NEW BOYS AT HEART OF WIN
THE Ian Cathro revolution continues apace. Although visibly drained by their exertions in the midweek rout of Rangers, Hearts found a new way to win against Motherwell, grinding out a second consecutive victory that, pleasingly for the Gorgie head coach, featured three goals shared between two of his new signings.
The game’s tipping point was the red card shown to Motherwell’s Carl McHugh, Andrew Dallas electing to send off the midfielder for a robust tackle on Don Cowie with the score deadlocked.
An appeal is in the post from an aggrieved Mark McGhee but that does not concern Cathro, who was buoyed by watching his team seize upon their numerical advantage to score through Alexandros Tziolis and Esmael Goncalves.
It may have taken the Edinburgh team time to find their flow, but there was no standing on ceremony from Cathro following last Wednesday’s impressive 4-1 win.
Out for the Fir Park trip went the midweek opening goalscorer Krystian Nowak and captain Perry Kitchen in favour of the Greek duo of Anastasios Avlonitis and Tziolis.
In terms of pedigree, Tziolis looks the pick of the club’s nine January recruits and he backed it up with a supremely assured performance on his first start since terminating his contract with PAOK. Deployed in the sitting-midfield role here, the 31-year-old strolled through the game with the confidence you would expect of someone who has been to World Cups and played in the top leagues of Spain, Italy and Germany.
Tziolis’ role is key to the way Hearts want to play, with the four in front of him constantly rotating in support of the main striker — Bjorn Johnsen at the start of the game and to greater effect in the second half, Goncalves.
Jamie Walker, Rangers’ chief tormentor in midweek, was popping up everywhere, drifting off the right to fizz a 20-yard shot over the bar and then appearing off the other side to hit the side netting. Without the suspended Scott McDonald, the home side found it harder to make gains in the final third but they did come closest to scoring before half-time.
First, Lionel Ainsworth’s deflected shot required Avlonitis to block on the line and then controversy threatened when Louis Moult flashed a free-kick wide.
Malaury Martin was booked by referee Dallas for the alleged foul on the edge of the box but Moult had in fact been felled by the trailing leg of Ainsworth as he attempted to work a shooting angle.
That was the fourth caution of a competitive but hardly fractious opening period.
Shortly after the interval, McHugh received the ultimate football sanction for felling Cowie. The Motherwell man protested that he had won the ball but Dallas judged that the challenge was dangerous.
McGhee reacted by making a double substitution in which Lee Lucas and Stephen Pearson, making his third debut for the club, entered the fray but before they could catch breath the substitutes found themselves part of a trailing team.
Tziolis had not shown much inclination to advance to within shooting range, but fancied his chances as space opened up 22 yards out. If the Greek’s passing bears a hallmark of quality, his shooting is clearly charmed. Keith Lasley’s efforts to close down the shot were punished when the ball looped up off his foot and over Craig Samson’s head for the opening goal.
Although Motherwell retained a threat on the counter, it was Hearts who seized control with Goncalves, now operating as the lone striker after Johnsen was substituted at the break, providing the clinching touch after a couple of near misses.
Tziolis set the ball roling with a pass to Mo Choulay on the right and the on-loan Stoke winger advanced before slotting Goncalves through for a measured finish that put the game to bed.
Goncalves should have had a hat-trick. Before notching his second, the former St Mirren man was denied by Samson in another one-on-one but any regrets over that miss were soon banished as he slotted home Choulay’s low cross.