Hibernian 2-0 Hearts: Derby day countdown: Capital's SPL Classics Part IV

Sproule and Hibs burst the Hearts bubble and extract their revengeEaster Road: 29 October 2005Hibernian 2, 0 Hearts

HEARTS arrived at Easter Road, top of the league and unbeaten in the first 12 matches of the 2005-2006 season, but the abrupt departure of manager George Burley a week earlier gave Hibernian every hope of shattering the run.

With Burley gone, John McGlynn slotted into the caretaker manager role for a derby at Easter Road that had everything, including reports of a blazing row between Hearts majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov and chief executive Phil Anderton in a room within Easter Road.

On the pitch, there was no reason to think Hearts, with their solid spine of Craig Gordon, Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley, would fall to pieces in the absence of Burley, and their supporters were heard singing the ill-fated words 'we are unbeatable' as the Edinburgh derby atmosphere cranked up to its usual fever pitch in anticipation of kick-off.

In driving rain, the game began at a frantic pace, with referee John Underhill under pressure to stop tempers from boiling over with several combustible characters involved in a midfield battle, including Hartley, Rudi Skacel, Scott Brown and Michael Stewart.

Hibs were still hurting from their 4-0 drubbing at Tynecastle at the start of the season, and went piling forward for an early breakthrough, with Derek Riordan and Garry O'Connor both coming close as they thrived on the service they were getting from man of the match Kevin Thomson and his fellow midfielders.

Hearts, too, had their chances in a derby that swung from end to end, Hartley – on a prolific run of goalscoring form – shooting tamely at Zibi Malkowski after Skacel had picked him out, and Samuel Camazzola trying his luck with a long-range effort.

The complexion of the game altered dramatically when Edgaras Jankauskas was red-carded when he reacted angrily to a challenge from Brown.

As McGlynn complained afterwards: "He was on a yellow card previously, he's an experienced player and I think he should have known better than to get involved. At 0-0 and with 11 players on the park I felt that we were at least capable of keeping a clean sheet. Going down to 10 men made it more difficult."

Indeed it did. Hibs smelled blood and went for the jugular, laying siege to the Hearts goal as their opponents began to wilt.

Substitute Ivan Sproule, whose pace and energy was a big factor in swinging the game Hibs' way, disagreed with McGlynn and says a win was going the home team's way regardless of the red card for Jankauskas.

"We played very well that day. We just seemed to run all over Hearts that day from start to finish and because they had started the season so well, I don't think they had had a team in their faces like that," Sproule, now at Bristol City, told The Scotsman yesterday.

Sproule, who was sent into the fray by Tony Mowbray within minutes of the dismissal, added: "Hearts were full of confidence that day, but we were determined to bring their unbeaten run to an end and that maybe just gave us the edge. The margin in derbies is sometimes so thin that it comes down to who wants it more on the day and I think that it was a case of that in this game."

Hibs had to be patient though and they never found a way past Hearts until the 78th minute. Sproule was instrumental in fashioning the opening goal, wriggling his way to the bye-line and providing a perfect cut-back for Guillaume Beuzelin to bundle the ball into the net via a post.

O'Connor doubled the advantage when he had the time and space to chest down a chipped free-kick from David Murphy and crash a shot past Gordon to wrap up the points for Hibs.

Hearts stayed top of the league despite this setback, which McGlynn described as "a kick in the teeth, a blip", but the events on and off the pitch had lasting effects on the shape of their season, which eventually yielded the Scottish Cup, but a lot of turmoil too.

Goalkeeper Gordon was more outspoken about Hearts' failings on the day. "We didn't even turn up," he said. "There can be loads of reasons for that, but as players we've got to take the responsibility to get ourselves up for games. It is only one game – one setback in a long season. That's football and we've got to bounce back. Mr Romanov spoke to us after the game and that was pretty much his message."

Hibs were just happy to make up for their four-goal humbling at Tynecastle. "Winning a derby means everything," said Sproule, "we were just happy to send the fans home with a smile on their faces."

In the past three years both clubs have undergone seismic shifts in terms of personnel, and only six of the 32 players who were stripped for this game are still at their clubs – Riordan (back at Hibs via Celtic), Steven Fletcher and Chris Hogg for Hibs and for Hearts, Salius Mikoliunaus, Lee Wallace and Robbie Neilson. Michael Stewart played too, for Hibs, but he will be back at Easter Road in a Hearts shirt this time around.

Hibernian: Malkowski, Caldwell, Hogg (Smith 51), Rudge, Murphy, Scott Brown, Beuzelin, Stewart (Sproule 67), Thomson, O'Connor, Riordan (Shiels 84). Subs not used: Simon Brown, Fletcher, Glass, Morrow.

Hearts: Gordon, Neilson, Pressley, Webster, Fyssas, Brellier (Wallace 61), Hartley, Camazzola, Pospisil (Elliot 83), Jankauskas, Skacel. Subs not used: Banks, McAllister, Simmons, Mikoliunas, Tall.

Referee: J Underhill.

Attendance: 17,180.

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