gave his starting line-up the chance to make amends for an ineffective first-half display.

And his faith seemed justified in 55 minutes when another of his youngsters levelled. Holt got the ball inside the box, created a nice angle to shoot then rattled past Ryan Esson with a right-foot shot from 16 yards.

Their joy was short lived though, as Inverness were back in the lead six minutes later.

And again Hearts failed to deal with a Doran free-kick. He floated the ball to the back post and Tudur Jones headed back across the six-yard box for McKay to nod in at the back post.

The striker was delighted – scoring maybe helped bury the memory of his missed sitter in the League Cup semi.

McGlynn brought on John Sutton straight away in search of a leveller and he was a threat, supported by the inventive play of Holt and Jamie Walker.

But it was defender Webster who did the damage in the 73rd minute. Ngoo’s header was cleared off the line by Graeme Shinnie but the ball broke to the centre back and his shot was deflected past Esson.

Walker deserved a goal two minutes later but his dipping volley was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Esson.

But the visitors were back in front in the 76th minute. Doran’s corner went right into the mix and there was Warren again to bullet home a header.

It was an even better finish than his first goal and it gave Inverness the victory they deserved in an entertaining game.

Taken from the Daily Record