17th December 2022. Hearts 3 Kilmarnock 1

 


Well at Last the SPL was back. Cammy Devlin, Nate Atkinson and Kye Rowles had all returned uninjured for the World Cup in Qatar although Rowles was suspended from todays match after beings ent off in last home game against Livingston. I left home just after 14.00 and walked down to Tynecastle arriving around 14.20. Displayed my season ticket and wandered up the stairs to the refreshment kiosk. After a coffee and a sausage roll, costing £5, I wander up to my seat in the main sand to watch the sides warming up. 

Hearts had Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley back in defence after injury while Andy Halliday came in at left-back replacing Orestis Kiomortzoglou who dropped to the bench. Josh Ginnelly liked up at centre forward with Lawrence Shankland moving to a right sided attacking position. Kilmarnock lost Innes Cameron who seemed to pull a hamstring in the warm-up and he was replaced up front by debutant Bobby Wales. 

Hearts the game well  and the returning Halliday had the first sight at goal for the Jambos, 11 minutes in. Josh Ginnelly made ground down the left and his deep cross was eventually teed up for Halliday, who curled the ball straight at Sam Walker in the Killie goal. In nineteen minutes Hearts went ahead. Defender Joe Wright mis-headed a clearance and the ball fell behind into the path of Ginnelly. The striker rushed into the penalty area and short past Max Walker in the Kilmarnock goal from around twelve yards. Hearts scored a second in twenty-eight minutes. Barrie McKay was fouled on the left and edge of the penalty area. Robert Snodgrass floated the free-kick towards Shankland at the far post who headed down and past Waker in the Kilmarnock goal to I've Hearts a two goal lead. Alex Cochrane thought he had scored a third for Hearts after thirty-five minutes but his strike was ruled out for offside. Craig Gordon in the Hearts goal had his first save after forty-four minutes when he pushed a shot from Liam Polworth away for a corner. The resultant corner found Liam Donnelly who headed wide from close range. 

The second half started with Halliday having an early chance for Hearts. A pass from Devlin found him on the edge of the penalty area on the left. His right foot shot was pushed away for a corner by Kilmarnock keeper Walker. Kilmarnock pulled a goal back after seventy-two minutes. A free-kick by Daniel Armstrong was floated into the Hearts penalty box for Ash Taylor to shoot low past Gordon to bring his side back into the game. McKay had a chance to clinch the game for Hearts with about ten minutes left but his shot was deflected past the post. Hearts clinched the game as the match moved into injury time. Wright handled the ball under a challenge from Shankland and referee Collum awarded Hearts a penalty.  Shankland made no mistake sending Walker the wrong way to clinch another three points for Hearts.

After the game I walked home quite happy after another convincing performance by Hearts. Another couple of goals for Shankland is changing my opinion that he only scores against poor opposition and he could become the first Hearts player to score twenty league goals ps in a season since John Robertson. 

Teams
Hearts: Gordon, M. Smith, Kingsley, Halkett, Shankland, Devlin, Halliday, McKay, Cochrane, Ginnelly, Snodgrass.
Subs: Grant, Kiomourtzoglou, Forrest, Sibbick, C. Smith

Kilmarnock: Walker, Mayo, Power, Taylor, McKenzie, Armstrong, Wright, McInroy, Donnelly, Wales, Polworth.
Subs: Murray, Robinson, Alebiosu, Doidge, Chrisene.

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