Best Hearts-Hibs Game In Ages?

Regardless of which team you felt possibly deserved to take all three points instead of one from today’s Edinburgh derby (and we’ll all have our own very different opinions for that and reasons for them), surely all of us are in agreement that it was one of the most exciting matches between Hearts and Hibs in years?

It was non-stop, end-to-end action from literally the first kick of the game, with the opening five minutes alone seeing Hibs taking the lead and their opponents hitting the crossbar.

Normally matches tend to settle down after such a blistering start, but not this one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many chances created (and indeed wasted!) in a derby, which perhaps could be a reflection on how bad both defences were as much as anything else, but even still it made for great entertainment.

The Hearts line-up had a surprisingly positive look to it, with Bruno Aguiar and Andy Driver returning from injury to take their place in central midfield, and Christian Nade replacing Jamie Mole in attack, a move that wasn’t before its time.

But Hearts got off to the worst possible start when they fell behind to the first offensive move of the match. Riordan’s clever backheel caught the Hearts defence square and flat-footed, allowing Nish in behind them to cross for Stephen Fletcher to slide over the line from close range. Bedlam at Easter Road with many fans still taking their seats.

At this stage I’m sure that many of us feared the worst considering Hearts’ form of late, but although they did wobble a bit for the next few minutes, they were still able to come agonising close to a quick equaliser. Kingston’s corner was only half-cleared back to the Ghanaian, whose first time volleyed cross found the head of Berra, who made a solid connection that saw the ball come rattling back off the crossbar.

Hibs had the better of the early stages though, and Riordan, who to me looked slightly unfit and a tad overweight, came close to making it 2-0 when he controlled a deep cross from the right and fired into the side netting.

He also had a claim for a penalty a few minutes later when he went down under a challenge from Jonsson, but the referee waved play on. TV pictures showed minimal if any contact, but Jonssson did leave the foot in giving his opponent the opportunity to try his luck – thankfully referee Eddie Smith didn’t fall for it.

In between those incidents Hearts had squandered a glorious chance of their own. Christian Nade and Hibs goalkeeper M-Kalambay went for a 50-50 ball, and when the ball broke out to Larry Kingston just inside the area, he lashed it wildly over the bar with the goal gaping.

At this stage we had played precisely 11 minutes, and we’d already had more goalmouth action than your average derby has in total!

The more the half went on, the more Hearts started to dictate proceedings, and if Hibs had arguably been the side who’d played more football on the ground than their Edinburgh rivals in this fixture in recent years, then it was most certainly a case of roles being reversed here. It was great to see Hearts playing the ball through the midfield, where the return of Aguiar seemed to give them much more poise and purpose. This had a positive effect on the likes of Stewart, Driver and Karipidis, who bounced back well after a shaky start to have a really decent half, especially when he had the ball at his feet funnily enough.

Chances continued to flow, with Aguiar hitting it over the bar from an excellent position, and Hibs nearly cashing in on a Kello slip when he let a passback go right through him, an error we’re more accustomed to seeing in Hibs goalkeepers.

However when the next goal eventually came, it was directly from a set-piece shortly before the break….and it was comeback man Aguiar who delivered it.

Hearts got a free-kick just outside the penalty area after Nish stupidly fouled Lee Wallace. Aguiar stepped up to curl the ball low around the wall and through a forest of legs into the corner of the net. The ball went in on the side that Ma-Kalambay was guarding which will be a disappointment for Hibs, but given that it was hit with pace and that the ‘keeper would have been unsighted until very late, it would perhaps be overly harsh to lay the blame at his door.

Half time 1-1

The second half was probably even better than the first as play continued to rage from end to end.

Once again I’d say it was definitely Hearts who were playing the better football, with the three midfield men mentioned earlier, along with wingers Driver and Kingston, all contributing to some really nice moves at times.

However Hibs were still creating chances, and Hearts substitute goalkeeper Janos Balogh, who made his full debut replacing Kello (who took a first half head knock) at half-time, having to look alert on a number of occasions, particularly right at the death at the feet of Riordan when Zaliukas’ slack backpass had played the Hibee in. It was a very solid debut from the ‘keeper, especially given the circumstances he was thrown into.

Driver was Hearts’ main threat in the second half and he had some absolutely fantastic runs down the left wing, one of which saw him running fully 50 yards to set up a half-chance.

Aguiar and Nade both missed gilt-edged chances after good work from Driver, while Fletcher came agonisingly close to hitting the top corner with a left foot strike from the edge of the area at the other end.

Nade then had a goal disallowed for absolutely nothing – allegedly he fouled the Hibs ‘keeper but it was another of those typical ‘foul on the keeper from a corner’ situations when there’s no contact whatsover – all Nade did was stand his ground with Ma-Kalambay flapping at fresh air. Disappointing.

Hibs had a couple of more chances before the end of the match, but all in all it probably was right that this pulsating encounter ended up all square. I think it ended up with both sides having more than 12 attempts on goal, and although both defences did look dodgy, overall the entertainment value was top notch.

Well done to both sides for such a great match.

Player Ratings

Kello 4
No chance with goal but some really dodgy kicking. Took a bad head knock and replaced at interval.

Jonsson 5
Often out of position due to his tendency to be drawn infield but did battle well to retain possession at all times.

Wallace 5
Still struggling at the back a bit but nowhere near as bad as he had been in recent weeks.

Berra 5
Struggled defensively for the umpteenth week in a row, although was unlucky not to score with first half header.

Zaliukas 5
Reasonable game at the back but nearly gifted the points to Hibs at the end with horrendous back pass.

Karipidis 7
Came onto a really good game the longer it went on, particularly with the ball at his feet. Some good burst forward and determined tackling.

Stewart 7
Involved in some nice moves in the centre of the park. Seemed to have a bit more space to work with due to the inclusion of Aguiar, which bodes well for the future.

Aguiar 8
Probably the best player on the field. A great comeback performance, with the only criticism being his finishing – on another day he should have had a hat-trick.

Driver 8
Really used his pace to good effect, especially in the second half when he ran Hibs ragged at times. Supplied a good few chances for an attack still lacking that final touch.

Kingston 6
Got a bit of stick from those around me but I thought he had a decent game – was involved in many of Hearts’ best moves, but his delivery from set-pieces was quite disappointing.

Nade 7
What a difference that our sole frontman actually posed some sort of threat! Perhaps not the ‘answer’ but still a handful – really put a shift in too. Had goal harshly disallowed, but really should have burst the net with five minutes to go.

Balogh 7
Really impressive debut. Some good handling and then a magnificent save at the feet of Riordan at the death.

Thomson 1
On for a minute,
On for a minute.