Heart of Midlothian 0 Kilmarnock 2

Clydesdale Bank SPL, Saturday 5 March 2011 - Tynecastle

There has been talk recently of the Old Firm leaving Scottish football and trying their luck in England. I suspect I'm not the only person who would welcome such a move. However, after their second win at Tynecastle this season, may I respectfully suggest Kilmarnock also move out of Scottish football - I, for one, am sick of the sight of the men from Ayrshire...

Last October, Killie came to Tynecastle, played Hearts off the park and thoroughly deserved their 3-0 victory. Today, the match was a much more even affair but Hearts could not make their territorial advantage in the first half pay and, inevitably, paid the price. After last week's dour display at Aberdeen, Hearts sprang out the Tynecastle traps and in an impressive opening period had chances to score through Bouzid, Skacel and Templeton, the latter seeing his looping header bounce off the woodwork with Killie keeper Jaakkola well beaten. Killie looked dangerous on the break and after weathering the storm came more into the game and Pascali should have done better with a free header which he out wide.

Hearts hopes of making an early break through at the beginning of the second half were in tatters when the visitors took the lead with a fine goal in the 50th minute. Silva ran at the Hearts defence from the halfway line and with no challenge from a home defender forthcoming, the Portugese player drove the ball past an unprotected Marian Kello to give Killie the lead. Six minutes later Eremenko played a one-two with the aforementioned Silva and finished clinically to double the visitors' lead. There was more than half an hour still to play but Hearts fans had seen it all before and we knew there was no way back even after Killie were reduced to ten men when Eremenko was shown a straight red card for raising his hands to Zaliukas.

Strangely, Hearts played better than they did last week at Pittodrie but ended up with nothing. Then again, Killie are a different proposition to Aberdeen - it's staggering to think they lost 5-0 in the Granite City a few weeks back. However, Hearts lack of depth in their squad is beginning to show. They have struggled since they lost Kevin Kyle to injury a few weeks ago. Inexplicably, Jim Jefferies opted for Calum Elliot up front today - the laddie does his best but, frankly, it's nowhere near good enough. KK would rumble defences up but Calum is not the same imposing figure and is easily bundled off the ball. Hearts also missed Lee Wallace and Andy Webster while Andrew Driver didn't even make it off the bench today.

The gap between Hearts and Killie is now down to 13 points but Jim Jefferies men should still be good enough to take third place - and a place in next season's Europa League. But the style the maroons displayed earlier this season has sadly gone AWOL - they need to find it again sooner rather than later.