• Pictures: Ian Georgeson
HAVING not won on their league travels since September, Kilmarnock effected a comfortable victory over Hearts with goals from Grant Murray and Paul di Giacomo. The result confirmed that the hosts have gone a full season without defeating their Ayrshire counterparts for the first time since 1981/82.
That the match was played beneath storm clouds was rather appropriate for Stephen Frail's side. As the rain tumbled upon the Tynecastle surface, Hearts turned in a bleak performance whilst their visitors grew in strength to move ahead with 15 minutes remaining.
Di Giacomo's goal confirmed their ascendancy whilst also reiterating the surgery which must be performed on this Hearts team during the close season.
Frail refreshed his side by making five alterations from Monday evening's insipid defeat at Falkirk. Jose Goncalves, Ruben Palazuelos, Christophe Berra, Saulius Mikoliunas and Calum Elliot made way for Michael Stewart, Marius Zaliukas (pictured above), Lee Wallace, Fernando Screpis and Deividas Cesnauskis. In Berra's absence, Steve Banks wore the captain's armband.
Kilmarnock began fluently but initially lacked presence up front, the Spaniard David Fernandez their only attacking outlet in a 4-1-4-1 formation. Hearts fashioned the game's first opportunity on 18 minutes, when it took a last-second Simon Ford tackle to deny Eggert Jonsson inside the penalty area. Then, with the overhead thunder reaching deafening proportions, a penetrating run by Larry Kingston (pictured below) led to a looping drive just over Alan Combe's crossbar.
As the match progressed, the hosts were increasingly guilty of placing too much responsibility on Gary Glen's youthful shoulders. Some intricate midfield play involving Screpis, Stewart and Kingston often resulted in through balls which the 18-year-old was required to chase or hold up by himself. On one rare first-half occasion when a midfielder ran beyond the opposition defence, it was the impressive Screpis who collected Glen's pass but shot tamely at Combe with his weaker right foot.
Speculative efforts from Mehdi Taouil and Kingston soared over the respective crossbars early in the second half, and thereafter the overall listlessness continued until Murray's intervention. Fernandez swept a swirling corner-kick towards the near post and Murray rose above all to power the ball beyond the helpless Banks.
The goal imbued Kilmarnock with renewed vigour and they finished in commanding fashion when substitute Di Giacomo converted a second goal after Paul Dalglish had outwitted Wallace.
For Hearts, it was another afternoon when sub-standard became the only applicable adjective.
Hearts (4-4-1-1): Banks; Thomson, Karipidis, Zaliukas, Wallace; Jonsson, Stewart, Screpis, Cesnauskis; Kingston; Glen. Subs: Ridgers, Palazuelos, Goncalves, Mole 66 (for Stewart), Ivaskevicius 58 (for Jonsson), Rapnik, McGowan.
Kilmarnock (4-1-4-1): Combe; Murray, Lilley, Ford, Hay; Fowler; Dalglish, Hamill, Johnston, Taouil; Fernandez. Subs: Rascle, Locke 88 (for Taouil), Di Giacomo 72 (for Johnston), Flannigan, Cox 88 (for Fernandez), McInnes, Anson.
Attendance: 10,512.
Referee: Mike Tumilty.
The full article contains 501 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
