Ross is the boss of Tynecastle
Kilmarnock’s Ross Millen gets a lift after scoring the goal that beat Hearts, and gives Celtic the chance to go top today.
Killie clambered up to third with a win that could see Hearts stripped of their place at the top later today.
The Edinburgh outfit have been on top of the Premiership all season but will drop down should Celtic manage a point or better at Livingston.
Supporters hunting for a reason for the demotion won’t have to look far for an explanation. Yesterday might have been only their second home defeat in a year, but it was also their fourth successive game without scoring.
The loss to injury of Scotland striker Steven Naismith, involved in ten of their 19 goals this season with seven scores and three assists, is biting hard.
Killie, who grabbed the win thanks to a goal from one league debutant, Ross Millen and a clean sheet from a second, Daniel Bachmann, could care less.
“Not bad, eh? Somebody made the right decision!” said manager Steve Clarke, smile splitting his face, of his decision to play Bachmann instead of Macdonald.
“Jamie Macdonald is fine. It was a manager’s decision. Sometimes you have to make these calls.
“We have had Daniel in since August and he has been fantastic. He deserved a start and showed today that he can be a very good keeper in the future.
“It was also very good for Ross. You have to be patient when you are under-study right back to the Scotland international (the injured Stephen O’donnell).
“He has been very patient waiting for his chance but he took it. He defended well and got forward to get us the goal.”
Millen is the son of St Mirren legend and Killie coach Andy and by scoring first time out he managed a trick his dad couldn’t pull off throughout his two-year stint as a player at Rugby Park in the 1990s.
A fine goal it was too. Greg Taylor moved the ball inside to Chris Burke, who played it wide to the right where the full-back was bombing forward.
The 24-year-old ran on to the pass and drilled a vicious, low shot through Bobby Zlamal and into the net.
Hearts had their moments, especially early on when Peter Haring and Craig Wighton each went close from distance. The pair were both good with Wighton, particularly lively. He was at the centre of a Hearts penalty claim when he went down under a Kirk Broadfoot challenge then, minutes later, spun in the Killie box and smashed a shot into the side netting.
Olly Lee, too, just failed to get his head to Ben Garuccio’s cross when any sort of connection would have given Hearts the opener.
But it was at the death where they really put their fans through agony when Wighton’s close-range header was howked off the Killie goal-line by defender Stuart Findlay to leave Jambos manager Craig Levein lamenting what might have been.
“We hadn’t lost here in what feels like a long time and it leaves a bitter taste,” he said.
“There are loads of ways of losing a match but that’s the most frustrating, that you have loads of possession and dominate the play.
“The players who we have out injured, I think it would be easier to score goals if we had them in the team.
“At the same time, we need people to step up and, put the ball in the back of the net.
“To be fair to Kilmarnock that’s the way they’ve played in a number of matches away from home – they try to frustrate you. We had a lot of good football but we did get frustrated.”