Clare cracker gives Jam Tarts a slice of the cake in a thriller
St Johnstone were seconds from hauling Hearts down to earth after their heroics last week against Rangers.
But a last-gasp Sean Clare stunner put the Jam Tarts back on cloud nine at the end of a thrilling contest in Perth.
Clare, Steven Naismith and Liam Boyce were on target for Hearts, while Stevie May (2) and Ali McCann notched for Saints in this topsy-turvy bottom half tussle.
It was one furious Saints gaffer Tommy Wright felt his side should have won.
By contrast, Hearts boss Daniel Stendel finished the day relatively happy, despite being shocked by his side’s poor second-half showing.
“I will need some time to understand what happened in the second half,” he said.
“I thought in the first half we were in control, even when St Johnstone scored I felt we controlled the game. At half-time I told the players if they play the same again they would win.
“In the second half we played a different game and it was like we had different players on the pitch.
“We lost our ideas.
“At half-time I didn’t think I would be saying I’d be happy with a point but when you see the second half I am.”
With January signings Tony Sibbick and Liam Boyce in the side, Hearts dominated the early possession.
Saints, for whom Chris McCart was the only new recruit on the field, couldn’t get a foothold.
So when Ali McCann’s smart cut-back after a home break away found Stevie May 12 yards out, the striker’s sweeping finish for the opening goal came firmly against the run of play.
To Hearts’ credit, they didn’t change their approach.
They were rewarded within 10 minutes when Sibbick collected an Andy Irving ball and crossed low and hard for Boyce, who beat McCart on the slide to equalise.
With confidence banked from last week’s win over Rangers, the Jam Tarts pressed for a second – and got it five minutes later.
Steven Naismith was the man on the mark, nodding home from more or less on the line after a Zander Clark left himself stranded with a blundering, armless attempt to clear an Irving free kick.
By the time the break rolled around, Hearts looked comfortable, and Saints’ loss of centre-half Liam Gordon following a head knock looked to have weakened the home side.
On the contrary – they came out for the second half like a team possessed.
Ali McCann’s cool-as-acucumber performances in midfield have seen admiring glances cast his way from across the UK.
The way he drew Saints level – side-footing coolly into the corner from 18 yards after May’s cut back – will only attract more interest.
In the aftermath, Hearts seemed to go to pieces.
A goal was coming for the home side, and it arrived after Craig Halkett was adjudged to have hauled down Jason Kerr in the box, leaving May to smash home his second of the game from the penalty spot.
But just as it looked like Saints would claim the three points, Sean Clare popped up to claim a share of the spoils for Hearts with a stunning half-volley.