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Take a bow, lads. :clapping: That was a superb performance in really difficult conditions; in the second half the wind was so bad that Ryan Esson's main concern was getting his goal kicks near the half way line. A deserved win in the end, against a Hearts side who offered very little until the last 10 minutes. It could have been more but for the chalked off effort from Gillet in the first half, and the referee's refusal to give a pen for what looked like a blatant handball by Hamill in the second half. The back four deserve plenty of plaudits for the clean sheet- especially since none of them played on Wednesday! I often moan about Proctor, but he was superb today and really handled Sutton well. Williams looks like a good old-fashioned British centre-half, and dealt with the conditions well. Gillet did his usual solid job at left back (should we keep him there or move him back to the centre?) and every time I've seen Meekings I've been impressed - hard to believe he's only 19 and I think he's a real prospect. Our best players, though, were Tansey, who looked like the only person on the pitch who could pass the ball today and had his best game of the season, and Captain Fantastic Richie Foran, who continues to be a revelation in midfield. Considering the lack of running he seemed to do when he was playing up front, the workrate he has put in during the last few games has been remarkable. I've just seen the table, and we're only two points off sixth place!

It's a ridiculous situation...and one that is only getting worse and will only cause further long term problems to the sport. I wonder if the decision makers really stop to think about the effect of moving games willy nilly like this? We are all aware of the impact it has on us as individuals and as a result the fans in general. It's bad enough when a game is moved to an earlier kick-off or a Sunday as we all, especially families, have routines and plans which need changing to accommodate. Moving a match to a weekday evening will almost certainly exclude younger kids who will have school to attend the next day....or who can't get off school to allow them to travel. Parents have to leave kids with friends/babysitters if they want to attend by themselves...and the kids, who we should be doing more to bring in to the game given that they are the future supporters, miss out. Even if they are lucky enough to have access to the game on TV, a 7:45pm kick-off means a match goes beyond their normal bed time, so still they miss out. More than ever clubs rely on fan volunteers for a lot of things. ICT, as with many clubs, have such people doing media duties at matches, videoing the games, selling programmes and 50/50 draw tickets. These people have other jobs and can't just go in late the following day after not getting home till the small hours, nor can they just swan off early to get to games in the first place. Even paid staff at clubs who have kids are severely put upon by the upheaval....and that goes for the players as much as anyone. But what can we do? The league and the clubs have sold out to TV and are now in a situation where they (TV) call the shots. Boycott these games? That's like asking fans to cut their own throat....but, IMO, it's getting to the "no choice" stages. Banner protest? Not really effective when protesting against the TV companies who would just not show the banners. Complain to Clubs? As I said already, they have long since sold out to TV and are powerless to do anything and just hide behind the "wasn't our decision" excuse. (hide is maybe a bit strong, and not all the current incumbents can be blamed for the situation as it is one they have inherited and almost powerless to do anything about.) Complain to the league? They'll just tell us that the game would be worse off without the TV money. Scottish football is, IMO, beyond practical repair...and the roots of much of that lies in the fact that we sold out to television. If Scottish Football was a horse we would have shot it and put it out of it's misery a long time ago. Maybe it's time to stop throwing good money and effort after bad, scrap the current setup in it's entirety and start again...it would almost certainly be a lot less painful than suffering the slow death that is currently taking place. Better to do it now while there's still some interest in the game than spend another 5 or 10 years driving everyone away and their being nobody left to rebuild it when the inevitable happens.

Why only do half a job when 3rd is 10 points away

Just thawing out now. What a magnificent team performance, can't fault anyone although a little baffled by the sponsors MOM. Have not been an admirer fo Greg Tansey to date, but what a shift he put in. His passing was superb and also his tackling today was immense, never put a foot wrong. As for Richie Foran, what an inspiration as a club captain, the man was outstanding. Never mind looking at the teams below us after this performance, we should purely be concentrating on overtaking those above and aiming for our best ever league finishing position!!

Looked a certain slip to me, but would need to get a closer look. There were three men of the match today and they all had there best ever game for ICT. Take a bow Richie Foran, Jonny Hayes and Greg Tansey. We were all over Hearts like a rash in the first half. Their only moment of note came when Hammil??? smacked the bar with a snapshot early on from thirty swirling wind assisted yards. That apart, they were less than useless and we should really have put three past them. In the second half the goal was coming from the restart and Shane powered a header through Kelo, but it was not in doubt as it rolled in. Unfortunately that woke Hearts from their slumber and as the wind pushed us back Hearts looked more threatening as the game wore on, however we looked more likely to increase our lead on the break. Shanes cross cum shot was centimetres away from going the right way when it smacked the post. Make no bones about it, this was a great win, a victory for determination and massive desire to win. Richie Foran was everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Jonny Hayes was ripping past the Hearts players at will, just goes to show what being grabbed by the throat can do for you. Greg Tansey was simply fantastic. To be honest nobody did anything wrong and Williams and Proctor were particularly classy and solid. Meekings I would prefer to start at right back every week; at least he can take a throw in. Can't think of any negatives really, great performance in extremely difficult conditions as Esson could barely get thirty yards with any kick out, but he was dependable when required. Ian Black showed what a ned he was with petty fouling and it is a wonder Hearts ended with 11 men. Well done everyone, enjoyable game and great three points, more comfortable for the team than the fans probably. :banana:

I think it does the lads that came in a bit of an injustice to suggest they were "makeshift". We've not had a settled team all season and the entire squad has had to learn to cope with that. I think it's a credit to every member of the squad that Butcher can now rely on any of them to come in and get the job done (and to do so without changing the system too much)....it may actually prove to be a huge plus as we now chase a top 6 slot because we should have the confidence to be able to keep on changing and keep the opposition guessing week on week. Not much I can add about todays game that hasn't been said already. I was worried at kick-off that there was no bounce on the ball and it was running at all on the surface of the pitch. I expected a messy game but ICT coped well and made the best of the conditions, whilst Hearts chased shadows and struggled to string two passes together. The only thing Hearts were good at was cynical and dirty play. Hayes was having the chit kicked out of him all over the park and the referee did nothing about it,,,yet Sutherland somehow managed to get a yellow for heading the ball when it was stuck in his face!!! I have to admit that I had some concerns about Proctor being played in the middle, but he was pretty solid today. As was Williams, who didn't put a foot wrong all afternoon. Going back to the rough treatment Hayes was getting....it seemed to do the job that Foran had been asked to do on Wednesday night and get him fired up, because the more he got pummelled the more determined it made him and he ran Hearts ragged for most of the game...in fact, the only way the could cope with him was by fouling him. Foran is going from strength to strength since being moved to the defensive midfield role and ran Hayes close for my MotM. Nick Ross continues to impress and his vision and ability to pick a killer pass will prove useful if Butcher decides to stick with giving him a start. Shane Sutherland battled hard the whole match and deserved his goal...he could/should have had more. The one he did score felt like it happened in slow motion. Even before the ball was played in to him you could see it coming as he worked himself into space. Not the sweetest goal you'll ever see and watching the ball trickle over the line given how muddy the goal area was starting to get was a nervous moment. Up front I think it's fair to say that the object was to cause confusion for Hearts....and it worked. Sutherland, Hayes, Tade, Tansey & Ross seemed to be working in rotation and none of them spent more than 5 minutes in any given position. Hearts back four were being pulled all over the place. Not the prettiest game of football we've played this season, but we had a game plan that was well executed and effective.....bring on St Mirren!!!!

Templeton is a little cheat, he tryed it against us at Tynecastle and he tryed it today and fortunately for us on both occasions we had referees who were observant enough to notice. Very petty side to his game.

"After some light rain fell on the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium pitch, fans were shocked to learn that the game is ON!"

Thought we were fantastic today in terrible condidtions, delighted with the win and the clean sheet. I would just like to say a massive thank you to Chairman Kenny Cameron, Vice Chairman Graham Bennett and the under 19 squad who along with the ground staff got the game on. Covers were purchased to protect the park but let me assure you it took a super human effort to take the water off the covers and remove them in time for the game to go ahead. Well done guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

looked at the penalty claim a few times and from my angle templeton used a neat bit of skill to play the ball back but his feet gave way on the surface causing him to fall, there does not appear to be any contact from meekings.

The best performance we have had at home this season by far. Hearts showed very little for their recent form and we were considerably better for the majority of the game. Butcher wrang the changes but they were totally justified. Meekings and Gillet were immense, Williams slotted in well and had an accomplished first start. Agreed with whats been said, Tansey and Foran dominated the midfield today, tackled, grafted and created for the team. I was gutted when we lost Davis 2 weeks ago but i have to say he really wasnt missed today. Was suprised to see Shane in the starting line up but thought he gave a solid shift, looked a little rusty but i hope he gets more games, imo he could become a great player for us if he was just given a longer run in the team and a goal today will go a long way to making his case. Our back four deserve some credit, 2012 seems to have brought about a change of luck for us so far defensively. But despite it being a make shift defence today there was a real togetherness and unity that i havent really seen this season and the fact we have taken maximum points consecutively off 3rd and 4th in the SPL while also shutting them out can only emphasise the strides we are making as a team. Josh Meekings for me seems to get better with every game he plays. He was up against tricky opposition today in Templeton and Skacel but neither of them got the full measure of him today and in the end i think were made to look rather average. I really hope Meekings manages to stay fit now. When he plays our defence is better, simple as that, he also has a willingness to get forward and good distribution of the ball. He may only be 19 but i think he could become an integral part of this ICT side. Its been a good start to the New Year as im sure many hope and perdicted, i just hope it carries on. The more these results keep coming then it will be a case of looking up as opposed to looking down, keep up the good work lads.

one of our better displays. thought willaims looked composed, tansey played his best game for club so far. foran was imense and hayes was unplayable. who picks the mom at the stadium. shane sutherland tripped over the ball, overran it most of the day. even his headed goal trickled over the line. with the goal gaping he headed straight at kello. every time he looses ball he jumps into the air. whats that all about. frustration he has messed up again ?? big surprise he started, but then we were missing several players. mom - could not choose between hayes or foran

Whether we sit in 6th this time next week is of no importance. What matters is that a win puts us firmly in the mid-table pack and relative to St Mirren who are already there, it is a 6 pointer. We are on a good run but should take nothing for granted. Midden are a decent side this year and Imrie will be out to prove a point or two again. Neither he nor the Midden should be underestimated. Having said that, I think it is a game we should win. Foran appears to have come into a rich grain of form now that he is playing where most of us felt he should be playing and Tansey has settled in brilliantly on his return from injury. They will be the key players next week and if they perform well we should create enough to win the game. Hopefully the players will be focussing on the game in hand and not the match against Celtic the following week. Hopefully TB will tell his players that anyone not giving 100% against the Midden will not be in the side for the Cup match.

To be fair on Hamill the ball hit his chest first and caught his arm as he went down. Similar to a Gillet handball claim against Motherwell last week Maybe our luck with penalties is starting to change when you consider those that have gone against us already this season???

Looked a cert pen But let's forget that and applaud Greg Tansey, best player on the park for me today

Fantastic result! Can't fault anyone. Foran and Tansey dictated the game, Tansey having his best game in an ict shirt. Hayes was on fire and all 4 defenders were impressive. Also, good to see Shane putting in a excellent performance.

IF IF IF....we win our game in hand....we could go 6th :)

3 in 53 ..... but only 14 of those games were matches where he was in the starting lineup. A lot of his other "appearances" were last 5 minute cameos ... a bit like the argument used for Rory McAllister ..... Each game where Sutherland scored, was one where he was in the starting lineup and also each one was a home game. He scored -V- Hearts today, Celtic (in a 3-2 win) and Motherwell (in a 3-0 win) ...

Game on

Asda. It's part of a new sponsorship deal with the new store.

Quote from todays papers. SPL Chief Execttive Neil Doncaster has applauded the Monday football experience. "It's a great initiatve for Scottish football and it's one step closer to having all games played behind closed doors. If Dundee Utd use their common sense, they'll be able to close at least two stands. The money they will save from not having stewards making sure all health and safety rules are followed will help them to remove some of their debt. Now, it's just small steps, but it is the way forward." Doncaster used his succesful spell at Norwich as a prime example. "As Chief Executive, I oversaw two relegations down to League 1. So many fans stayed away that we could close a FULL stand and not worry about overcrowding. Now look at the state of the club. As soon, as I left, within 2 seasons, 2 promotions back to the Premiership! Fans queing (dangerously) for tickets, stadiums packed to capacity and fans refusing to sit down! Some even waving flags - aggressively! It's a logistical nighmare! My vision for the SPL, is to have all games played with no fans. This will save the tax payer millions in police costs. The amount of viewers watching on TV will allow us to negotiate for a better deal - fans can watch from the comfort of their own home, with safe seating provided and unlimited tea!" When asked of the dangers of so many supporters holding hot beverages at once, Doncaster pointed out the obvious. "Iced tea and safe seating is the way forward". Angry supporters flooded message boards. One supporter on 'safeseating.net' called Immortal Howden Ender tried to air his views. Unfortunately due to new goverment legislation, any reference to an 'unsafe standing area' is seen as an encitement to standing. The Scottish Government have notified Lankashire Police. Doncasters message to the fans is simple. Sit down. Shut up.... But i'm listening.

Just passed the stadium 5 minutes ago and the pitch looks as though it is covered with thousands of carrier bags, so the game should be fine

He was a fringe player at Bradford.