Accentuate the possitive

For some reason. i thought we were away to Inverness on Saturday, wasn't until 1 ish that afternoon that i was 100% convinced that we were at home.

Anyroads after Wednesday, disastrous or not i was pretty upbeat about the game.
Was it just good to get the Champions League millstone off from around our necks i wonder? We waited so long for our shot and the elastic broke almost immediately, so i can see the team and the support taking a bit of a dip into a depression in a few weeks. The only cure for that will be to beat Sparta Prague and carry on with a good run in the EUFA cup.
I was upbeat because for 1/2 an hour anyroads last Wednesday, we played with spirit and a bit of spark, it just felt like we were in the business of playing football again. Previously against Athens, Falkirk and Rangers we were stunted, a shadow of what we can be. Every team goes through these times, we chose a really bad time to go through it. I thought we are over it after the first half performance in Athens. So i was upbeat, looking forward to it, in the knowledge though that Inverness always give us a good game, it was close in all encounters last year.
I expected, that maybe a player or two might get rested, i did not expect the line up we got -

Out were

Fyassas, rested, probably fair enough, he took a knock on Wednesday. Replaced by Wallace.
Berra, no idea about that one, rotation? Replaced by Kiripidis
Neilson, suspended after the sending off aginst Rangers, replaced by Tiago Costa
Aguair & Brellier, dropped i think, replaced by Zaliukas
Pospisil & or Jankauskas, could be rested or dropped or rotation, replaced by new guy Panilla and Mole kept his place.

So lots of changes in the side left us curious, concerned maybe before the game, but i wasn't unduly worried, more i was happy to see some of the new faces to see what they could do, especially Panilla.
Still had McCann and Mikoliunas on either side of midfield with Hartley and Zaliukas in the middle.
The game started well enough for both teams, open and competative, Hearts were playing pretty good without setting any heather on fire and Inverness were playing their part also getting stuck in and attacking whenever they had the chance to.
Noticed that McCann was playing too far in from the left leaving us limited in width, which held us back a bit, in the first 20 minutes - and it is worth noting what happened the first time he pealed off to the wing!
Hartley is not 100% but even with that it was clear he was on the park, with some great balls knocked down the channels for Miko to run on to and a free kick that came very close.
I was getting worried about the defence though, with Fyassas, Berra and Neilson all out at the same time, we did not have our normal solid shape and i could see Pressley was also nervous about it - keeping a close eye on Kiripidis. Maybe he should have been spending more time looking after Costa in those early exchanges, he did not start very well. I have mentioned a couple of times in earlier entries that i think this season will see Neilson lose his first team place. sad to see i think but it is looking innevitable - Robbie just doesn't have the quality of distribution we will need. Costa is a different proposition entirely, he did not look as fast or as good a tackler as Neilson but he does look as though he has more football in him. When Tall is fit he also looks though Ivanauskas fancies slotting him in their, so things are hotting up for the right back spot.
Kiripidis looked OK but you could not make a call between him and Berra though really.

The first goal came quite unexpectedly really, a neat ball out to McCann far out by the touchline and for once his ball into the box was, quick and not overstruck and well just perfect really, met on the half volley by Panilla who stuck it away in the bottom corner, an excellent finish. That is the first time this season that Hearts have scored from a quick low ball in from the left - we must have scored about 20 like that last year.
Almost immediately Hearts took their foot of the gas a bit which allowed Inverness some decent possession in midfield and they put some pressure on. The defence was not looking too good at this point, Wallace and Kiripidis didn't really know what the other up to and there were times that down our left channel we were a mess. Wallace also has a habit of getting much further up the park, much quicker than Fyassas can and to his credit McCann covered well down that side when it was needed. The frailties told though as Inverness put a couple of neat passes together to get behind us and cross to the back post where the striker was and the defender was not. Costa should have been there and he was nowhere near it.
I just don't think that that was a goal that Hearts would have lost with Berra and Neilson on the park.
This was a fair reflection of the game really - no more Tynecastle juggernaught this season as i am sure you will have worked out by now. Still we had more of the play and more of the quality that the game had to offer.
A free kick for what - i don't know, something with Miko on the right side of the Inverness box. Whipped in to the back post by Hartley for Jamie Mole to slam the header home, another cracking finish. I comment to myself, thats Hearts scored 2 goals and both were by the strikers. This was something rarely seen last season with the top scorers all being midfielders.
The crowd and me were happy with this as half time came along.
Half time and the scores were read out from around the country, the one that mattered

Celtic 0 Hibernian 1

No reaction whatsoever from the faithfull! i was delighted but you just can't can you, a whoop of delight when the smelly Hibees are winning, but the way i see it - anything that takes points of either of the big bad from the wild west is a good thing, doesn't matter who it is. And if things stayed the way they were at that point Hearts would go top on their own.

A word for the new half time competition, it is crap folks! nobody cares! I know that the hit the bar competition last year ended in a bizarre & weird anticlimax. But it had our attention all the way through the season. This new thing is just whack as many balls through a hole in the middle of a big advert for a cab company as you can in minute or two - just rubbish really.

So to the second half and hearts are still marginally the better team but never way ahead and with only the slenderest of leads and a dodgy back 4 i was never happy until the third went in. Before that Panilla crossed to the back post where McCann was about 8 yards out, he belted the volley straight of the bar, a cracking effort. Panilla, looks a bit of a player, he is mobile and energetic and has a good touch and looks as tho he will definitely add to the team, Pospisil's days are numbered i think!
Soon after this McCann was replaced by Andrew Driver. With his first touch he turned and skinned their right back and hit a great cross in, he then continued to skin their right back for the rest of the game, just a level on from what McCann can deliver. Pace and confidence and no shortage of ability. This was hammered home when Drver was faced with an identikit chance to that slammed against the bar by McCann ten minutes earlier. The ball was not cleared well enough and fell to driver who belted the volley high into the net from 6 yards out.
Fantastic.
We are 3 - 1 up and now enjoying ourselves and playing better football, one thing i noticed around this time was just how pleased Wallace was to have Driver in front of him. They look as though they really know how each other plays and could form a really effective partnership down that left flank.
The fourth and final goal was a bit of an odd ball but nonetheless well worth it. Makela had come on for Panilla, he collected the ball on the edge of the box but was surrounded by the Inverness defence, with nothing on at all he managed to scoop the ball over the defence and out to Mole on the far side of the box, Mole headed back into the penalty spot for Aguair to run on to and slot under the keeper.

So 4 - 1, flattered Hearts a bit really but i thought we always had just a wee bit more than Inverness. It was really good to see some of the new guys coming in and doing a job.
Panilla looked good as did Costa once he got over the first half hour. Driver made a huge impact for the time he was on and Mole continued to look hungry and well worth his shot ( what must Callum Elliott be thinking just now, sent off to Motherwell for the rest of the season? ) Kiripidis got pass marks i guess, not sure a Zaliukas on that showing though.

The crowd at Tynecastle remain muted, we are not willing to stick our necks out yet after last years expressions of - belief that we could take the title, we were on top of the world. We are still in our shell a bit just now. I figure tho, if we do have a good run in the EUFA cup and continue to stay in touch at the top, it won't be long until the heat is turned up a notch once again.