Heart of Midlothian FC

[DavidMc]

Heart of Midlothian v Motherwell
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 9th August 08
Tynecastle Stadium

Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo is without suspended pair midfielder Ruben Palazuelos and striker Gary Glen for Motherwell's visit as the SPL starts.

Summer signing David Obua joins Christian Nade, Bruno Aguiar and Mirsad Beslija on the sidelines at Tynecastle through injury.

Motherwell could field Jim O'Brien, signed from Celtic, and on-loan Blackburn goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen.

Defender Brian McLean is the only absentee through injury.



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Hearts (from) : Banks, Thomson, Berra, Zaliukas, Wallace, Kingston, Stewart, Jonsson, Driver, Ksanavicius, Mole, Makela, Karipidis, Ivaskevicius, Mikoliunas, Cesnauskis, MacDonald, Rapnik.

Motherwell (from): G Smith, Quinn, Hammell, Craigan, Reynolds, Malcolm, Hughes, Lasley, McGarry, Clarkson, Porter, D Smith, Fitzpatrick, Murphy, Archdeacon, Connolly, O'Brien, Neilsen.

[DavidMc]

Rangers v Heart of Midlothian
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 16th August
Ibrox Stadium

New signing from Portsmouth Pedro Mendes could made his debut in Rangers' midfield for the visit by Hearts.

But fellow new recruit Aaron Niguez Esclapez is short of match fitness and fellow Spaniard Nacho Novo banned, but David Weir returns from suspension.

Hearts pair Ruben Palazuelos and Gary Glen return from their bans.

New recruits David Obua and Mike Tullberg are still carrying injuries, but new goalkeeper signing Marian Kello is expected to make the squad.



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Rangers (from): McGregor, Broadfoot, Dailly, Bougherra, Whittaker, Papac, Thomson, Adam, McCulloch, Lafferty, Velicka, Darcheville, Boyd, Cousin, Beasley, Alexander, Emslie, Furman, Weir, Mendes.

Hearts (from): Banks, Thomson, Berra, Zaliukas, Wallace, Kingston, Stewart, Jonsson, Driver, Ksanavicius, Mole, Makela, Karipidis, Palazuelos, Mikoliunas, Cesnauskis, MacDonald, Rapnik, Kello.

[DavidMc]

Falkirk v Heart of Midlothian
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 13th September 08
New Brockville Stadium

Falkirk head coach John Hughes hopes to welcome back up to five players from injury for Hearts' visit.

Tam Scobbie, Burton O'Brien and Russell Latapy are in line for a return. Summer signing Steve Lovell may feature and Neil McCann is available.

Uganda midfielder David Obua and Lithuanian winger Deividas Cesnauskis miss the game following injuries picked up playing for their countries.

Striker Mike Tullberg and winger Andrew Driver also both miss out.

But new signing Adrian Mrowiec, on loan from FBK Kaunas, could make his debut in midfield.



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Falkirk: (from) Olejnik, Flinders, McNamara, Bullen, Barr, Aafjes, Scobbie, Cregg, McBride, O'Brien, Arfield, J Stewart, Latapy, M Stewart, Barrett, Lovell, McCaffrey, Moffat.

Hearts: (from) Kello, Jonsson, Zaliukas, Berra, Wallace, Mrowiec, Stewart, Karipidis, Mikoliunas, Kingston, Mole, Balogh, Thomson, Palazuelos, Ksanavicius, Nade, Glen, Rapnik.

[DavidMc]

Heart of Midlothian v Inverness CT
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 20th September 08
Tynecastle Stadium

Hearts remain without new signings David Obua and Mike Tullberg through injury for Saturday's Scottish Premier League visit by Inverness.

Wingers David Cesnauskis and Andrew Driver are also still missing.

Caley Thistle midfielder Russell Duncan and defender David Proctor are back in contention for a place after returning from injury for the reserves.

Manager Craig Brewster could be tempted to bring captain Grant Munro back into defence after last weekend's defeat.



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[DavidMc]

Heart of Midlothian 1-0 Inverness CT

Hearts climbed up to second place in the league with a narrow home victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Salius Mikolunas netted the only goal of the game in the eighth minute with a fine strike after some good work by Andrius Ksanavicius.

Inverness failed to impress in the first 45 minutes, although Ross Tokely was unlucky not to score before the break, but rallied in the second-half.

Hearts keeper Marian Kello helped seal the points with a series of fine saves.

The first chance of the match fell to the home side after seven minutes when Laryea Kingston sent in a searching corner and Christos Karipidis fired in an ambitious overhead kick from the penalty spot, but blasted his effort over the bar.


Less than sixty seconds later, Hearts took the lead when Mikolunas broke free after Ksanavicius sent him clear on the right-hand side to round Inverness keeper Michael Fraser and confidently slot home.

Michael Stewart almost doubled Hearts' tally in the 18th minute when he fired in from the right-hand side of the Inverness penalty area, but Fraser was up to the task.

It was over 30 minutes before Inverness sparked to life when Tokely sent in a powerful drive from 18 yards out, but Hearts keeper Kello punched it clear and recovered to smother Dougie Imrie's follow-up shot.

As half-time approached, Inverness looked more positive and picked up their share of possession, but efforts by Tokely and Philip McGuire failed to break down a solid Hearts defence.

After a low-key start to the second-half, Hearts' Jamie Mole looked set to score when he picked up a slack ball on the Inverness six-yard line, but the former Livingston man couldn't find a way through the Hearts defence to line up a shot.

Adam Rooney replied for Inverness at the other end with a left-footed drive, but Marius Zaliukas blocked.

On the hour mark, Roy McBain was unlucky in Inverness' search for an equaliser with a low, left-footed volley from the left side of the Hearts box, but yet again Kello thwarted the visitors.

Kingston was at the heart of the action with 15 minutes to play when he collected a long pass out on the right and powered into the Inverness box, but his final ball drifted wide of Fraser's left-hand post.

As full-time approached, Inverness pushed for an equaliser with good efforts by Imrie and Don Cowie, but Craig Brewster's men lacked the necessary quality to break down a resolute Hearts defence.



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Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo: "You can't win every game 5-0 or 4-0, it is the most precious game if you win 1-0 and tactically it was very good.

"I think at the moment, we must also talk about our injured players. We had Michael Stewart not in the team, and he came back to play.

"Our tactic was to play confident football. If you think last week, we played very good football in the second-half and we lost.

"At the moment, I think it is important to show that this young team have character. Today every decision was good from every person in the team."

[DavidMc]

Heart of Midlothian v Celtic
Scottish Premier League
Sunday 2nd November 08
Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh

Andy Driver, Marian Kello and David Obua return for Hearts.

Defender Obua, winger Driver and goalkeeper Kello have recovered from injury, but midfielder Laryea Kingston is not yet fit enough to play.

Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura has been passed fit despite a knock during the midweek win over Kilmarnock.

Stephen McManus returns from injury, but Glenn Loovens, Georgios Samaras and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Chris Killen and Marc Crosas miss out.



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Hearts: (from) Balogh, Jonsson, Berra, Zaliukas, Wallace, Mikoliunas, Karipidis, Aguiar, Stewart, Driver, Nade, Kello, Palazuelos, Mole, Cesnauskis, Rapnik, Glen, Thomson.

Celtic: (from) Boruc, Hinkel, McManus, Naylor, Wilson, O'Dea, Caldwell, Scott Brown, Donati, Nakamura, Hartley, McGeady, McDonald, Sheridan, Maloney, Mark Brown, Robson, McCourt, Caddis.

[DavidMc]

Heart of Midlothian 2-1 Falkirk
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 22nd November 08
Tynecastle Stadium

Andrew Driver's superb solo effort ensured that Hearts came from behind to dump Falkirk and consolidate their place in third in the SPL.

Steve Lovell toe-poked the visitors into an early lead against the run of play as they searched their first win at Tynecastle in 13 years.

But Bruno Aguiar's accurately curled free-kick levelled matters three minutes later.

And Driver weaved through the Bairns defence to score after the break.

Hearts had started without influential midfielder Michael Stewart through suspension, but replacement Ruben Palazuelos helped them dominate early possession.

Christian Nade, looking fitter after recent criticism of his fast-food diet, teed up Aguiar on the edge of the box, but the midfielder dragged his shot wide.

Nade and Eggert Jonsson had close-range efforts blocked and Aguiar volleyed inches over from 16 yards.

Falkirk looked to be missing the injured influential trio Dean Holden, Scott Arfield and Jackie McNamara.

Arnau Riera came into the side along with the inexperienced Des McCaffrey and Chris Mitchell, who was earning his first start of the season.

But it was the Bairns who went ahead against the run of play after 16 minutes.

Michael Higdon slipped a pass through to Lovell and the striker ran clear of the defence before toe-poking the ball past goalkeeper Janos Balogh.
Lovell had given Falkirk the lead in Edinburgh

The lead lasted a mere three minutes, however, after Aguiar planted a 20-yard free-kick in the top-right corner of the net following Darren Barr's foul on Nade.

Falkirk settled their nerves and Mitchell's free-kick bounced just past the post.

Driver just failed to pick out Jonsson inside the Bairns box, while Marius Zaliukas failed to keep his header down after being picked out by Aguiar.

David Obua's introduction as a second-half sustitute was interrupted when he was sent from the field to take off some jewellery.

But it was quickly followed by a golden moment when Driver, who was due to switch to the other wing to make way for the Ugandan, weaved his way through the defence before rounding the goalkeeper and slotting the ball home.

Falkirk, who had won three out of the last four meetings with Hearts, pressed for an equaliser and a long-range effort from Mitchell forced a fine save from Balogh.

From the corner, Aguiar cleared off the line to prevent a Lee Bullen header saving a point for the Bairns, while Higdon failed to covert a fine Mitchell cross.



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Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo:
"If we stay in third place at the end of the season, I will be happy, but I am not satisfied.

"The positives was the second half, but the first was a catastrophe and we talked about that in the dressing-room.

"I must compliment our opponents as they did not sit back in the second half and try to play on the counter attack and, if we can continue that, we can develop Scottish football.

"The two goals were reward for the work we have done with Bruno and Driver on the training field."

Falkirk head coach John Hughes:
"To score and the concede an equaliser within five minutes was disappointing.

"I felt it was a foul on Darren Barr as I thought Christian Nade was backing into him.

"In terms of effort and commitment and going about the game in the right manner, it was great, but we will not win football matches if we lose goals like their second.

"We gave it one rousing go in the last 10 or 15 minutes and could have got something from the game.

"And I thought the two boys who made their first starts of the season, Mitchell and McCaffrey, did well."



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Hearts: Balogh, Neilson, Berra, Zaliukas, Lee Wallace, Jonsson (Obua 60), Aguiar, Karipidis, Palazuelos, Driver, Nade (Makela 90).
Subs Not Used: MacDonald, Thomson, Mole, Templeton, Brown.

Booked: Lee Wallace.

Goals: Aguiar 18, Driver 59.

Falkirk: Flinders, McCaffrey, Barr, Bullen, Mitchell, Riera (Mark Stewart 85), McBride, Cregg (Barrett 67), O'Brien, Higdon, Lovell.
Subs Not Used: Olejnik, Lynch, John Stewart, Moffat, Staunton. Booked: Riera, Mitchell.

Goals: Lovell 16.

Att: 13,009