HeartsH fans in a fury but Levein remains defiant
Hearts wanted to set the tone for the campaign.
Instead they were set upon by Ross County as Tynecastle turned on Craig Levein.
The newly-promoted Staggies carved out numerous chances and missed a late penalty that could have turned one point into a deserved three.
In response, Hearts fans reacted furiously.
They directed their full-time ire squarely at their manager.
But the Jam Tarts gaffer struck a defiant tone, post match, insisting his self-belief-starved players are ready to work their backsides off to win fan favour.
“I tell players when they come here that it’s a brilliant place to play – but if things aren’t going well, you’ll know about it,” said Levein.
“These moments are exactly as we’ve spoken about.
“You can’t just hand someone a bag of confidence – you just need to dig in when it gets like this.
“From my point of view the answer is everyone sticking together and working hard.
“You just have to fight and be organised, which are things we can work on.”
The Hearts fans came with expectations. The narrowness of the Jam Tarts’ opening weekend loss to Aberdeen had been tough to take, but there were positives in the performance.
Against County, the Gorgie punters wanted a show of dominance from their side.
Instead, they watched them hang on for a draw.
The Staggies are no mugs. Last week’s 3-0 win over Hamilton Accies proved that.
Against Hearts, they further emphasised their top league credentials.
The home side did threaten first, through Conor Washington, who capitalised on some sluggish defending to fire off a volley from a narrow angle.
But Ross Laidlaw in the County goal was equal to it – and his team-mates were sparked into life by his intervention.
The Staggies crafted five excellent chances to take the lead before the break, but only forced Hearts stopper Bobby Zlamal into one save, when Josh Mullin’s superb volley needed an acrobatic stop.
Tynecastle, expectations confounded, began to roil with discontent.
When the home fans feel hard done-by, their anger weighs heavy on their players’ shoulders.
The pattern continued into the second half, which began without Steven Naismith, substituted with a hamstring strain.
Just before the hour, Gardyne shaped to cross from the left but struck the crossbar as Hearts watched, helpless.
Then just over 10 minutes later, Gardyne sent Ross Stewart clean through on goal, only for the attacker to fire high and wide with the goal gaping.
Up to that point, the home fans had mostly held their tongues, but their team’s torpor had finally pushed them to breaking point.
The torrent of boos that followed Stewart’s miss was brief, but it was profound.
The pressure quickly reached boiling point.
The flashpoint came when Aidy White lost out to Marcus Fraser in a battle for possession by the corner flag.
The County full back surged into Hearts’ box, only for White to clip his heels, giving referee Alan Muir no choice but to award the Staggies a penalty.
Brian Graham, on for Billy Mckay, stepped up to take the spot kick, but crashed his effort off the post, and then Gardyne fired the rebound wide.
Having started the day set on taking three points, the home side ended it lucky to claim one.
For most Hearts fans, that simply isn’t good enough.