MacDonald gives hosts a headache
Hearts winger sam Nicholson shouldered the blame for his side failing to pick up their first home win since august 22. On an afternoon when the hosts created enough opportunities to win several matches, the best of them fell to the 20-year-old. Like team-mates Juanma and Osman sow, he was repeatedly denied by Kilmarnock goalkeeper, and former tynecastle employee, Jamie MacDonald. However, he admits he got it hopelessly wrong in the 24th minute. sent clear and with only the goalkeeper to beat, Nicholson attempted to set up a team-mate when he ought to have pulled the trigger himself. ‘I thought Osman sow was in a better shooting position than me, so I squared it across,’ he said. ‘that’s just football: the decisions you make can win or lose you games.’ Hearts have won 10 of their last 13 league matches at tynecastle and are holding on to third spot in the league but this really should have been their 11th win during that time and Nicholson knows it. However, he admits that he once again lost a psychological battle which former team-mate MacDonald has been waging on him for years now. ‘Jamo is an outstanding keeper and is a brilliant shotstopper,’ he said. ‘He is always confident when it comes to making big saves. One of my shots went straight to him — and he still managed to make it look like a great save. I don’t now how he managed that. ‘It was like being back in training, when he always had a mental block on me. I don’t know if he’s trying to carry that on or what, but I’m not too happy about it! ‘Basically, it’s all down to taking chances and I especially include myself in that. I could’ve scored a couple and, whether you call it luck or not, it’s not gone in for us. ‘When we were ahead I thought we were comfortable but, you’re never really safe at 1-0. When that (equaliser) happens, you start looking back at the chances you missed and think: “How did we lose that lead?”. I’m just as much to blame as anyone else.’ Hearts went ahead when referee John Beaton — who had, to put it mildly, an undistinguished afternoon — correctly awarded them a penalty when Conrad Balatoni brought down sow, a challenge the defender did not need to make. Jamie Walker scored from the spot but Hearts could not find the comfort of a second goal and Kilmarnock stung them 11 minutes from time when Balatoni, another former tynecastle man, equalised with a controlled finish. Former Hearts and Falkirk goalkeeper MacDonald admits he was taken aback by the quality of the commanding defender’s strike. ‘Conrad was here when he was younger and I played with him at Under-19 level before he moved on to Partick thistle — and what a finish for a centre-half!’ he said. ‘You’ll take a half-volley from the edge of the box any day. Did I expect it? Did I nowt! ‘He’s never done that in training — he’s usually just getting his big head in the way of things! ‘seriously, it was a great finish. I know he scored a few crackers for Partick and it’s great to have that goal threat from the back.’