Hearts 4 Ross Co 2: Jambos stun visitors with three goals in mad five-minute spell

Rob Fairburn

Ross County looked good for three points with just 12 minutes left but Hearts stunned their rivals with three quickfire goals to turn possible defeat into a victory.

MICHAEL NGOO capped a five-minute goals frenzy as Hearts rallied to clinch a rare fightback win.

And gaffer Gary Locke insists he wants more of the same as the Jambos target finishing the season in seventh place.

Ross County appeared to be cruising to victory when they went 2-1 ahead – only to be blown away by Hearts’ late surge.

An equaliser from sub Jason Holt in 78 minutes was followed within seconds by an own goal by Evangelos Oikonomou to turn the match on his head.

And Liverpool loan striker Ngoo got his second of the game in 83 minutes to give Locke a real boost.

The rookie gaffer, celebrating his first victory since officially being named as Tynecastle manager, said: “It’s a great
feeling.

“I told the players afterwards I want more of what I saw in the second half when we tried to be more positive.

“If the players give me more of that between now and the end of the season I will be happy.

“I wasn’t pleased with what I saw in the first half so we tried to go more attacking. And it worked as we scored from our first ball into their box.

“Sometimes as a manager you get lucky with your substitutes. In the first half we didn’t play well enough. Second half I was a lot happier.”

Locke acknowledged that County, who twice took the lead, will feel gutted – but he praised his keeper Jamie MacDonald for his heroics

He said: “They will be aggrieved at not taking something from the game.

“I want to reserve special praise for Jamie. He made three outstanding saves that kept us in the game.”

Stand-in skipper Ryan Stevenson was also pleased at the comeback victory but says it doesn’t ease the pain of missing out in the race for a top-six place.

He said: “It must be the first time this season we have come back from being a goal down to win.

“Yes, it is a big result for us in terms of moving up the table and trying to finish in seventh position. We want to

finish the season as high up the league as possible, be best of the rest, so we have to aim for seventh.

“But there is no getting away from the fact it has been a disappointing season in every respect.

“It has been difficult for everyone , even allowing for winning today.

“We are still hurting about losing the League Cup final to St Mirren and are upset with our league position.

“It is one of those seasons you just want to end.

“However, we know it is important we keep going and get a few more victories to get up the league and give the fans something to shout about.

“You can get in a rut of losing and when we were trailing 1-0 and 2-1 to County you expected the worst. So to finish so strongly was a good plus.”

It was an incredible finale to a game that had been dominated for long spells by the visitors.

Indeed, Hearts had keeper MacDonald to thank for keeping them in the match with a string of fine saves.

The Staggies hit the front after 22 minutes with a goal of genuine quality.

Brad McKay failed to head Rocco Quinn’s crossfield pass to safety and the loose ball was picked up by Steffen Wohlfarth. He jinked past Jamie Hamill on the byeline then unleashed a spectacular angled shot into the far corner of the net.

MacDonald was helpless on that occasion but he came to his side’s rescue after that.

Former Hibs winger Ivan Sproule was sent clean through the shaky Hearts defence in the 26th minute and tried to pick his spot.

But MacDonald blocked his first attempt before grabbing the loose ball to foil the follow-up effort.

Quinn fired in a 20 yarder on the half hour mark that MacDonald saw late but managed to hold.

In 36 minutes Sproule seemed certain to score again when he latched on to Mihael Kovacevic’s cut-back from the byeline.

But the Hearts keeper read Sproule’s side-footer and dived full length to block the shot.

Hearts had offered very little going forward although Kevin McHattie’s long-range effort in the 35th minute had shaved a post.

Manager Locke decided to freshen things up at the break with Callum Tapping and Mehdi Taouil staying inside the dressing-room as Holt and Arvydas Novikovas were introduced to the fray.

It produced the vital spark and Hearts were back on level terms three minutes after the restart.

Ngoo rose head and shoulders above everyone else to head home a McHattie cross.

But in 53 minutes County were back in front with an equally simple goal. The Jambos defenders failed to pick up Wohlfarth’s charge into the danger area at Iain Vigurs corner and his glancing header flashed past MacDonald.

It was no more than the visitors deserved and they enjoyed much of the possession while the home side huffed and puffed to get going.

But it was sub Holt who inspired the amazing comeback with the equaliser in the 78th minute.

His stunning left-foot volley from the edge of the box was unstoppable and he celebrated his third goal of the season.

Just 60 seconds later Hearts were in front.

Jamie Walker’s mazy run ended with his sclaffed effort trundling towards the goal line.

County defender Oikonomou raced back but could only rattle the ball into the roof of his own net.

To add to his misfortune referee Alan Muir gave it officially as an own goal.

Just as everyone inside Tynecastle was trying to draw breath, Hearts scored again in the 83rd minute.

County midfielder Paul Lawson claimed he was impeded as he was robbed of possession by sub John Sutton.

He then slipped Ngoo in on goal and the big striker showed County how to finish in style by drilling the ball into the corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

County had a chance straight away to pull a goal back.

Sproule’s shot was blocked and with the empty goal gaping Kovacevic side-footed the ball over the bar to sum up the visitors afternoon.

Taken from the Daily Record