Hearts 1-0 Inverness CT - SPL
HEARTS 1-0 Inverness CT
10th February 2007 Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh HEARTS 1 (Pospisil 82) Team: Banks, Tall, Zaliukas, Berra, Fyssas, Kingston, Brellier, Driver, Klimek (Pospisil 81), Jankauskas (Bednar 61), Elliot (Jonsson 73) Subs: McCann, Karipidis, Wallace & Kurskis
INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson (McSwegan 84), Duncan, McBain, Rankin (Morgan 63), Bayne, McAllister Subs: McCaffrey, Black, Soane, Paatelainen, & Ridgers
Referee Eddie Smith Attendance 16631
Not a good performance by either side and it looked for a long time as if 0-0 was on the cards. Michael Pospisil came off the Hearts bench with nine minutes left and he proved to be an inspired substitution as, within a minute, his goal changed all that.
Barry Wilson was ICT captain for the day to celebrate his 300th appearance but it proved a sore defeat for the veteran in more ways than one. He collided with Julien Brellier in 20 minutes and, after treatment, came back wearing a head bandage.
The one thing you can be sure of when playing against Hearts these days is that you can be sure of nothing. Charlie Christie had no idea of the probable Hearts line-up so could only concentrate on preparing his own side – he fielded the same eleven that started last week against Dundee United.
Once the team lines were issued much of the chatter surrounded the fact that Craig Gordon was once more not in the Hearts squad. Stevie Banks continued in the Hearts goal and the substitute ‘keeper was Eduardas Kurskis who arrived from Lithuanian club Kaunas in the January transfer window. The starting eleven included Polish striker Arkadiusz Klimek – another January arrival at Tynecastle.
The match kicked-off at 2pm to avoid a clash with the Scotland v Wales rugby international at Murrayfield. Banks was the Hearts’ hero with just one minute on the clock when he parried a net-bound Graham Bayne volley then, at the other end, Klimek shot over the bar.
A Takis Fyssas shot went past Mike Fraser’s post in 18 minutes then the ‘keeper blocked an Andrew Driver shot with his legs in 24 minutes. The rest of the half produced little but Banks did save from Wilson and Rory McAllister just failed to connect with a Wilson low ball inside the area.
Half Time: 0-0
Into the second half but little of note until the closing period. A Driver volley went wide, Fraser blocked a Roman Bednar shot and a Bednar header went over the bar.
In 70 minutes Rory McAllister latched onto a Richard Hastings cross but his header came off the bar – a rare chance for the visitors. Hearts could have scored with ten minutes left when a Calum Elliot cut-back ran across the face of the goal but no one was there to take advantage. With eight minutes left, just when it looked like ending in stalemate, substitute Pospisil popped up and netted with a back post header after a Driver cross from the left.
Full Time: 1-0
Charlie Christie responded by bringing on Gary McSwegan as a third striker but despite a surge towards Banks no equaliser was forthcoming. Eighth place was retained but with just a goal-difference lead over Dundee United.
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