SPFL,
Wednesday 29 January 2014 – Tynecastle
After finally reaching the
positive points tally after last Saturday’s fine victory at Ross County, there
was a degree of optimism at Tynecastle on Wednesday evening as Hearts played
out a re-arranged SPFL Premiership fixture with St. Mirren. This game should
have been played this coming weekend but as Hearts are on League Cup semi-final
business on Sunday, the game was brought forward – thus enabling Ryan Stevenson
to complete his two match suspension and make him available for the semi-final
at Easter Road (assuming he hasn’t moved on by then…)
The optimism was justified
as Hearts recorded a second SPFL win in a row for the first time this season,
despite losing a goal in the opening minute. Goals from Callum Paterson and
Jamie Hamill gave the Maroons their first win at Tynecastle since August and
put the Gorgie faithful in a positive frame of mind before Sunday’s big
semi-final.
On a bitterly cold evening,
those same Hearts supporters were given a bitter pill to swallow after just 30
seconds. St. Mirren attacked straight from kick-off and Naismith’s cross found
Thompson who easily outjumped two home defenders to head powerfully home into
the corner.
Hearts looked momentarily
stunned but it took them just three minutes to equalise. Sam Nicholson,
impressive at Dingwall on Saturday, fed David Smith whose cross was headed home
by Callum Paterson – the big striker’s second goal in as many games. It has to
be said former Hearts keeper Marian Kello looked less than clever when Smith’s
cross came in but the home support were delighted.
The
impressive Nicholson produced a piece of magic after 12 minutes and his cross
found Paterson whose headed looked a winner until Kello redeemed himself by palming
the ball over the crossbar.
However,
the Paisley Saints almost regained the lead ten minutes before the break when
McGinn’s header crashed off the crossbar. Half-time arrived with the teams on
level terms.
Hearts
began the second half in determined fashion and almost took the lead just three
minutes in when Danny Wilson’s header clipped the crossbar. Sixty seconds
later, Hearts were awarded a penalty kick when Dale Carrick’s run towards goal
was halted abruptly by St. Mirren’s McAusland in the penalty box. Red card for
the Saints defender, penalty kick for Hearts and Jamie Hamill did his usual
expert job to put the Maroons ahead.
Despite being
a man and a goal ahead, Hearts seemed to retreat into their shells a little and
the visitors had more of the play which they weren’t entitled to expect given
their numerical disadvantage.
Hearts
did hit the post in the 73rd minute when Carrick got on to a flick
from McKay but it was the visitors who looked more threatening. Indeed, Danny
Lennon’s team had a golden opportunity to draw parity with six minutes to go
when Thompson elected to hit a first time effort from the edge of the penalty
box when he perhaps had more time them he thought.
The final
chance of the evening came to Hearts Scott Robinson whose effort from fully 30
yards was well saved by Kello.
The final
whistle blew soon after and Hearts had secured another league win. By doing so
they avoided an unwanted record – failure to record a victory would have meant
Hearts would have gone 10 successive league games at Tynecastle without
recording a win – something that has befallen no Hearts team in their near 140
year history. They now move on to five
points at the foot of the SPFL – and in confident mood ahead of Sunday’s League
Cup semi-final.
Hearts: MacDonald; McGowan, McKay,
Wilson, McHattie; Smith, Robinson, Hamill, Nicholson, Carrick, Paterson.
St
Mirren: Kello;
Naismith, McAusland, McGregor, Kelly; Newton, McGinn, Goodwin, McGowan,
Campbell, Thomson.
Att: 12,422
Referee: Steven McLean
Top man: The hard-working Callum Paterson
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