I watched Hearts draw vs Kilmarnock - Welcome injury boost sparks hope, VAR questions and goal frustration

A three-week break now commences for Hearts as they get some down time ahead of a relentless fixture schedule.

Wouter Vrancken’s busy start to his head coach tenure in Gorgie ended with a 1-1 draw versus Kilmarnock. Stephen Kingsley needed to strike late to claim a share of the spoils following Joe Hugill’s opener but the Jambos are less than impressed with a decision to chop off Laurent Mendy’s deflected first half effort.

It was a game of mixed emotions for Hearts but it has opened up a chance for reflection. They are now in cold storage until October 10’s hosting of St Mirren at Tynecastle, with those not on international duty to be handed some rest time.

VAR frustration

Hearts are seeking clarity from the SFA over their disallowed goal and you can see why. If Laurent Mendy handled the ball, even accidentally, and then blasted the ball home, then it’s automatically disallowed. Where debate spawns is that current rules indicate that if Mendy isn’t the goalscorer, and his handball is accidental in the build-up, then the goal stands. This writer from the press box got a blink and you’ll miss it view from what felt like miles away and referee Duncan Nicolson didn’t get a much better view standing next to it.

He needed VAR’s Matthew MacDermid to help out with what is a difficult call for the on-pitch official to make. You can not like how the rule currently stands but it does appear fairly clear cut and Cathal McCarthy’s head does a fair chunk of the heavy lifting to take Mendy’s effort into the corner. You can see why Hearts are asking the question.

Goal Déjà vu

Against Dundee, Bradley Fink scored as a long ball over the top of the defence was dispatched towards him. Ben Krauhaus netted a similar effort in the maroon defeat to Falkirk as John McGlynn’s side went route one to leave the Jambos short on numbers in defence. Killie did the exact same thing with Jamie McCart and Stuart Findlay left chasing when Hugill eventually found the net.

Vrancken spoke post-match of how images had been shown on avoiding goals like these but again the long ball worked against Hearts. Over the piece Hearts have not had goalkeeper Beau Reus making save after save due to their overall structure but the head coach will be keen to cut out an Achilles heel that has taken shape. Kilmarnock didn’t create much outside of that.

Kilmarnock's Joe Hugill (L) forces the goal to make it 1-0 | SNS Group

Ageu return

One huge boost for the Jambos is Ageu’s return to the fold. The club broke their transfer record to sign him last season but the midfielder’s time at the club has been hampered by injury. This was his first appearance this season and his return comes at a much-needed time. Tom Renaud and Blair Spittal’s absences are being keenly felt with Laurent Mendy and Tomas Magnusson all Vrancken has had to call upon. Progressing play like the injured engine room duo perhaps isn’t the strong point of either Mendy or Magnusson’s game but it’s where Ageu should come into his own.

It may take a while to see the best of him, which is natural, but Hearts need all hands on deck for this run of matches. A home test against St Mirren will be followed by Nordsjaelland, Celtic away, Trabzonspor away, Motherwell away, Derek McInnes’ return to Gorgie with Rangers, a Premier Sports Cup semi-final versus Hibs and an away day against Thun that precedes hosting Falkirk. There’s fixture gauntlets and then there’s THIS fixture gauntlet where everyone will need to show their mettle. Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Oisin McEntee are some of the stars Hearts will hope to get back for that run.

“When you see the second half, I don't think we need it,” said Vrancken of whether or not his Hearts side need the break right now. “Because the energy was still there. The push was still there. Also the subs that came in brought extra energy, so I am happy to see that. But I think after this run of games, it's also good to clear your head for a few days and to come back with renewed energy. Because it will be, again, a really cruel schedule. But for now it's still disappointment. I'm happy that we scored the equaliser, that's for sure. And also for Stephen Kingsley, because he deserves it. But disappointment, because we had to win here. In the second half, we played a good second half with dominance and good chances. The efficiency was not high enough, because we had to score more goals.”