Livvy’s 10 men earn a salute with their courage
WHEN Ralph Hasenhuttl re-emerges from under his duvet at some stage this week, his first request before rebuilding his Southampton career should be for a DVD of this game.
Livingston’s battlers and their manager Gary Holt showed exactly how to limit the damage of playing for a sustained period with only 10 men, in this case from the 49th minute onwards following Aymen Souda’s dismissal.
Hearts were no ruthless Leicester, that’s for sure. They don’t currently possess the confidence to rattle up a score against anyone right now, never mind the quality which has been sorely lacking all season.
One goal, a winner, would have been gratefully received by a team now only a point above bottomplaced St Johnstone, who they face in Perth on Wednesday.
That trip, they hope, is a pleasure compared to confronting their problem club Livingston.
Craig Levein is still seeking a first Ladbrokes Premiership goal against Livvy since their return to the top flight.
Hearts players were forced to revisit the memory of their last visit to the Tony Macaroni Arena in the chat leading up to this clash.
They conceded all the goals of a 5-0 thrashing in the final 18 minutes last December.
Here, they had 41 plus three in injury time and took far too long to adjust to the new dynamic. What a contrast to the hosts, who brought on a defender, Hakeem Odoffin, midway through the second half and played him up front.
‘Sometimes when you play someone out of position it’s the novelty of it,’ said delighted manager Holt.
‘They run about and try to make things happen. Although Hakeem is a defender, he has great energy and presence. We didn’t sit in and challenged them to break us down. We played our game and kept forward-thinking players on the pitch to try to stretch the game.
‘To a man, we were brilliant. Not to concede a goal was immense.’
With Lyndon Dykes out injured, replacement Scott Robinson offered an entirely different threat to the visiting defence and one more likely to be played out on the deck.
So it proved as the former Hearts forward met Nicky Devlin’s cutback first time and visiting goalkeeper Joel Pereira did just enough to scramble a stop with his legs.
The evasive Souda troubled Jamie Brandon out wide, sending Pereira speeding to his right-hand post to shove the ball away for a corner.
But Hearts felt they edged the proceedings at 11 v 11 and should have profited.
The tussle between Uche Ikpeazu and Jon Guthrie was ferociously competitive, neither willing to give an inch — or chunk of jersey that both felt the need to grab. All the more galling for Hearts that when their striker wriggled into the clear, he spurned his chance midway through the first half.
A superb flick from Sean Clare sent Ikpeazu racing in on goal, but Livvy keeper Matija Sarkic’s one-handed save was excellent.
However, Hearts fans were left scratching their bobble hats as to how their marauding striker hadn’t plumped for power alone and blasted their team in front.
Ryotaro Meshino then went close with a wickedly-dipping drive as he cut in from the left.
The on-loan Manchester City schemer struggled on through illness, though, before giving way to Aidan Keena on 65 minutes.
Referee Greg Aitken had left the field at the interval to the sound of boos from the Hearts fans.
His first big call of the second half was cheered. Souda’s ridiculously high challenge on Christophe Berra in the Hearts penalty box earned the French-Tunisian a straight red card.
Livvy, however, refused to give Hearts encouragement that a personnel advantage would count for anything.
Indeed, Michael Smith was required to sweep in behind his keeper and clear off the line from Jack McMillan’s diagonal drive before the Tynecastle side showed any serious intent.
Levein introduced Callumn Morrison and Keena and split them either side of Ikpeazu.
Keena’s fierce 22-yard drive was batted away by Sarkic and the fresh impetus penned in Livvy for the final quarter of an hour.
But it was a challenge Holt’s men, were content to take up.
Seconds before the final whistle, Ikpeazu gathered Keena’s pass, swivelled and fired through the crowded area — but Sarkic was in the right place to make the save and Livingston secured a point they were treasuring more than their visitors.