An ill-tempered Edinburgh derby ended goalless amid disgraceful scenes at Tynecastle last night.
Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal was hit by a spectator in the Roseburn Stand as he went to retrieve the ball whilst Hibs’ Head Coach Neil Lennon was then struck on the face by a coin as he gestured to the home fans to sit down after Hearts’ Clevid Dikamona had a goal disallowed in stoppage-time.
Lennon who was attacked by a fan on the touchline at Tynecastle as Celtic manager fell to the ground but thankfully recovered after treatment.
In addition, captain for the night Marvin Bartley was fortunate to escape a red card following a late challenge and Florian Kamberi was sent off after 65 minutes after a mass confrontation that saw angry scenes on the pitch.
The game started with a minute’s silence in memory of the tragic events in Leicester last Saturday.
Both managers stood side by side during the tribute which was made all the more poignant due to their connections with the club, Craig Levein as manager and Lennon as a player.
Hearts were denied an early claim for a penalty after Darren McGregor’s challenge on Jimmy Dunne then Adam Bogdan produced a fine save to deny Olly Lee’s long range strike.
Clevid Dikamona’s overhead kick from a Lee corner flew over the bar but from then on the first half belonged to the visitors.
Stevie Mallan’s corner to the back post found an unmarked McGregor but his powerful header struck the side netting. much to the popular defender’s frustration.
Mallan then struck the bar with a tremendous 30-yard shot and went close with two well taken free-kicks.
His first clipped the crossbar and he almost caught the Hearts’ keeper out with a near post effort which Zlamal saved at full-stretch.
Just before the break Martin Boyle headed just wide from Vykinyas Slivka’s cross.
Neither side was able to take control after the restart then things changed in the 65th minute when Hibs’ striker Kamberi was ordered off in controversial circumstances following a challenge with Ollie Bozanic.
Kamberi won the ball but Bozanic went to ground and referee Andrew Dallas awarded a free-kick to Hearts.
The Swiss striker went to check on the condition of his opponent but was confronted by an angry Dunne and a stramash involving numerous players took place.
When the referee regained control, he showed Kamberi a second yellow card, possibly for his reaction to the Hearts’ players response.
With a numerical advantage, Hearts then controlled the remainder of the fixture without creating any clear chances until the dying minutes.
Boyle appeared to be brought down on the edge of the area as Hibs broke clear but the fans’ appeal was waved away and Steven Whittaker’s shot went narrowly past the post.
As Zlamal went to get the ball, he was struck on the face by a Hibs’ supporter and fell to the ground. A concerned Levein checked on his welfare and thankfully he was not seriously injured.
In time added on Dikamona struck the outside of the post and with seconds remaining Hearts though they had won the game after the normally reliable Bogdan was caught in no-man’s land and, after a game of head tennis, the ball ended in the back of the net via Dikamona’s back header but the ‘goal’ was disallowed for offside on Peter Haring who impeded Efe Ambrose’s attempt to clear the danger.
A relieved Lennon who had been subjected to verbal abuse throughout the game gestured to the Hearts’ fans to site down before being struck on the face by a coin.
After the final whistle Lennon told BBC Scotland: People will say I was winding the crowd up, I wasn’t. I was just giving a bit back for the abuse I was taking for 90 minutes.
“But people say Neil Lennon brings it on himself, he deserves to get hit by a coin or whatever.
“The guy must have a few quid because it was a pound coin. I am looking forward to him getting singled out, and if it is a lady, meeting them face to face and seeing what they have to say for themselves.
“I am not having this. I have had it here before, a guy coming on to the pitch trying to attack me. It is just not on.
“It stung me; it is quite sore. I don’t know where he has thrown it from, but it is a good shot. He might get in the World Match-Play (darts) next year. It came out of nowhere. I am furious about it to be honest.”
Lennon was equally damning about the incident which saw Zlamal apparently punched by a spectator.
“If any Hibs fans have been misbehaving, I want them punished as well,” he added.
“It is unacceptable. I hope they are singled out, banned and arrested. We don’t condone that. It isn’t the face of our club or way we conduct ourselves. A player getting punched trying to do his job is just an absolute disgrace. He is not a Hibs fan.”
Levein said: “Bobby (Zlamal) says someone struck him and it looks like Neil has been hit by a coin. It just saddens me really.
“There is no place for things like that. You can sing and shout and swear all you like but I got a fright when I saw Lenny on the ground. I hope they catch whoever it was who threw it. It doesn’t matter what team they support, they need to be dealt with.”
Heart of Midlothian: Zlamal, Smith, Dunne, Haring, Bozanic (Wighton, 67), Lee, Clare (Amankwaa, 86), Djoum, Garuccio (Mitchell, 80), Dikamona, Morrison. Unused substitutes: Doyle, Hughes, Cochrane, Godinho.
Hibernian: Bogdan, Whittaker, Milligan, Bartley, Slivka, Boyle (Shaw, 80), Mallan (Hyndman, 90), Stevenson, Kamberi, McGregor, Ambrose. Unused substitutes: Marciano, Horgan, Maclaren, Mavrias, Porteous.
Referee: Andrew Dallas.
Attendance: 19,410.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
