We need a striker, admits Laszlo

CHRISTIAN NADE wasn't the only culprit, but he was the one who had started the game as the bookies favourite to score. The odds were short. They needn't have been. Which is the problem when there's a lone striker. If it's not his day, his entire team suffers.

It wasn't as dull as it sounds, though. It was stalemate but there were chances and it was frantic and there was certainly enough to suggest that next Sunday's Scottish Cup encounter will be worth watching. Provided the teams can fit in a quick refresher course at finishing school.

Three times Hearts were denied by either the post or bar, while other opportunities for both sides flashed high or wide. Opportunities came and went and while, on occasion, that was down to good goalkeeping, more often it was sheer profligacy. In the heat of the derby atmosphere no-one had the composure to match the gumption.

It was a fact not lost on those in the home ranks who had the greater number of openings and know a clinical goalscorer was the difference between the draw and all three points. "Okay, you can shoot and hit the post or crossbar maybe 20 times but you must be more focused on the target," said Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo. "I'm not telling you anything new. I said it last year and I will say it again this year, if you don't have the killer instinct, you can create 20 million chances, but if you don't finish them and score then you will always be in danger. Realistically this could have been 10-5 or 6-4 but no-one could score.

"Especially in the middle and the end of the second half, if we had scored at that time we would have killed off the opponents. I think at the moment it is no big secret, we need someone who can score goals. The transfer window is open and I have given my plans for the club to the board and I have to hope that they will be active."

Laszlo said he was not feeling frustrated, but others are. The supporters hankers after a return to Europe but their cause will not be helped by the current goal-a-game ratio in the league. Even the players are aware of that and know that an on-fire strikeforce is now a priority.

"This was disappointing for us," said Christos Karipidis, who had played the majority of the match with an ankle knock which saw him leave the stadium on crutches and is likely to rule him out of the midweek match against Motherwell. "We wanted to win this game and wanted to play well and we had a lot of chances and hit the crossbar, but if you don't score, you don't win."

Karipidis is of the opinion that Hearts will prosper most from the return of the players who missed out yesterday. The key men, ruled out by suspension and injury, were all defenders though, which should in theory simply bolster defences which are already resolute.

"Our confidence has to be high. We had lost some players, but we played in a typical derby and drew 0-0. In the first half we had very good chances and it's very important in these games that you score first. I think the game would have changed if we score first, but we couldn't score and that was the problem. This is a big problem for us, especially as we made a lot of chances."

Gary Glen was brought in for only his second game of the season and provided some spark, while Nade wasted chance after chance. Laszlo knows more is needed from whoever plays up front. "Most importantly for now, we must look at the Motherwell game, but then the next game is at Easter Road and that gives us not only the opportunity to play more football, but the opportunity to be more successful. I want to bring in a good striker, but not only a striker, a goalscorer."

Hibs have strength in that department and if things click on the day, Laszlo knows they are a danger, unless he has something with which his team can come back at them. On recent evidence the Easter Road clash is unlikely to be a goal fest. Only one of the past nine derbies have managed to serve up over two goals. The Scottish Cup tie needs a winner, thus requiring goals. Laszlo will be hoping his board can move fast.