Frustration for Hearts as Levein’s men draw blank in Livi stalemate
● Naismith header ruled out for offside ● Lions battle for deserved point
Frustrating Hearts is something Livingston are proving themselves highly adept at this term and last night they were again a thorn in the side of the Tynecastle club.
A 0-0 stalemate in their first meeting of the season, they followed that up with the 5-0 mauling on their own artificial turf. But Hearts will have hoped they had finally got the measure of the top-flight newcomers when they got a goal against them and succeeded in dumping them out of the Scottish Cup last month.
Since then Hearts have rediscovered some of their earlier season form and went into this one hoping to get a win to apply pressure on the clubs ahead of them as they try to make up lost ground and get back into the chase for a European place, or better.
Craig Levein certainly showed faith in his players and made only one change to the side that travelled to Rugby Park on Friday night and earned three points. That win had been the strongest indication yet that, with players returning from injury, the team that had set the early Premiership pace were getting back to that level of performance.
But, on a night when the discontent in the stands was clear to hear, Livingston proved
harder to break down and if Hearts had ideas, they failed to execute them in a way that caused their guests any real problems.
Early on John Souttar left Shaun byrne lagging behind as he broke upfield but the Scotland defender’s final shot was wide of Liam Kelly’s post.
There was joy soon afterwards when Steven Naismith had the ball in the net and the crowd on their feet but his glancing header from a Ollie Bozanic free-kick was flagged offside to kill the party vibe.
But there was some positivity in Hearts’ play at that stage, with some decent flowing moves, as they linked up well all over the pitch. However Livingston
are a team who have rarely been intimidated this term and there was nothing in their past encounters with the Gorgie side that led them to believe that they couldn’t weather their exploratory advances and hit back.
In recent weeks, where they have struggled to get results, they felt they had been unlucky, and manager Gary Holt pondered whether his men had started to become overconfident. He said he had asked them to get back to doing the ugly things well.
Last night they repelled anything that Hearts could throw at them and as the home side quickly ran out of pages in their playbook, proving far
too predictable and pedestrian in their build-ups, it was to prove a disappointing evening devoid of any creativity. Huffing and puffing, they just couldn’t find the quality they needed in the final third.
In the 43rd minute Olly Lee, who had been reinstated to the starting line-up, zinged a low swerving drive from distance. It didn’t beat Kelly but at least it forced the keeper to make a save, diving to his right to gather. But if the first half was an expert show in how to frustrate their hosts, Livingston upped the ante in the second half and, not content with keeping Hearts at bay, began to forage for their own breakthrough. It was a venture abetted by the hosts sitting off their West Lothian rivals and, having had to soak up Hearts’ pressure, Livingston began to apply some of their own and when Steven Lawless whipped a low ball across the face of Colin Doyle’s goal, Hakeem Odoffin was just centimetres from connecting.
Ten minutes into the second half, Odoffin broke through Christophe Berra and Bozanic and fired a shot across Doyle’s goal.
The Hearts fans were growing increasingly frustrated as their team backed off Livi, who were winning the second balls and applying pressure, while there was too much sloppiness in the home forays forward.
In the 62nd minute Craig Halkett’s long-range effort stung Doyle’s hands but never really looked like beating him but Holt’s men were looking the more likely team to make the breakthrough.
Hearts boss Levein eventually sent on Uche Ikpeazu, in the 65th minute. The big Englishman had been out with a foot injury since October and his absence had been felt by the capital side but his return offered a little spark although it was Ryan Hardie who had the best chance at the other end but his 70th minute header was tipped over.
From the corner Alan Lithgow won a header at the back post and nodded it down but Doyle was there to gather at the near post.
There was a final effort from Hearts with a Ikpeazu header but there was no fairytale comeback for the striker as Kelly made the save.