Hearts debrief: Snodgrass pass; McKay miss; Gordon meg; Missing Halkett; Linesmen calls

A look back at talking point and takeaways from Hearts’ Premiership match away to Kilmarnock.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

There weren’t any clear favourites for this award after a distinctly average performance, so let’s give it to Robert Snodgrass for a decent contribution in his first 90+ minutes in maroon. The 35-year-old isn’t anywhere near full match fitness yet, but added composure and authority to the engine room alongside Kio in a deep central midfield role. He saw plenty of the ball and used it well. The whipped first-time forward pass over the top which set Stephen Humphyrs clear for his goal looks like it could be a potent attacking weapon. There will be more to come from Snograss and he was quite prepared to cajole and share his knowledge and experience with teammates. Probably no bad thing at the moment.

DEFINING MOMENT

Barrie McKay’s glaring scoop over the bar from six yards after just 90 seconds summed up his recent dip in form. The winger got into the right position and the link-up and movement between Alan Forrest and Lawrence Shankland to lay it on a late for him was excellent. Then it all went horribly wrong. McKay started the season very well, but hasn’t managed the maintain the high standards he set for himself in August. After featuring in all 15 competitive games this season – 13 of them from the start – he looks like he needs a rest. Fatigue is catching up on Hearts in general and McKay’s miss was symbolic of a team struggling to make everything click.

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Kyle Lafferty enjoyed the last laugh, of course, when Craig Gordon’s slip from Andy Halliday’s back-pass gifted the former Hearts striker a goal. It was a very rare mistake from the Hearts and Scotland goalkeeper on a difficult surface, but perhaps he had riled Lafferty somewhat with a delightful, audacious nutmeg in the 13th minute to escape under pressure from Alex Cochrane’s under-hit back-pass. It was right in front of the Hearts fans and they certainly enjoyed it.

TACTICAL OBSERVATIONS

Robert Snodgrass set up the first goal and put in a decent shift in his first 90 minutes for Hearts. Picture: Rob Casey / SNS

Craig Halkett’s absence is continuing to hurt. That much was obvious from the problems Kilmarnock caused from set piece deliveries into the box, summed up by the opening goal. Hearts struggled to deal with corners and Killie capitalised. Cochrane and Stephen Kingsley did OK as a makeshift pairing, especially in possession, but don’t have Halkett’s aerial prowess and aggression. There is a noticeable lack of balance with two left footers but not too many other options. Lewis Neilson was left out, presumably, because he will be suspended for the trip to Fiorentina, which suggests Atkinson-Kingsley-Cochrane-Halliday is what Robbie Neilson has in mind as a back four. Toby Sibbick’s absence is perhaps an indication that the Englishman has not done enough to earn the manager’s trust in that position.

REF WATCH

Matthew MacDermid wasn’t helped by his linesmen for two big calls that went against Hearts. The first was Killie goalkeeper Zach Hemming’s handball out of the box, which should have been spotted by the assistant and would have resulted in a yellow card and free-kick in a dangerous area. The second was the offside flag against Lawrence Shankland after he was pulled down by Ash Taylor when clean through on goal. Had VAR been in place, Taylor would surely have been sent off for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity.

WHAT’S NEXT

Trips to Fiorentina and Aberdeen on Thursday and Sunday followed by a visit from Celtic to Tynecastle a week on Saturday are all difficult games.