While ICT were beating Dumbarton in midweek, a nine –man Hearts team was crashing out of the Champions League in Athens. It was hard to predict whether they would be tired, and therefore ripe for the taking, or would be determined to bounce back quickly.

In the event five personnel changes resolved the tiredness problem and they won this match convincingly. It was not quite as one sided as the scoreline suggests and ICT had chances to take something from the game – at 2-1 there was always the possibility of ICT taking a point but two Hearts goals in the last ten minutes sealed the victory.

Caley Thistle reverted to the regular line-up, but with Craig Dargo not quite recovered from injury, Graham Bayne partnered Dennis Wyness up front.

This changed just before half time when Wyness left the field injured and Rory McAllister replaced him. The first real challenge on the ICT goal came from an unlikely source in seven minutes. A long Craig Gordon clearance bounced awkwardly and Mark Brown was forced to tip it over. From Paul Hartley’s corner Saulius Mikoliunas hit over the bar.

A Hearts breakthrough looked like coming in 11 minutes when Jamie Mole latched onto a Neil McCann cross and headed low towards the bottom corner.  The large home support began to salute a goal but Brown dived to expertly push it behind for a corner.

Nineteen proved an unlucky number for Caley Thistle when number 19 Mauricio Pinilla opened the scoring in the nineteenth minute. After a period of Hearts pressure McCann sent a cross from the left and Pinilla sidefooted it low past Brown from a few yards out.

The visitors pressed for an equaliser and Barry Wilson came close in 27 minutes – he cleverly twisted past Mikoliunas and shot but Gordon punched it for a corner. On the half hour mark the small travelling support had something to cheer about when Graham Bayne made it 1-1.  Wilson crossed from the right and Bayne lost his marker before heading the ball past Gordon from a couple of yards out.

Dennis Wyness, making his 199th appearance for the club, came very close to scoring against his old team in 39 minutes when he dived to head a Richard Hastings cross from the left. It went wide and Wyness dislocated his shoulder in the process. He left the field a few minutes later and McAllister replaced him.

Half Time: 2-1

Four minutes in to the second half Bayne raced through the centre with two defenders in close formation but he could only send the final ball wide. Hearts regained control and it was nearly 3-1 in 66 minutes when McCann hit the bar with Brown beaten.

At the other end in 75 minutes Barry Wilson dived to head a Ross Tokely cross but he failed to connect six yards out.

Any hopes of an ICT revival died in 80 minutes when Mikoliunas crossed from the right to the back post and Ross Tokely’s attempted headed clearance fell for Hearts substitute Andrew Driver – he sent an angled ball past Brown for 3-1.

In the final minute another substitute Bruno Aguiar slid onto a low ball from the left and scored to make the final result 4-1.

Full Time: 4-1

Disappointment for ICT after a good performance and they remain in tenth place.