Sixty miles to Kilmarnock – but the game I won’t relay…

Kilmarnock 3 Heart of Midlothian 0

Ladbrokes Premiership, Saturday 23^rd November
2019 – Rugby Park

Hearts miserable season continued in deepest Ayrshire on Saturday when a calamitous eight-minute spell early in the first half saw Kilmarnock score three goals to ensure another woeful weekend for the Maroon Army.

Hearts
interim Head Coach Austin MacPhee made just one change to the team that
hammered St Mirren at Tynecastle a fortnight ago with Glenn Whelan replacing Andrew
Irving.

There
was an early warning sign for the visitors when Killie’s Burke set up Bruce but
Clevid Dikamona thwarted the home player and the ball cannoned off Hearts
keeper Joel Pereira.

After
Jamie Walker spurned an opportunity to put the visitors in front the roof fell
in on Hearts afternoon in spectacular fashion.

In
the eighth minute Killie’s El Makrini was given far too much time to set up
Burke and the former Rangers man picked his spot from six yards to put the home
side in front.

Just
five minutes later Killie doubled their advantage and again it was down to poor
defending from Hearts as Brophy was given the freedom of Rugby Park to head
home.

Two
minutes later it was all over as contest when Burke was allowed to run unchallenged
towards the Hearts goal before firing home Killie’s third goal.

To
paraphrase a song by The Proclaimers it was sixty miles to Kilmarnock to see
the Jambos play – but the rest of the game I won’t relay.

Suffice
to say if Austin MacPhee is given the Hearts manager’s job permanently there
will be a lot of unhappy Hearts supporters.

Kilmarnock: Branescu, O’Donnell, Del
Fabro, Bruce, Hamalainen, Power, Dicker, El Makrini, McKenzie (Millar, 85′),
Burke (Thomas, 89′), Brophy (Sow, 85′).

Hearts: Pereira, Smith, Berra,
White, Dikamona (Clare, 57′), Hickey (Mulraney, 46′), Bozanic, Walker, Whelan,
Ikpeazu (Meshino, 80′), Naismith.

Referee: Bobby Madden

Attendance:
6,728

Top man: No one to be frank