It might not have been pretty, it was by a mere single goal, but Heart of Midlothian’s victory over Falkirk is of the kind head coach Derek McInnes believes could prove to be “the bedrock of success” for his Scottish Premiership leaders.
It was much needed, given that last weekend’s 4-2 defeat by Rangers allowed the hosts to narrow the gap at the top to two points.
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Hearts returned to winning ways on Saturday, but it was far from comfortable against high-flying Falkirk.
Recent signing Islam Chesnokov’s toe-poke on the stroke of half-time was all that split the sides, leaving McInnes to admit he felt the “anxiety” at Tynecastle.
There was a slight nervousness around the Edinburgh stadium ahead of the game. On top of that defeat at Ibrox against their nearest challengers, Falkirk were returning to the scene of their penalty shoot-out win in the Scottish Cup just a few weeks ago.
However, Hearts rode the wave of emotions, and dealt with the latest raft of injuries, to extend their lead at the top to five points before Rangers face bottom side Livingston on Sunday.
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“Sometimes those 1-0 wins are the bedrock of any success a team can have,” McInnes said. “I think that’s been demonstrated in history.”
‘We looked really anxious’ – McInnes
More of those will be more than welcome considering their title rivals are beginning to motor.
Danny Rohl’s Rangers have lost just once – away to Porto in the Europa League – in 14 outings since losing at Tynecastle in December.
Reigning champions Celtic, just six behind Hearts with two games in hand, have lost once in 11, albeit a bruising 4-1 Europa League loss at home to Stuttgart on Thursday, and rekindled their habit of vital late goals under interim manager Martin O’Neill.
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Motherwell, 10 behind with a game in hand, will surely also have a say in the destiny of the title given they have lost once in their latest 10.
Hearts’ three wins in their latest seven outings are not quite as impressive, and McInnes admitted: “The first half, there was a 20-25 minute period where we looked really anxious.
“Our out-of-possession stuff was good the whole game, but our in-possession stuff needed to be better.”
However, the Hearts boss thought that, overall, his side coped well with John McGlynn’s dangerous Bairns.
“We were far better in the second half than we were first,” he said. “We were the team that looked more likely to score a second goal in the second half.
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“I watch Falkirk often enough and they normally pepper teams, they normally put endless crosses in the box, they normally create so many chances.
“Very rarely do they not score. But it wasn’t really like that. The second half, we were comfortable enough, we kept them away at arm’s length.
“There were a lot of people tipping Falkirk to come here and win, but I thought we thoroughly deserved the win.”
‘It doesn’t matter how you win’
Blair Spittal, drafted into the starting XI at the last minute following an injury to Ageu in the warm-up, agreed.
“It was a bit nervy at times, we made it hard for ourselves, but at this point of the season, it doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you win,” the midfielder said.
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“We know the position we’re in and it’s important we don’t look too far ahead. We just need to take care of ourselves.”
As BBC Sportsound pundit Rory Loy suggested: “They can tick that one off. Pressure well and truly applied.”
Over to Rangers in West Lothian and Celtic as they host Hibernian on Sunday.
McInnes added that “of course” it would be nice to be able to sit back and watch Hearts’ rivals trying to reduce the deficit again, but he stressed: “You can’t get too obsessed.
“If you depend on others, you normally get let down. I’m just concentrating on my own team.
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“We’ll just deal with our own business as we go along and next Saturday’s another chance to do it.”
With five games until the Premiership splits into two halves for the final five games of the season, and no room for any more dropped points, it will no doubt be another case of any win will do.
What the fans said
Kris: A tough watch at times, but a win is a win is a win. Delighted Chesny [Chesnokov] got his goal. Hopefully he kicks on.
Richard: Harry Milne in the second half, after Blair Spittal in the first half, provided the drive and the buzz around the field. Falkirk were competent and compact, Hearts were more expansive and were the slightly-better side, enough to deserve the win.
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Ageu injured again? About time players came with a warranty that they’ll keep working for X miles or months or whatever, or they’ll be repaired for free.
Steve: Given our squad, Pierre Landry Kabore is never our number nine. Kabangu is worth a start or another Jamestown dud. The midfield is pedestrian and so fortunate to get this result.
I fear, although getting three points, we are struggling to get results. Too many Jamestown duds.
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