Maroon Memories: Fear factor helps Hearts climb into top three

Hearts continued to climb the Premier Division as this battling victory against Falkirk put them third.
John Robertson opened the scoring for HeartsJohn Robertson opened the scoring for Hearts
John Robertson opened the scoring for Hearts

Hearts were given the all-clear to attack from start to finish of the half and it was fortunate for Falkirk that only one goal separated the teams at the break, the one scored by John Robertson after a cross by Neil Pointon “hit me on the shoulder’.’ The striker tamed the ball and squeezed it over the line, despite a frantic attempt by Andy Gray to clear it.

The Brockville side, lambasted by manager John Lambie, came out in far more positive mood and made a real game of it, equalising when that dangerous substitute, Steve Kirk, headed in after Scott MacKenzie nodded the ball to him at the far post.

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Hearts, sensing the three points they felt were their due slipping away, raised their game again and snatched the winner when Steve Fulton, after taking a short corner to Robertson and getting the ball back, deceived everyone – especially Tony Parks – with a curling left-foot effort that made its way dutifully to the top left-hand corner of the net.

Robertson explained how Hearts were able to move from bottom of the division to third top inside 11 weeks and he used one word “fear”.

”The players here who are, let’s say, mature, realise that they would lose their jobs if the team stayed down there and ended up getting relegated. We have to be on our toes or the young guys coming through will knock us out of the team.”

Hearts: Rousset, Locke (c), Ritchie, Mackay, McManus, P Bruno, Johnston, Colquhoun, Robertson, Fulton, Pointon.

Falkirk: Parks, Weir, Elliot, Clark, McGowan, MacKenzie, Hagen, Ferguson, Craig, McGraw, Gray.

Ref: L Thow

Att: 11,560