BOYD BLAST COMES BACK TO BYTE HIM
Killie star’s Cathro video game slur is booted rout
could be significant, at the cost of £1million – was the first-half injury to opening goalscorer Callum Paterson who was carried off in agony after twisting his knee in a challenge on Nathan Tyson.
Director of football Craig Levein put the seven-figure price tag on the Scotland full-back, who had seemed certain to leave Tynecastle next month but who now faces an anxious few days to discover the extent of the injury.
Never mind a million, this win was priceless for Cathro, who has been subject to scorn, including from his own fans, after three games in charge that had yielded only a point and even then fortuitously against Partick Thistle.
This was a return to great expectations with first-half strikes from Paterson and Arnaud Djoum and a second-half double from Jamie Walker securing their most impressive victory of the season. Hearts could even afford a penalty miss in injury time when sub Dario Zanatta, bundled off the ball as he raced into the box, had his spot-kick saved to his left by Jamie MacDonald.
However the Jambos easily cemented fourth position in the league with fast and free flowing football ripping Killie to shreds almost at will, in the second half especially.
Lee Clark’s side have now conceded more goals than any other side in the Premiership and just two wins on the road all season tells a sorry tale of a side whose form is so shady and inconsistent they will do well to avoid another relegation dogfight.
Still, the night belonged to Hearts and the only scunner for the new boss is they have only one more game before the winter break, when he would surely have preferred the opportunity to build on nights like these. Boyd’s waistline was the butt of a few uncomplimentary comments from the terraces either side of the dugouts but the striker almost feasted on an error after four minutes.
He swerved to dummy a cross from Tyson and Igor Rossi was caught unawares as he knocked the ball into the former Scotland star’s path.
Jack Hamilton rushed to narrow the angle and although Boyd managed to poke a shot beyond him, Rossi atoned for his earlier error by clearing the ball as it threatened to squirm over the line.
Hearts heeded that early warning and in spectacular fashion too as Paterson struck with his eighth goal of the season after just seven minutes.
A Walker corner from the right was met by Perry Kitchen and his header was cleared by the Killie defence but only into the path of Paterson, who swivelled and fired a sweet left-foot volley low into the net from 18 yards.
Sadly for Paterson it was his last contribution as he stretched his left knee making a tackle on Tyson on the touchline only a couple of minutes later.
He was clearly in pain as the physio manipulated and massaged the knee