Attendance 14,598
Prior to today, which may well be Rangers’ last-ever
visit to Tynecastle, the Ibrox men had won their last
ten consecutive games against the Gorgie side, and
indeed remained unbeaten in 23 fixtures.
Manager Alex McLeish made two changes from the side
that exited the Scottish Cup last Sunday with Maurice
Ross and Ronald De Boer replacing Mikel Arteta and
Shota Arveladze. Mysteriously there was no place –
even on the bench – for Steven Thompson, but there was
a welcome return as a substitute for Chris Burke.
A one-minute silence for the Madrid atrocity and also
for former Tynecastle legend Jimmy Milne (Captain of
the last Hearts team to win the League in 1959-60) was
immaculately observed prior to kick-off. Both sets of f
ans today demonstrated the utmost respect for the
victims of terrorism.
A protest march prior to today’s game by ‘Jambos’ fans
in protest at the proposed sale of Tynecastle
attracted perhaps 3,000 participants, and there were
demonstrations inside the ground during play with
chants of ‘Sack the Board’ and ‘Unwanted’ placards
hoisted high that bore the photograph of Chris
Robinson – ironically the Hearts Chairman was not
present, being on holiday.
It was end-to-end action from the opening seconds on
the tight confines of the Tynecastle pitch, an Andy
Webster drive from all of 25 yards flashing just wide
of goal with Stefan Klos scrambling across his line.
Six minutes later Alan Maybury’s vicious twenty-yard
drive produced a magnificent save from Klos as he
fisted the ball over the bar.
It did not take Maybury long to become the villain of
the piece however when he kicked Fernando Ricksen off
the ball in 26 minutes, and amazingly received only a
yellow card.
Rangers were finding their feet however, and as the
half progressed the pressure was increasingly towards
Craig Gordon’s goal, with the home goalkeeper denying
Ronald De Boer from a turn and shot from a Stephen
Hughes pass in 33 minutes.
Even Gordon however could have done without the
contribution from his own teammate three minutes
later, when Patrick Kisnorbo headed a Ricksen corner
against his own bar.
Sixty seconds later another Ricksen corner was met by
Hughes twenty yards out, his volley being tipped over
the bar by Gordon for a quite stunning save, then
almost instantaneously a Ricksen free-kick found the
head of Craig Moore only for Gordon to once again be
equal to the task.
With the interval fast approaching the young Hearts
goalkeeper again kept the scoresheet blank when he
blocked Peter Lovenkrands’ stabbed shot from a Michael
Ball cross.
Rangers had a strong penalty claim turned down five
minutes after the restart when Gavin Rae went down
under a challenge from Andy Webster, but the award was
only delayed – Neilson barging Lovenkrands off the
ball as the Dane homed in on a Rae pass.
Craig Moore did the needful from the spot to put the
visitors 1-0 up.
With chants of ‘Murrayfield’ splitting the air as the
Light Blue legions celebrated the goal, the Champions
went all out for the kill, a Hughes – Ball move
releasing Ronald De Boer whose low shot was just wide
of the target on the hour.
Six minutes later a Lovenkrands cross was flicked on
by Ronald De Boer to Ricksen whose header was cleared
of the line by Maybury.
The points should have been secure in 67 minutes when
a Ross cross from the right found Lovenkrands with the
goal gaping, but the Ranger was coning in too strongly
and directed his effort over the bar.
It was all Rangers at this juncture, and twice within
as many minutes Ronald De Boer was denied by Craig
Gordon, firstly when his angled drive was fisted over
in 70 minutes then his volley from a Ricksen header
was held by the ‘keeper.
That was Ronald’s final contribution, but when Michael
Mols replaced him in 75 minutes he arrived just in
time to see Hearts level the score when a Steven
Pressley free-kick broke to substitute Dennis Wyness
who volleyed home from some fifteen yards.
Three minutes later Ross should have restored Rangers’
lead when he was clean through on a Rae pass only to
shoot wide.
The game was now ending as it had started with
end-to-end action – Michael Ball shooting across the
face of goal in 83 minutes, and then home sub Andy
Kirk seeing his effort held by Klos.
Chris Burke replaced Michael Ball with just three
minutes remaining – but it was the Ibrox goal that was
under siege in those last moments as Hearts went all
out for the winner.
Substitute Neil Janczyk’s 88th minute cross broke to
Joe Hamill unmarked at the far post but with an
unattended goal at his mercy he somehow screwed the
ball wide of the post, then sixty seconds later a
ferocious Janczyk drive was netbound until deflected
wide of goal by the head of Craig Moore.
The blitzkrieg continued apace until the final whistle
– Andy Kirk cutting inside with the last attack of the
game only to see his drive deflected wide yet again by
the Ibrox Captain.
The final whistle when it sounded came as something of
a relief for the Light Blue legions despite the
undeniable fact that only Craig Gordon had denied
Rangers an unassailable lead.
Alex McLeish afterwards commented:
“We never looked in any danger until the closing
stages. We missed too many chances, but Hearts came
back strongly in the closing stages.”
HEARTS Gordon; Neilson, Pressley, Webster (Wyness 60),
Maybury; Stamp, Hartley (Janczyk 68), Kisnorbo,
Hamill; McKenna, Weir (Kirk 75)
UNUSED SUBS Moilanen, MacFarlane
RANGERS Klos; Moore, F. De Boer, Berg; Ross, Ricksen,
Rae, Hughes, Ball (Burke 87); R. De Boer (Mols 75),
Lovenkrands
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Khizanishvili, Vanoli
REFEREE Kenny Clark