Feisty clash for off-field friends
Inverness CT Hearts
ALASDAIR FRASER
AT THE CALEDONIAN STADIUM
THEY may be the best of friends off the field, but the schmaltzy stuff was soon forgotten last night as Caley Thistle and Hearts produced a fiercelycontested Championship confrontation.
Miles Storey’s cool early finish was wiped out before the break by Liam Boyce as Hearts stretched their lead to 12 points after a third consecutive draw.
The Foundation of Heartsinspired buy-up of virtual tickets topped 11,000 before kick-off, guaranteeing the hard-pressed Highlanders somewhere approaching a £100,000 windfall.
Nevertheless, the first half proved a physical contest spiked with venom.
Inverness, made the brightest of starts in their first exchanges under Neil McCann’s guidance, with the former Hearts winger beginning an indefinite stand-in stint for John Robertson, during his compassionate leave.
In the 10th minute James Keatings spotted a darting run from Storey, who showed strength nipping between two Maroon defenders before clipping a 10-yard shot high beyond Craig Gordon’s reach.
But Boyce claimed his 11th goal of the season with a close-range touch past home keeper Mark Ridgers.
It remained spicy into the second half with Craig Gordon and David Carson taking bookings after squaring up. But for their control of possession, Hearts often lacked quality and conviction to find a winner.
STEVEN GERRARD has urged Rangers to finish what they have started this season as they prepare for a huge month in March that could see them write their names in Ibrox folklore.
Victory over Royal Antwerp on Thursday night has set up a last-16 clash with Slavia Prague as Rangers look to surpass their achievements of 12 months ago and progress to the quarter-finals.
The coming weeks will also give Gerrard’s side a chance to clinch the Premiership title. It has been a campaign to remember so far at Ibrox and Gerrard is determined to make it a special one for supporters and deliver domestic success and a prolonged European run.
Gerrard said: “Listen, it is a really exciting time to be connected to this club and we have worked so hard to put ourselves in this position.
“We have achieved something big and special by getting to the last-16 and matching last year. We want to try and keep being ambitious and keep aiming for the stars and go one step further, or maybe two. Who knows?
“In terms of the league, everyone is aware there is a lot of noise on the outside and opinions on the team. For us, it is just about sticking to our narrative on the inside.”