Impressive Hearts back to winning ways
Heart of Midlothian 2 St Johnstone 0
Ladbrokes Premiership – Saturday 26th January
2019 – Tynecastle
Like a boxer refusing to give
in, Hearts bounced back off the ropes following their defeat from bottom club
Dundee on Wednesday evening to produce a much-improved performance against in-form
St Johnstone at Tynecastle on Saturday.
Marcus Godinho and Callumn
Morrison – both scoring their maiden first team goals in maroon – secured a 2-0
win over a team who had the best away record in the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Hearts manager Craig Levein
was, like the majority of the Hearts support, less than impressed with his
charges during the week and he made five changes. Conor Shaughnessy paid the
price for his costly error on Wednesday and he joined Demetri Mitchell, Callumn
Morrison and the man criticised by Levein after the game, David Vanecek on the
substitutes’ bench. Aidan Keena dropped out completely. In came Oliver Bozanic,
Jake Mulraney, Marcus Godinho, John Souttar and Steven Naismith, now free from
suspension.
I criticised Hearts on
Wednesday for their long ball approach. Now, I don’t know if Craig Levein reads
the Edinburgh Reporter, but Hearts played a different style against the Perth
Saints, much more of a passing style. And it worked.
Hearts almost opened the scoring
early in the match when Godinho won a joust with Saints keeper Clark, but the
Canadian’s header hit the crossbar.
As he did against Dundee,
Arnaud Djoum was controlling midfield and just before the half-hour mark, the Cameroonian
dinked the ball forward to Steven Naismith who then fed Olly Lee. The Englishman
backheeled the ball back into the path of Djoum who set up Oliver Bozanic whose
cross just eluded Naismith. It was a fine move, the likes of which was sorely
absent against Dundee.
Another brilliant pass from
Djoum found Jake Mulraney but the former Inverness Caley Thistle man’s shot on
goal was deflected against the post and the chance was gone.
Hearts performance was much
more pleasing on the eye and two minutes into the second half Sean Clare fired
the ball past keeper Clark only to see it smack off the post and spin back into
play.
It was no surprise when
Hearts finally did go ahead in the 52nd minute and it was a goal to
savour. A cheeky lob into the Saints penalty box from John Souttar was controlled
brilliantly by Marcus Godhino and he fired past Clark for his first Hearts
goal.
It was all Hearts now and
Clare had a couple of decent chances but couldn’t take them. Olly Lee then fired
in a free-kick from the edge of the penalty box which produced a fine save from
Clark.
St Johnstone tried to salvage
a draw and threw men forward as well as introducing substitute Danny Swanson –
a former Jambo but also a former Hibee and his public allegiance to the Easter
Road club was acknowledged by the Hearts support…
Just as Saints threatened,
Hearts sealed all three points in stoppage time when they hit the visitors with
a counter-attack. Olly Lee set up Callumn Morrison and the winger blasted the
ball past Clark from the right. Like Godinho, it was his first goal for Hearts
first team.
The difference in Hearts
performance from Wednesday was like night and day. They’re attractive to watch when
they elect to pass the ball rather than lump it forward. The returning Steven
Naismith – he never gives his own team mates peace never mind the opposition –
helped as did John Souttar who strolled through the game to the extent I
thought at one point he was going to light up a cigar.
Craig Levein was naturally delighted after the game. He told the official Hearts website:
“I was thrilled to
bits with them today for their controlled performance. I really can’t remember
St Johnstone having a shot at goal – and they have a great record away from
home.”
“There’s a lot of
players who were very, very, good today and I’m pleased that on Foundation of
Hearts Day the supporters got to see a victory to thank them for all the help
they’ve given the club in recent years.”
“The first goal was an
unbelievable pass from John Souttar, but Marcus showed great composure to bring
the ball down – and then he panicked and just hit it, and it went in” Levein
went on. “Callumn has been
promising to score from those kinds of positions and it was great for him as
well.”
Levein
was full of admiration for the returning John Souttar.
“I’m always impressed with John but the fact
he has been out injured for a long period of time and played about 30 minutes
the other night, it looks like he hasn’t been away. He’s worked really hard to
get himself back to a position to get back on the field and I thought it was an
imperious performance by him when you consider how long he’s been out. It looks
like he’s just picked up where he left off.”
Hearts: Doyle, Smith, Souttar, Berra, Bozanic, Lee, Clare (Vanecek, 86′), Djoum, Naismith, Mulraney (Morrison, 81′), Godinho (Mitchell, 79′).
St Johnstone: Clark, Tanser, Shaughnessy, Davidson, Kerr, Foster, Gordon (O’Halloran, 59′), Craig, Callachan (Swanson, 57′), Watt (Hendry, 69′), Kennedy.
Referee: Craig Thomson
Attendance: 16,672
Top man: John Souttar