Hearts 3-2 Falkirk: Victory is worth the wait

THE figure who turned, fists clenched, bawling with delight in front of Tynecastle's main stand at full-time on Saturday had clearly been through the mill.

"Why am I back in this?" quipped Jim Jefferies entering the post-match media conference. No-one offered an answer, because anyone who remotely knows the man doesn't need one. Hearts made their manager sweat for the first victory of his second tenure. They were justifiably 1-0 ahead until first-half stoppage-time when a Dawid Kucharski own goal handed Steven Pressley an unlikely equaliser on his managerial debut with Falkirk. Hearts scored twice after the interval to move seemingly beyond reach, only for visiting substitute Pedro Moutinho to reduce the deficit and ensure a nervous closing period for Jefferies.

Any mental exhaustion was eclipsed by a sense of personal vindication within the 59-year-old, however.

He excluded Christian Nade from the matchday squad because of recent poor form. The Frenchman is also subject to disciplinary action from his club after punching Ian Black in the Celtic Park dressing room last Wednesday. As if the initial fortnight of Jefferies' return to Tynecastle had not been frenetic enough.

In Nade's absence, Hearts struck three goals in a match for the first time this season, the lively attacking due of Gary Glen and David Obua fully justifying their selection.

"I left Nade out because I don't think he's been doing particularly well," said Jefferies. "He's been part of a team not scoring goals. We had young Gary Glen who is on a rehab course for confidence and we scored three goals. It was a justified decision. I left Nade out not for discipline reasons but because I was not going to play him anyway."

Nade's Tynecastle career is now in jeopardy only weeks after he was offered a three-year contract extension by the club hierarchy. "We will wait and see what the outcome of the discipline is. It's too early to make any decisions on anyone," continued Jefferies.

"The club have made a statement, we will deal with that internally and I can't tell you what it will be.

"In general, if they (the players] don't perform and play then that can apply to someone else that might not play for Hearts again because they are not doing well enough. They have all got a chance – everyone knows I'm hard but fair."

It was entirely fitting that Black should score the winning goal and emerge as the game's outstanding player having suffered Nade's tantrum. His 67th-minute interception preceded a raking drive with his supposed weaker left foot which thundered into the Falkirk net via the underside of the crossbar.

It was the midfielder's first goal since last summer's move from Inverness, and he celebrated with a bout of shadow boxing in a pertinent retort at Nade.

"It's my first goal and probably one of the best goals I've scored in my career. For it to be the winner with the club I love, I'm absolutely delighted," he said.

"I still think I've got a lot more to come. I just want to keep the manager happy. I have to criticise myself at times as I feel I have more to give. I've had a good look at myself since the new manager has come in. I'm relishing the chance, the management like me and gave me the opportunity. They've picked me right up and I'm really enjoying it. I knew I wasn't playing my best and I had to sit back and have a word.

"To get the three points was the most important in the manager's first home game. You could see that at the final whistle, the emotion the gaffer and Billy (Brown] had. It's a big change but everybody sees us out there enjoying it. If you need a boot up the backside he gives you one. I always said to myself we are due a few goals. We're delighted it happened at home."

Lee Wallace opened the scoring after five minutes, albeit in rather fortuitous fashion. The ball bobbled as he delivered a cross from the left flank and took off over the head of Robert Olejnik and into the Falkirk net. Hearts controlled most of the opening 45 minutes but the visitors equalised when full-back Marc Twaddle collected a free-kick in space on the left and drove the ball across goal. Kucharski became the wrong man in the wrong place as Twaddle's cross ricocheted off his foot and beyond Marian Kello.

Despite Falkirk's impressive opening to the second half, a tidy finish from Suso Santana and Black's screamer afforded Hearts a 3-1 advantage until substitute Moutinho struck with seven minutes remaining. That gave the visitors hope for the final moments but Jefferies' side held their nerve to secure a win and propel themselves back into the SPL's top six.

Pressley, an animated figure in the visiting technical area throughout the game, lamented moments of ill-fortune and small details which he believed denied his team a point.

"I spoke to the players to say two of the key ingredients in football are spirit and desire and we showed plenty of that," he remarked. "In my opinion we didn't deserve to lose. Little details make the difference but I can't fault my players. I saw our desire and spirit in abundance. I thought we could win the game at half-time so I made a positive change (replacing Jack Compton with Enoch Showunmi]. I wanted to take the game to Hearts and I think we began to impose ourselves. We were unfortunate not to go in front at that stage."

Had they done so the game would have taken on an entirely different complexion, not to mention further accelerating Jefferies' pulse rate. He alone would have been grateful for the respite of a maiden victory.