Clydesdale Bank SPL, Saturday 14 January 2012 - Tynecastle
Occasionally, you just can't apply logic to football. Take today at Tynecastle. Hearts haven't scored too many goals whilst playing towards the Roseburn Stand this season - I'm sure it's something to do with me sitting in Section G - but today, Marius Zaliukas headed home the opening goal after just 52 seconds and we waited for the goal rush. The feast of goals did duly arrive - but only after Zaliukas got sent off after 10 minutes after bringing down McGowan who took the resultant penalty kick to level the scores. Six minutes later, it looked all over when Thompson put the visitors ahead with a header. Not so for this Hearts team...
Five minutes later Rudi Skacel showed why he is a legend in Gorgie when he thumped home an unstoppable effort from fully 30 yards to level the score. Hearts still faced an uphill task being a man short but the interval arrived with the scores still level.
Inevitably, St. Mirren had the bulk of possession but Hearts defended heroically. With 25 minutes left, Skacel collected a lay-off from John Sutton and the Czech Republic star made room before firing an effort past Samson. Hearts ahead, against the odds, and Tynecastle rocked.
Four minutes later, there were real concerns the roof would come off the Wheatfield Stand when that man Skacel completed his hat-trick. Ian Black showed his competitiveness by winning the ball and when he found Skacel, Rudi did not fail. Remarkably, Hearts were now 4-2 ahead.
St. Mirren, fearing an unlikely defeat, poured men forward and another goal arrived in stoppage time. Saints were penalised for a pass-back and from the free-kick, Ian Black set up John Sutton to blast the ball home. Astonishingly, the final score was Hearts 5 St. Mirren 2.
There has been much talk in recent weeks about Hearts players walking out, refusing to play and looking for a move as quickly as possible in the January transfer window. The BBC have linked Rudi Skacel with a move to Crawley Town and quote Marian Kello as 'looking forward to leaving'. What Kello actually told the Hearts website was that he was looking to stay at Tynecastle but if the club saw fit to sell him it would be a wrench to leave. Skacel, meanwhile, knew nothing about a move to Crawley and said he hoped he could stay in Gorgie until the summer.
Added to a quite stunning display against the odds this afternoon, this surely dispels the nonsense that morale among the players at Tynecastle is at rock-bottom. Today, Hearts showed what they are capable of.
Top man: Who else but the legend that is Rudi Skacel?
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