NET GAINS
Hearts new boy Callachan gets Levein era up and running
NICE CATCH: Ross Callachan takes the acclaim after scoring the opener at Hamilton yesterday
IAN CATHRO’S laptop would have been screaming for mercy had it been asked to replay the descent of this game from a Hearts stroll into a desperately dour scrap.
The cheers from a 2,000-strong travelling support summed up the approval rating of the new coaching set-up, however, as Craig Levein schemed the type of gritty and unattractive success that was simply beyond his previous appointment.
Hearts emerged with three points thanks to first-half goals from Ross Callachan, in only his second appearance for the club, and a 30th-birthday penalty by Kyle Lafferty.
After Rakish Bingham pulled one back for Hamilton on 33 minutes, the home side were the dominant force in an increasingly fractious, fiery and unedifying spectacle.
Yet Hearts were happy in those circumstances and you suspect Levein loved that viewing because it verified that he has personnel available to handle tough, rough road tests such as this before they eventually return to Tynecastle.
When Jamie Walker survives snarling confrontations with Darian MacKinnon to shine as one of the best performers, you know Levein is getting his message across. He will have this outfit battle-hardened for the winter.
‘That’s a rather frightening prospect,’ said Levein of Walker having MacKinnon bawling in his face. ‘When you come to Hamilton, the midfield area is the most combative of the game, so you have to stand up and be counted. It wasn’t just Jamie — they all did that.
‘It was a scrap at times but, from our point of view, for our confidence, we know now that if we have to dig deep that we can do that. That was a typical away match in the Premiership for us, so we had to be gritty, determined, focused — all the things that make good defenders. The fans were brilliant and understood the nature of the game.’
Walker did some of the dirty jobs not normally associated with him, but it was his creative qualities which gave Hearts the crucial leg-up after only three minutes.
A cute nutmeg of MacKinnon was the spark and Walker opened up play by sweeping the ball wide right to Michael Smith. Callachan did not need to break stride to connect with Smith’s drive across the face of goal and bundle home from six yards. His first goal for the club was a moment for the diehard Hearts fan to cherish inside the net, right in front of the away fans.
Callachan’s box-to-box athleticism is right up Levein’s street. Fond of plundering the lower leagues in his first spell and at Dundee United, the manager looks to have unearthed another success story in the 24-year-old from Raith Rovers.
The spot-kick that handed Hearts their second goal was soft but, on the balance of play at the time, a two-goal advantage for the visitors was nothing to squabble about.
Ioannis Skondras bundled Isma Goncalves over as the striker cut inside seeking a sight of goal.
There was a suspicion Goncalves was happy to invite contact rather than extend himself in pursuit of an opening and he went to ground easily. However, more fool Skondras for being tempted into a challenge. Lafferty rammed home his second penalty of the season.
Hearts seemed in full control at that stage and, when Bingham could not free the ball from under his feet quickly enough and then fired wide, it was hard to see where the danger was coming from.
And that is precisely the trap Rafal Grzelak fell into as the home side were completely revitalised by pinching a reply.
He was caught ball watching, enabling David Templeton to nip in behind and fire over a powerful low delivery that was drilled home at the back post by Bingham.
Accies finished the half stronger, Ali Crawford finding pockets of space and Templeton unsettling his former club’s defence — not least when forcing Arnaud Djoum to block his overhead kick, allowing Jon McLaughlin to gather. Bingham really should have levelled with a header from a Crawford free-kick.
Hearts would have been glad to see the back of Templeton’s trickery after he aggravated an ankle injury. This was tough on the player, who was making his first league start of the campaign, and has not had his injury woes to seek during recent years.
However, replacement Steven Boyd turned out to be an instant menace. As he was upended by John Souttar just outside the box, Christophe Berra and MacKinnon had to be dragged apart from a furious confrontation.
Once order was restored, Crawford stung the palms of Jon McLaughlin with the set piece as Hamilton sensed parity was within reach.
Not that MacKinnon was ready to calm down. He bawled in the floored Walker’s ear for perceived theatrics then unleashed further fury at the Hearts bench.
The game turned into the kind of tussle that would have precipitated a fainting episode from Cathro.
With Templeton off and Walker under the tightest of surveillance, there was little room for quality left. Don Cowie on for Goncalves signalled Hearts’ intentions. They certainly were not in the mood to go for broke and, ultimately, had no need to.