Match Report

Saturday, 17th August, 2024

by Mark Atkinson

Hearts critics given further ammo amid the boos and unseemly run of form

Falkirk 2-0 Hearts: Bairns are in a good place but Jambos are stuttering at start of season

Less than two weeks after signing a new contract at Hearts, head coach Steven Naismith is sitting a little uncomfortably after the Jambos were dumped out of the Premier Sports Cup by Falkirk.

This was not in the plan when he inked his deal. Hearts had been expected to go deep in this competition. Freshly promoted from League One and on a long unbeaten domestic run at home, Championship high-flyers Falkirk would always pose a stern test. But last season's undisputed third-best team in the country had the resources to prevail against the Bairns, only to fall flat and lose 2-0.

Falling to Dundee 3-1 in the league last weekend exacerbates the impact of this defeat. Naismith was criticised for changing his formation at Dens Park on the back of a promising opening-day draw against Rangers and the coach admitted he "made mistakes" in the way he approached that much. Here, he made eight alterations to his starting XI - presumably with one eye on Thursday's Europa League play-off tie against Viktoria Plzen. They will need to be much better in the Czech Republic, that's for sure.

Naismith left star striker Lawrence Shankland on the bench and switched his goalkeepers around, giving Craig Gordon his first appearance of the season. The veteran made two quite stunning saves from Ross MacIver, but blotted his copybook somewhat with a poor clearance that led to the all-important second goal for the hosts.

What a time, though, to be a Falkirk supporter. Under the experienced ex-Hearts manager John McGlynn, they are riding the crest of a big old wave. Following last season's invincible promotion campaign, confidence is swelling that they can compete for back-to-back promotions and return to the top flight. They played an easy-on-the-eye brand of football against their more illustrious counterparts, with midfielders Dylan Tait and Brad Spencer pulling the strings for the lively forward players MacIver, Ethan Ross and Calvin Miller. Keelan Adams - signed from Cumbernauld Colts earlier this year - was exceptional at right-back.

They were also indebted to their goalkeeper Nicky Hogarth, who pulled off two excellent first-half saves when Hearts were in the ascendancy. They benefited from some rotten finishing from the visitors, too - the Jambos spurned three glorious chances in the opening seven minutes. Liam Boyce pinged an effort over, Kenneth Vargas slapped the bar from close range and then fired straight at Hogarth, who on 16 minutes also blocked from Yutaro Oda when the Japanese really ought to have scored.

The first half was an open a 45 minutes of football you will see all season. Hearts attacked relentlessly but did not have a cutting edge and Falkirk were quick on the counter-attack. Referee David Dickinson was also kept busy, booking six players - all justified. He may even have upgraded a crass Sean Mackie challenge on Dhanda to a red, or Vargas' moment of stupidity when pushing over Spencer following a poor tackle.

Hearts were poor in the transition and that's what cost them in the second half when the hosts drew first blood. The all-important opener came on 53 minutes. It came on the counter, left-back James Penrice caught in-field, which allowed Adams to explode forward into space. His cut-back was perfectly weighted and Ross finished emphatically past Gordon.

Naismith reacted by summoning Shankland from the bench but the Scotland striker was a muted presence. Chasing the game left them more susceptible to the counter, although the killer second goal was borne out of a mistake from Gordon, just moments after a great save from MacIver. His quickly-taken free-kick from inside the penalty box was imprecise and Falkirk seized upon it, with Miller squaring for Tait to slot home. The away end emptied.

Hearts did not look capable of responding. The last act of note was by a Falkirk player, with sub Ryan Shanley sent off for a high tackle in stoppage time. It did not take the shine off their afternoon. This is a club going places.

For Naismith though, this is an uneasy moment. The fans jeered the decision to take off Yan Dhanda and all this type of result does is give a vocal element of the Hearts support who are quick to jump on the manager's back some further ammunition. The Jambos have not started the season well, and did not finish last term with a flourish either. Competitively, they have only recorded one win in nine matches. Naismith silenced the naysayers, a noisy minority, last season - and may have to do so again. The promising performance against Rangers just 14 days ago has faded from the memory bank.

Next stop, Plzen, a city famed for its beer. A reaction to this sobering display will be required.