Kilmarnock 0-2 Hearts

Hearts finally got their league campaign back on track yesterday with a 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

If you discount the morale-boosting cup victory over Hibs at Easter Road last weekend, Hearts had not scored a goal for four matches and although two of those were entertaining enough 0-0 draws against Dundee United and Hibs, the momentum gained by our previous run of five straight victories in the SPL had most definitely been halted during the festive season.

It was therefore great to see the team recording a result like this at the notoriously difficult venue of Rugby Park, which is not a place that Hearts have been able to take much cheer from in recent years.

I didn’t make it along to the match, but from what I can gather it does sound as though we were more than fortunate to come away with all three points, especially after a first half which both managers agreed the home side totally dominated.

However as we know only too well, this game is all about applying the finishing touch, which is something that has been our team’s biggest failing for longer than I care to remember now. So it was therefore very pleasing that we were able to turn the tables on our opponents for once and be the side who were the more clinical, and goals from Bruno Aguiar and the in-form Hristos Karipidis (the latter goal coming ten minutes from time) were enough to put Hearts back on the winning track.

Csaba Laszlo was understandably well pleased with the result – here were some of his comments on the game:

‘In the first half we had some luck. The opponents didn’t score and had two big chances.

‘The second half was better and we came out and scored. The goals were very nice.

‘We played good football in the second half, which we need to to win, especially away from.

‘It was a very important three points.’

It certainly was, and it comes at a crucially important time as Hearts embark on a series of matches that could go some way to determining the outcome of their season. In the next few weeks they have several winnable matches coming up, and if they can perhaps add some fire-power to the squad before the end of the January transfer window, they could yet put in a serious challenge to qualify for European football next season. Here’s hoping…