Time to put hard work to the test

FC CLU 1
HEARTS 1

THE word "cluj" translates into English as "key", and for Hearts there may not be a more critical period throughout the forthcoming season than the one they have just completed in Austria.

The Tynecastle squad were flying home to Edinburgh this afternoon after a demanding ten-day stint in Windischgarsten, every moment of which has been structured to ready them thoroughly for the footballing examinations that lie ahead over the next ten months.

A comprehensive pre-season can be the foundation for months of subsequent success, so the Hearts players would be forgiven for snoozing all the way back from Linz's Hoersching airport to Scotland today. The hardest part of their physical work is now finished.

They bowed out of Austria somewhat disappointed at losing a last-gasp goal to their Romanian opponents in Stainach last night, but it was clear that the exertions of the past week and a half had been worthwhile for the purpose of conditioning bodies.

Subsequent friendlies against Preston this weekend and Osasuna on Wednesday will provide opportunities to hone match sharpness in preparation for entry into the Champions League's second qualifying round on July 25/26. So, in that respect, a 1-1 draw against a team from Romania's top league should not be frowned upon.

Thunder rumbled overhead amid heavy showers prior to kick-off in Stainach, a small mountainside village 40km east Windischgarsten. Although the setting was humble, Valdas Ivanauskas never travels anywhere without meaning business.

The Lithuanian reserved a warm welcome for the former Romanian internationalist Dorinel Ionel Munteanu, the head coach of Cluj who effected a fifth-place finish in Romania's Divizia A last season. The pair were on opposite sides in the German Bundesliga many times during their peak years as players in the 1990s, when Munteanu played for Wolfsburg and Cologne and Ivanauskas for Hamburg.

Craig Gordon and Roman Bednar were handed their first outings of pre-season after recovering from a thigh problem and stomach bug respectively.

Of the three trialists who were involved in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Spartak Trnava - Giorgi Popkhadze, Ales Urbanek and Tiago Costa - only the last named got a run out in the closing stages.

Lightning crackled behind the mountains in the background, providing a breathtaking backdrop for the 100 or so who gathered to watch this encounter. As proceedings got underway Hearts were practising good ball retention and appeared to have a crisper passing rhythm than their opponents.

Steven Pressley found himself embroiled in another physical battle, this time with Cluj's Dumitry Mitu, but the first opening fell to Hearts on six minutes and represented the best opportunity of the first half.

Brunio Aguiar slipped the ball to teenager Andy Driver, who was starting his third match of the tour, and his perfect cross was only inches away from meeting the head of a diving Edgaras Jankauskas on the six-yard line. Had the Lithuanian managed to make contact then a goal would have been inevitable.

Hearts had a strong penalty claim refused by Austrian referee Rene Eisner when Vasile Jula appeared to handle after Robbie Neilson had launched a trademark long throw into the penalty area and, as the midway point of the first half approached it was clear that the Scottish Cup winners had greater potency in attack. Cluj were, to be blunt, poor up front and offered no presence or penetration going forward, which seemed to be a by-product of their 4-2-3-1 formation.

Romanian full-back Razyan Tarlea was booked on 36 minutes for tugging back and then cynically taking down Deividas Cesnauskas as he attempted to break free on the Hearts right, but as the first 45 minutes drew to a close Cluj came out of their shell a little.

Cristian Panin robbed Driver on the left and fed Gualberto Mojica. He knocked the ball sideways to the on-running Munteanu who drove a vicious left-footed drive just past Gordon's left-hand post.

Christophe Berra's head flick from Aguiar's corner was the final act of the opening period, and when the sides re-emerged they had been considerably altered as both Ivanauskas and Munteanu rung the changes.

Gualberto Mojica tested Gordon immediately after the restart, but Hearts responded with a penetrating run by Cesnauskis which resulted in him being fouled by Cluj substitute Cristian Dan just outside the penalty box. The free-kick, though, was clipped over by Aguiar. Another yellow card was flashed in the 62nd minute as Romanian captain Vasile Jula kicked the ball away in disgust.

He had been penalised for fouling Bednar as referee Eisner became overly fussy in refusing to allow play to flow.

Hearts, with Pressley substituted near to the halfway point in the second period, seemed a little disjointed which allowed Cluj the necessary space to pass the ball better and make the Gorgie side do all the running.

Dan enjoyed a driving run at the centre of the Tynecastle defence and unleashed a dangerous drive that was deflected over by Takis Fyssas, but just as the match was crying out for some life substitute Juho Makela opened the scoring after a somewhat farcical piece of defending.

Cluj's central defensive pairing of Jula and Dorin Toma combined to concede possession 35 yards from their own goal. Makela pounced on the chance and calmly rounded the sliding goalkeeper Turcas on the 18-yard line to slot into the corner of the net.

With 77 minutes gone it looked like Hearts had done enough to gather the second victory of their three outings in Austria, but Cluj became inspired during the final minutes.

In the best move of the match, Cosmin Tilinca laid the ball off for Dan to shoot inches over the crossbar, and then after Tiago had needlessly gifted possession, Tilinca went for goal himself from distance and won a corner off Ibrahim Tall.

With literally the final kick of the game, Cluj substitute Tiberiu Zelencz forced his way through a crowded Hearts defence to latch on to a pass and bundle the ball past Craig Gordon for as scrappy a goal as you'll see all season.

Hearts were rightly disappointed to concede so late on, but after 20 full days of demanding training sessions in both the south of France and Austria, one minor faux pas is surely permitted.

By the time the competitive action starts, the legs will have had time to recover.

Hearts (4-4-2): Gordon; Neilson, Pressley (Tall 64), Berra, Fyssas (Costa 80); Cesnauskis, Brellier (Barasa 46 (Wallace 50)), Aguiar, Driver (Mikoliunas 46); Jankauskas (Makela 71), Bednar (Pospisil 64). Unused subs: Elliot, Banks.

Taken from the Scotsman