Awakenings

Oh yes, that was a cracker

Heart of Midlothian 2
Celtic 1

I mentioned in the last entry, by way of an apology for my lack of enthusiasm. I said, just give me a couple of days. Bring on the nasty nasty Celtic, and my appetite will be renewed and that is exactly how it is. This season is awake, it is oot it's kip, brushing it's teeth and skelping back the coffee - i love it.

A shocking game in Bosnia where Hearts prevailed through a 0 - 0 draw, going through to the last qualifying round of Champions league. we did what we had to do i guess and no more but really it was dire dire stuff and i was left feeling very nervous about todays game against last seasons run away champions. I thought, if we could only have kept a hold of the ball for 5 minutes on Wednesday - make me think we knew how to play football in a european context let alone style. But no we were awful and they were worse. We continued to spank the ball down the channels for Bednar or Chessy or Pospisil to run onto, but nobody could be arsed and we just kept giving a crap team the ball, and the kept doing nothing with it. The less said about it the better. Apart from the goal we didn't get - the ball was played into the box from the right, the keeper stepped out a yard to collect, it was his ball all the way, but just at the last minute it swerved slightly toward the goals - reacting to this in the only way he knew how the keeper palmed the ball into his own net from 2 yards out. The ref obviously thinking "bloody hell ! no one in there right mind would do something like that, must have been a foul - No goal"

So to today and Celtic. Everything you would expect from opening drama at Tynecastle against one of the gruesome twosome. Riotous noise and 100 mile an hour with football at a premium.
The first half went by in a whirlwind, it was tight and tense and i was reminded of how much i have grown to despise Celtic over the last few years. Not that i have ever had much time for them but the ONeill era is still pretty much evident in their play - honestly Celtic used to play football you know. Not that Hearts were much better, it was the 40th minute when Craig Gordon made his first save, don't think Boric reached for the ball in the entirety of the first period. Half time came with the only real drama being that wee ugly ginger git being sent off - Thats Strachan not Lennon ( more for Lennon later, he had been dropped from this game but came on to great effect after an hour )
So at half time there was nothing in it with defences well on top.
For Hearts what is obvious is that we don't have the ability right now to do that blitzkreig 3 goals in 10 minutes to sweep a game away from any opposition, thing. We still look solid enough at Tynecastle anyroads but i think we will need to work much harder for our points this year - we will still be needing another goal with 15 minutes left of a game, much more this year than we had last - well thats what it looks like right now.
With Hartley out injured and Skacel gone to Southampton we seemed to lack the vital spark.
I was happy tho, happy that the game had an edge and happy that we were in the hunt at least and happy, just happy that the football was back.
Right then the second half got under way and things were fundemantally different, it is true that Celtic are no great shakes, the best they could do close season was buy the best Hibs had. But there was a change in Hearts, we moved up a gear and went for it with a purpose and drive that Celtic couldn't manage - a few efforts and hearts were getting closer until one nice wee flick through and Bednar beats the offside trap and is straight through - he still had lots to do tho, the angle was tight but he slotted it home under Boric ( think Boric should have done better )
Great finish

HMFC 1 CFC 0

Tynecastle goes nuts, we really do love to beat Celtic.
More pressure and bednar beats the offside trap again strokes the ball home only to be pulled back for offside ( absolutely no way, i was in a terrible position to judge being right behind the goals and no way was he offside ).
More pressure and Hearts have a corner, not dealt with well by the packed celtic defense the ball falls to Pressley on the edge of the box, he is winding up to have a crack when the ball gets nicked away from him - the break is on and about 1/4 of a second later the ball is in the back of the Hearts net. About as good an example of lightning quick breakaway goal as you could wish to see, 3 or 4 passes along the deck finished of by Petrov planting the ball in the roof of the net, got to hand it to them, that was a bloody good goal.

HMFC 1 CFC 1

Hearts lost their way a bit here and let Celtic into things but for me i thought they almost immediately thought about the draw and thought 'yes, a draw will do us today'.
For all that is said about Valdas Ivanauskas, he is not known for pitch side dramatics, well he was doing his nut - i thought he would blow a gasket if he didn't calm down - but Hearts didn't look as tho we knew how to break through and i thought a draw was on the cards too. Just as well then that Lennon had been brought on. If anything epitomises the basic crapness of Celtic it is him, we all love to hate "Lennon, Lennon get tae f&*k" So it is with great pleasure that i can say - It was Lennon's dreadful back pass that let Bednar in to round the keeper bear down on goal and slot the ball home.

HMFC 2 CFC 1

My youngest was there with me today and something happened this day.
He has played football for his primary school team for a year or so now so he is fully aware that football is more important than life, love and well everything really. He has never really got it tho, never really had it in his blood and felt the elation or the despair. He went to the semi final last year but chose not to go to the final ? He is young so you forgive the fact that he gets bored and his mind wanders. Here is what happened today tho. When Hearts scored their first goal, we all went nuts ofcourse, all except our young hero who remained seated and concentrated on his pie, and just kind of looked at me like i was crazy when i tried to pick him up for a triumphant cuddle. Time past and stuff happened and when Hearts scored the winner - he was the first up punching the air screaming his delight and attempting to lift me for a victory cuddle. There was an awakening today, i think he got it. Once you have got it i don't think it goes away.

One last thing Aguair hit the bar again, one day they are going to start going in !!