HEARTS1
Mikoliunas 87HAVING been freed once and for all from the constricting shackles of a relegation battle, courtesy of Gretna, St Mirren will feel the pain of losing a late, late equaliser a little less than they would have
this time a week ago. Hearts deserved at least the point they left Love Street with, but the home team will nonetheless be disappointed not to have held on for maximum points.
For a long period it looked like Hearts' profligacy would come back to haunt them and go a long way to killing off their hopes of forcing a European place. With a starting line-up picked with Tuesday night clearly in mind, Saints had struggled for the most part to make a telling impact against a far more physically capable Gorgie line-up.
With the exception of a wild Ian Maxwell free kick and the customary midfield bursts from Andy Dorman, the home team failed to trouble Steve Banks in any way throughout a one-sided opening period. Ruben Palazuelos fizzed a shot from distance narrowly wide after five minutes with Calum Elliott doing likewise soon after as Stevie Frail's men dominated.
There were further problems for the Buddies when, on the half-hour mark, central defender John Potter was carried from the field of play seemingly out cold after taking a boot in the face from Jamie Mole. With replacement Andy Millen still looking to get up to speed with the game it took a great stop from Chris Smith to repel Andy Driver as the young winger bore down on goal after cutting a swathe through a posse of striped jerseys.
The second half immediately promised more of the same as Hearts roared out of the blocks only to again be denied by the agility of Smith. This time it was Elliott left cursing the young keeper who somehow kept out his Scotland Under-21 colleague's rising volley only seconds after the restart.
Hearts continued to boss the game, yet it was Saints who made the breakthrough as a former Tynecastle favourite notched his first goal for his new club and taught his old employers a harsh lesson on the importance of taking your chances. Craig Dargo nodded an Ian Maxwell free kick into the path of strike partner Jim Hamilton who from seven yards fired home the type of clinical finish he has made his stock in trade throughout a nomadic career.
Understandably stunned at finding themselves behind, Hearts looked to hit back and nearly did so, Elliott coming close with a curling effort Smith this time could only watch. At the other end Dargo played in Dorman who saw his volley beat Banks only to come off the inside of the far post.
Without warning, the game had exploded into life amidst an increasingly fractious atmosphere, with the home fans, and to be fair the dugout, complaining apoplectically at the performance of referee Willie Collum who was consistent only in his ability to miss just about everything, and make every decision a baffling one. Collum has been fast-tracked by the SFA, though on this petty performance it was hard to fathom exactly why.
To their credit Hearts kept plugging away in search of the equaliser they certainly deserved, and just as they looked to be running out of time against a stubborn home rearguard it duly arrived. Saulius Mikoliunas had time and space to get away a shot which wrong-footed Smith and bobbled into the net. Incredibly, Saints had two chances through the dangerous Dorman to win it inside stoppage times, only for the Welshman to miss by inches.
The full article contains 622 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
