Irving crushes Ayr resistance
WHILE the jocular nickname ‘The Porty Pirlo’ is coated in playful overstatement, the increasing importance of Andy Irving was underlined as Hearts eked out a 2-0 victory against Ayr United.
The Gorgie men, who limped to three draws prior to last weekend’s win over Dundee, appeared destined to endure another infuriating afternoon at Tynecastle, even as they edge ever closer to their inevitable title triumph.
Chances were wasted — Andy Halliday and Armand Gnanduillet the main culprits — and they found teen goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo in inspired form for the opposition.
However, the cultured left foot possessed by the pride of Portobello proved pivotal, with his deep free-kick finding Gnanduillet to finally open the scoring deep into the second half. Irving, out of contract this summer, cannot sign a new deal quickly enough for those of a Hearts persuasion.
Resistance broken, Jamie Walker made the game safe in the closing stages to keep Hearts 15 points clear at the Championship summit and ensure David Hopkin’s first game as Ayr boss ended in defeat.
‘They sat in with 11 players, all 30 yards from goal — so it was always going to be tough,’ said relieved Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson. ‘We’ve seen these games before, where you have loads of possession and they sit deep, nullify the game, kill the game, hit it long.
‘If you get an early goal you can win convincingly but otherwise it can be a bit of a slog.’
Indeed. Although only named Ayr boss 48 hours earlier, diligent Hopkin clearly had enough time on the training ground to ensure the Honest Men were a stoic unit. Their 4-1-4-1 frustrated the hosts for well over an hour.
With clear-cut opportunities a scarce commodity in the first period, Halliday cut an understandably frustrated figure when he spurned one. The combative midfielder made a perfectly timed run into the box to meet an Aaron McEneff cut-back but could only fire his shot straight at Sinisalo.
Tom Walsh’s header into the arms of Craig Gordon — otherwise, a bystander on his 200th Hearts appearance — was a rare moment of threat posed by the visitors.
Sinisalo, on loan from Aston Villa, was excelling in Gorgie and made a wonderful low save to deny Gnanduillet from a tight angle. From the resulting corner-kick, Craig Halkett nodded wide.
A sleepy second period was enlivened when Michael Smith found Gnanduillet with a sensational defence-splitting pass, only for the Frenchman’s low shot to be superbly saved by Sinisalo.
On the turf where Antti Niemi become a Hearts hero, Finland’s latest goalkeeping prospect was making his mark.
‘I thought some of the saves he (Sinisalo) made were incredible,’ lauded Hopkin, immediately after the full-time whistle. ‘He is a young goalkeeper with a bright future.’
Substitute Walker then lashed a wayward effort wildly over the bar from 10 yards when he met a Smith cross and appeared destined to break the deadlock.
However, Sinisalo was finally beaten when Gnanduillet powered home an unstoppable header from point-blank range, owing much to Irving’s delightful delivery.
Walker made up for his earlier glaring miss by latching onto a half-cleared cross and slamming home his seventh of the season.
Hopkin was far from downbeat as he surveyed the battle for safety ahead. ‘We were excellent,’ he said.
‘Even the flair players were prepared to work hard and if I see that commitment, desire and enthusiasm, we won’t be far away.’