Even Derek McInnes said the 4-1 scoreline in Hearts favour against Dunfermline in Group E of the Premier Sports Cup was flattering for the Tynecastle men, but he added: “It is clear that we have work to do.”
was pleased that the Jambos had bounced back after being pegged back by The Pars.
Overall, Hearts enjoyed 56 per cent of the possession and the visitors 44 per cent and the home side had 19 shots against three from their opposition.
Head coach McInnes said that he asked for a strong start, which he got. He added: “We could have been a couple up before wee Wilson gets one, and we settled down. We had a few good moments after that, and we should have been better.
“The one real opportunity Dunfermline had, I think it was their first shot, they scored, and it sets you back and it sets the crowd back. This isn’t going to script. This is not what is meant to happen.”
He revealed that at half-time the coaching staff tried to settle the boys down and they stressed that this was now a 45 minute game.
McInnes said: “I thought we had decent control, but I did not think we were going to lose the game. I was not convinced we were going to win it. I probably made the substitutions five minutes too late but Dunfermline, for the first time in the game, thought they could win this.
“They got encouragement from us not being as composed and as sure of ourselves as we should have been.”
The Pars started promoting a few more bodies into Hearts half for the first time and McInnes said: “We have done them going the other way.
“The scoreline runs away from them. We won the game 4-1, it flatters us, it is harsh on Dunfermline”
The coach said he enjoyed the first 25 minutes, and the last 15 minutes of the game and stressed: “Everything in between was OK, and it is clear that we have work to do.”
Hearts struck early, James Wilson following-up to net after Lawrence Shankland had curved a shot with his right foot against an upright. Time three minutes.
It appeared that the visitors were in for a long afternoon as Hearts buzzed around sun-kissed Tynecastle, eager to claim a second, picking up scraps with lively Cammy Devlin beavering away in midfield, and forcing the play.
The Men in Maroon hemmed Dunfermline in and Neil Lennon’s side did not have a goal attempt until Josh Cooper netted with a crisp shot from the edge of the box after poor back-pass. The strike after 38 minutes shook the home fans.
It also silenced some of the more vociferous members of the Main Stand crowd who were on the ex-Hibs bosses back from the first whistle.
Two penalties in three minutes ended the contest. He was not sure if the first was a penalty, when the goalkeeper was adjudged to have brought down Alan Forrest, the second one, was a clear penalty which really annoyed Lennon.
Both dispatched by skipper Lawrence Shankland into the bottom left-hand corner, after 75 and 79 minutes, with the goalkeeper going the other way.
Substitute Stephen Kingsley rounded off the scoring by calmly placing a left foot shot beyond Dunfermline goalkeeper Deniz Mehmet with a minute of the four minutes of injury time gone.
The goal came from a corner taken by Harry Milne on the right and how the Jambos fans in the crowd of 12,900 celebrated. They went home happy despite some anxious moments after the Dunfermline equaliser. There is no doubt they grew into the game and Lennon was pleased with their effort and praised the 1,500 fans who made the trip and contributed greatly to the atmosphere inside Tynecastle.
Lennon added: “I did not think we started the game well at all and we conceded early and from 30 minutes to 70 minutes I thought we controlled the game and were the better team which is a big plus for me. Then individual errors cost us, I don’t know if it is inexperience or fatigue.
“I thought we were very good second-half, but we need some strength in depth, but there are a lot of positive signs for me.”
PICTURES: Derek McInnes salutes the crowd and meets the mascots. By Nigel Duncan
