KILMARNOCK... 0 HEARTS ............ 0
Jambos are just not firing for Cathro
The one that got away: Kilmarnock’s Kris Boyd can’t quite believe he squandered a golden opportunity to break the deadlock at Rugby Park.
KILMARNOCK 0 HEARTS 0
HEARTS did not lose. Given everything Ian Cathro has gone through in what has been a fiery managerial baptism, avoiding defeat must be considered a small mercy, at least.
Yet this is the kind of fixture, Kilmarnock away, that the really good teams — sides with European ambitions, say — view as golden opportunities. Invitations for three points not to be spurned.
So, yes, Hearts were the better team at Rugby Park, on both balance of play and chances created, especially in a frantic final half-hour.
Killie challenged in fits and starts but could hardly claim to have been in the ascendancy for more than five or ten minutes at a time.
In failing to add to a paltry total of just three away wins all season, however, Cathro’s men merely continued the trend for getting a miserly return on their investment in games.
They put a lot into this one, only to leave with a feeling they should have bagged the win.
A second victory on the bounce would have done Cathro, in particular, no end of good. It might even have begun to silence some of those oft-aired doubts about his suitability and precise role within the club.
Hearts owner Ann Budge’s vote of confidence, part of a stronglyworded condemnation of ‘ludicrous’ media focus on a rookie head coach trying to break new ground, had pretty much guaranteed everyone would be watching this one with added interest.
Of course, if a run of two wins in ten games had raised inevitable questions about Cathro, Budge’s need to clarify the role played by director of football Craig Levein only kept the debate ticking over. With plenty of negative comment reflecting results.
The visitors appeared to have a slight edge over Lee McCulloch’s men early on, settling into a rhythm of patient possession, even if they managed to carve out only a couple of slender chances.
On 15 minutes, Jamie Walker smuggled the ball through a ruck of legs to Arnaud Djoum bursting into the box, the midfielder going down amid the most half-hearted of penalty appeals.
Moments later, a sloppy bit of defending by Kilmarnock’s Kristoffer Ajer presented Esmael Goncalves with a half sight on goal — but his right-footed volley on the run flew wide of the far post without troubling goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.
That’s not to say Killie were without their own attacking intent. The space afforded Sean Longstaff to stride forward after 27 minutes and let fly with a left-footed drive — which went just over the crossbar — was encouraging for the home fans.
At this stage of the action, the game was shaping up to be a tight, tetchy and tense affair.
Killie had to adjust to the loss of central midfielder Martin Smith as half-time drew near, Dean Hawkshaw taking his place.
And the substitute earned instant applause for thundering into a 50-50 challenge within seconds of taking the field. It was that kind of night.
Almost straight from kick-off in the second half, Kilmarnock carved out the best chance, Cal Roberts darting in from the right and pulling a low, left-footed shot just wide from 12 yards. Longstaff also missed the target, albeit from much further out, after a free-kick was half cleared by Hearts in 50 minutes.
Kris Boyd was looking ever threatening in search of a telling cross, his mere presence inducing a state of minor panic among defenders. Something had to change for the visitors if they weren’t to be swept away.
Cathro reacted swiftly, replacing stand-in centre-half Prince Buaben with striker Rory Currie, the forward moving on to the left wing as Hearts reverted to a more orthodox back four.
It only did so much to stem the tide, as Killie continued to press around the Hearts box.
With 58 minutes gone, a corner was nodded down to the feet of Boyd inside the box, with bodies between him and the goal — but his shot, miles over the bar, was a bad miss by his standards.
Goncalves was unfortunate to see his struck effort from outside the box deflected wide by the boot of Iain Wilson.
There were two more moments of anguish for the visitors to endure. The first when a free-kick from Boyd fizzed low and hard, just past the outside of the post.
And then, in time added on, a deep cross to the back post found the veteran poacher stealing in to connect with his head. He just couldn’t get enough on the ball to direct it goalwards.