Ivanauskas makes another seven changes but rotation policy starts to bear fruit in solid performance

SHORTLY after returning from sick leave, Valdas Ivanauskas said his aim was to find "maybe not 11, but maybe 14, 15 or 16 players" he could identify as his real first-team squad. The Hearts head coach's methods of achieving that aim were not immediately apparent, as the club continued its rotation policy, but yesterday the picture began to take on a far greater clarity.

Ivanauskas made seven changes from Saturday for his first Edinburgh derby in charge at Tynecastle, so on the face of it there was no change of policy. Even before the match began, though, the selection looked far more astute and appropriate than has usually been the case, and the fact that Hearts enjoyed a hard-won 3-2 victory over Hibs suggested that the coach had got his team spot on.

Hearts' two previous line-ups against Hibs this season - in the league draw and the CIS Cup defeat, both at Easter Road - had looked fragile and unbalanced. Yesterday's team, however, had a reassuringly solid look to it, and was close to being the best 11 at the club's disposal.

Craig Gordon was back after being dropped for the 1-0 win at Dundee United three days earlier, and the centre-back pairing in front of him was Marius Zaliukas and Christophe Berra, easily the most promising partnership the club has at the heart of defence. Julien Brellier and Paul Hartley ensured the spine of the team remained strong throughout the midfield, and ensured there was a blend between the defensive and the creative.

The intention was to press Hibs, to prevent them from stroking the ball about. The selection of Nerijus Barasa at right-back was therefore no surprise, as, no matter his lack of finesse, he always displays the required combativeness.

If the formula was to be successful, of course, it needed the team to display the right attitude from kick-off, and they did exactly that, scoring in just the second minute.

It can be all too tempting to panic when you see a two-goal lead evaporate, and too often teams decide to strengthen their defence and try to ensure they end up with a point. Yesterday, though, Ivanauskas decided the thing to do was crank up the pressure by harassing Hibs from the back, and he did it by changing both strikers. It was the first substitute up front, Andrius Velicka, who laid on the winner for Saulius Mikoliunas. "It was hard, but I think we deserved the win," said Ivanauskas, who added that he had been perplexed by Shiels' reaction after scoring Hibs' penalty. "I can't understand," the coach said.

"Hibs come back, he scores a goal, this is not clever for him. It was a red card. After, we came back and Miko scored a beautiful goal. It was a character win, a team spirit win."

Besides finishing well, Mikoliunas generally played well on the right of midfield, apart from one long-range pass-back which put Gordon in trouble. Wide left is still problematic, though, as Neil McCann is not the player he was, and his deputy, Andrew Driver, did little against Dundee United to suggest he deserves a sustained run in the team right now. Deividas Cesnauskis is now just a couple of weeks away from fitness, though, and should put in an appearance soon.

Deciding on the best striking partnership is also something which must be troubling Ivanauskas. Velicka has gone off the boil in recent weeks, Edgaras Jankauskas too often falls short of the required work rate, and it remains to be seen if Mauricio Pinilla gets back into the team once he recovers from injury. Roman Bednar is himself just back from injury, and more will be expected of him once he recovers his match sharpness.

Perhaps the one element of good fortune enjoyed by Ivanauskas came in the first ten minutes, when he was forced to replace Jose Goncalves because of a leg knock. Early changes can often knock a team off kilter, but on this occasion Lee Wallace was brought on, and was one of the most level-headed players on a typically feverish afternoon.

Ivanauskas criticised some unnamed players for not being angry enough after losing to Aberdeen a fortnight ago, but yesterday there was an evident willingness to play for the cause.

"We need to continue to work hard," the coach concluded. "It's more pleasurable for the players if they take the three points after working hard."

Taken from the Scotsman