HOW can it possibly get any worse for Hearts? Third from bottom, saddled with millions of pounds of debt and an owner who appears to have taken leave of his senses, their freefall towards oblivion continued to gather pace yesterday when they conjur
ed yet another second half collapse that had them leaving the field to bellowed taunts of "going down, going down, going down".
This time the great surrender came against a Falkirk side which had looked directionless and barely interested for over an hour, and which only clicked into gear when veteran midfielder Russell Latapy's late, devastating cameo yielded two hammer blow goals in quick succession. That such an ageing impresario could have such an impact was telling and it is difficult to see where Hearts go from here, but if this run of form continues then there will be the most expensively assembled bunch of misfits in the First Division next season.
This loss was all the more disheartening for Stevie Frail's men because for the first hour of the frenetic affair characterised by an endless stream of errant passes, miscontrolled crosses and scraggy challenges, the visitors were by far the better side. Calum Elliot had already fizzed a shot past Tim Krul's right hand post after just 15 minutes and Lee Wallace forced the Falkirk goalkeeper to save sharply to his left after a dogged run when Hearts deservedly made the breakthrough.
Taking a short corner before Falkirk had regrouped, Andrew Driver, once again the most impressive Hearts player, curled a pinpoint cross on to the head of Ruben Palazuelos as the Spaniard arrived at the back post. This time Krul stood no chance.
With Driver and Elliot providing a fluid pairing up front and the very busy Michael Stewart acting as chief orchestrator in midfield, all of the chances were coming Hearts' way. Both strikers found themselves through on goal with no one to beat but Krul five minutes before half time and Hearts would surely have gone into the break 2-0 up had Kestutis Ivaslevicius' not profligately pulled it across goal. It was to prove a hideously expensive miss.
Hearts have turned the ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of success into something of an art form this season, yet against the strangely lacklustre Falkirk side which had failed to force a save in the first half, the visitors looked to be in control.
It was no surprise then with ten minutes of the second half gone Latapy was thrown into the fray. The veteran midfielder immediately brought a coherence and shape to Falkirk's play and within five minutes he had finally forced Banks into action. Falkirk looked like a side rejuvenated: Moutinho began to run at Hearts, Michael Higdon suddenly transformed himself into an effective target man as Falkirk won two corners which saw the pinball around the Hearts box, and substitute Carl Finnigan rustled the upright with his first touch in the 65th minute. The post wasn't the only thing that was rattled. Hearts' run of bad form has been so extended, their owner's selectorial meddling so intrusive, that their confidence is shot. As soon as the home side took the fight to them you could see all their self-assurance ebb away.
By the time the match careered into the final 15 minutes, Hearts were under siege, with Latapy the midfield fulcrum around which all Falkirk's attacks revolved. Moutinho won a corner in the 80th minute and it was just reward for a period of pressure and persistence. So, too, was the goal which followed, Higdon aggressively attacking Moutinho's corner, and Finnigan ramming the loose ball into the roof of the net.
Three minutes later Latapy's purposeful run deep into the final third ended with a flicked pass into the box. Finnigan had overrun the ball but it fell perfectly for Higdon, who checked briefly before drilling the ball low past Banks and into the corner for the goal which sealed Hearts' fate.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Russell Latapy. The Falkirk midfielder stole the show, breathing life into what had been a non-existent challenge from the home side. He won the match single handedly.
ASIDE: The odds on John Hughes becoming the next Hibs manager have apparently fallen. No surprise after a performance like this.
The full article contains 734 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
