Why Uche Ikpeazu’s return makes Hearts a different proposition

Uche Ikpeazu made his return for Hearts after more than 100 days out. Joel Sked looks at the player’s performance against Livingston and the influence he possesses.

It was just after 9pm. 9.06pm to be precise. The moment Hearts fans had been waiting 63 minutes for. In fact the moment Hearts fans had been waiting for since 18 October.

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One hundred and eleven days after Craig Levein broke the news that Uche Ikepazu and John Souttar would miss around six months of action the English striker returned to the first-team squad for the visit of Livingston.

Uche Ikpeazu returned for Hearts. Picture: SNS/Ross ParkerUche Ikpeazu returned for Hearts. Picture: SNS/Ross Parker
Uche Ikpeazu returned for Hearts. Picture: SNS/Ross Parker

His presence brought excitement and fans were eager to get a glimpse of the 23-year-old. A warm-up jog passed the Main Stand and around to the Gorgie Stand prompted a rapturous reception.

After a positive start the home side regressed to a tepid then turgid performance. During the first 45 minutes there were shouts directed towards the bench, towards Craig Levein to “GET UCHE ON”.

The expectation in the build-up was that he would just miss out, pencilled in for an appearance in the Scottish Cup fifth round tie with Auchinleck Talbot. But there he was, the returning totem, the fans’ favourite, the man who is edging towards cult hero status despite having made only 11 appearances for the club so far.

Around the hour mark with a growing restlessness sweeping around Tynecastle, Ikpeazu made his way back to the dugout. Apprehension and frustration made way for a surge of enthusiasm, a sense of giddiness.

It was a sensible move.

Each backward pass, each slack touch, each clumsy foul was adding to the ire of the home crowd. So much so that Steven Naismith had stopped cajoling his team-mates for a moment to direct his particular form of encouragement to the fans.

The impatience of the Hearts support, the Dundee defeat fresh in the memory, was feeding into the team’s play like an IV drip.

One way to get the team back on side was Uche. The battering ram, the one-man attacking force.

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From the moment he came on in the 5-0 win over Cowdenbeath in the Betfred Cup fans witnessed his bulldozing qualities. A few days later, against Inverness CT, he left discombobulated highlanders in his wake. He made his way off the pitch with just over ten minutes remaining to great acclaim. The support had been won over and were already chanting his name.

In the seven fixtures he played before being ruled out through a foot injury he added just one more goal. But he provides so much more than just goals. He doesn’t occupy defenders, he occupies defences. After he bullied Hamilton and then made light work of Celtic to set up Kyle Lafferty for the only goal of the game there was a sense that opponents would turn up with a reinforced fort, complete with moat and trebuchet to stop him.

His presence gave Hearts a focal point to hit. He opened up space for Steven Naismith to forage in and got the best from Steven MacLean.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a better header than the one he scored against Kilmarnock and then there was his bravery to win the ball which lead to the winner at Motherwell but ultimately cost him 20 matches. All he could do was watch from the sidelines as Hearts’ season slowly but surely derailed.

With Hearts pushing for a European spot and cup success he was back.

People turned to those next to them, a nod, a motion to the dugout. His training gear was off and No.19 was waiting by the sideline to make his return.

It barely took him any time at all to announce himself as back. Taking the ball in and pinning a Livi defender. Moments later with the ball at his feet in the corner, but Craig Halkett and Declan Gallagher on his back, he spun away, bursting between the duo like a restless traveller who has just been let through the barriers at Waverley Station for free.

Hearts now had a target in attack. Someone to bring a bit of chaos to the final third when, for half an hour, it had been serene for the Livi defence.

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If life was perfect, the game would have would have ended with Ikpeazu heading past Liam Kelly when presented with the chance but his effort went straight to the goalkeeper.

His presence was about the only positive from a game which finished with boos reverberating around Tynecastle. The striker looked in lean shape with the same hunger he brought to the start of his Hearts career.

Between now and the end of the season he will be looking to make up for lost time and fans will be looking for him to provide that anarchy in attack. He could be the difference between the season petering out or a successful ending.

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