Kilmarnock 0-0 Hearts

The home side created the best chances of the first half and Hearts keeper Anthony Basso kept the scores level.

Killie's Tim Clancy hit the woodwork, while Basso was called into action on several occasions.

Hearts improved after the break and Christophe Berra's flashing header grazed the Killie post before Christian Nade went close twice.

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Kilmarnock made just one change from the goalless draw with Falkirk last weekend.

Gary Locke was drafted back into the first team and Iain Flannigan dropping to the bench.

Hearts, still chasing a place in the top half of the SPL before the split, made three changes from the side who defeated Dundee United.

Fernando Screpis, Kestutis Ivaskevicius and Ibrahim Tall all started.

Michael Stewart was named on the bench with Marius Zaliukas and Eggert Jonsson absent from the squad.

Both teams started brightly, with the first chance falling to Kilmarnock; Frazer Wright nodded narrowly wide from David Fernandez's corner.

Hearts then threatened when Nade's lay-off was collected by Saulius Mikoliunas and his effort fizzed across the goalmouth and wide.

At the other end, Basso - still deputising for the ill Steve Banks in the Jambos goal - did well to smother a point-blank shot from James Fowler.

Basso then pulled off a great save when Fernandez's cross found Danny Invincibile at the back post and the Australian was denied by the lkeeper from close range.

Killie continued to crank up the pressure and David Lilley rose above everyone else to meet a corner from Fernandez only to see his header parried by Basso.

Clancy was then denied the opener by the woodwork when his close-range volley cracked off the goalkeeper's right-hand post.

Tall picked up the first booking for a foul on Fernandez with just over half an hour gone, as tempers began to flare.

Fernandez recovered from the challenge to test Basso with a point-blank header.

The ball then broke to Craig Bryson who rifled just over the crossbar to the dismay of the home crowd.

Hearts looked more dangerous after the restart and Berra was not too far away when he threw himself in front of Laryea Kingston's free-kick; but his header scraped the post.

Combe was then called into action to pull off a decent save to prevent Nade claiming the opener.

Then a timely intervention from Wright denied Ruben Palazuelos from the follow-up shot.

Kilmarnock's Wright was red-carded in injury time and Hearts cranked up the pressure but the vital goal eluded them.

Kilmarnock: Combe, Clancy, Hay, Lilley, Frazer Wright, Bryson, Locke (Flannigan 73), Fowler, Invincibile, Fernandez (Wales 73), Taouil (Hamill 88). Subs Not Used: Harpur, Gibson, Dalglish, O'Leary.

Sent Off: Frazer Wright (90).

Booked: Frazer Wright, Hay, Clancy.

Hearts: Basso, Neilson, Goncalves, Palazuelos, Berra, Tall, Mikoliunas, Kingston (Stewart 65), Ivaskevicius (Glen 58), Screpis (Elliot 86), Nade. Subs Not Used: Banks, Wallace, Husband, McGowan.

Booked: Tall, Mikoliunas, Berra.

Att: 5,901

Ref: C Thomson

Taken from the BBC