Battling display from behind is a positive point

Gary Mackay
WE'RE now four games unbeaten in the league, so the point we collected in Inverness on Saturday has to be looked upon as a good one.
Caley probably had the better chances to win the game but after going behind away from home it's a huge testament to the spirit and the togetherness in the Hearts camp that they were able to come back and get something from the game. The manager made three substitutions in an effort to change the complexion of the game and ultimately we came away with a decent draw.

That point away from home now becomes hugely important if we're able to follow it up with victories in our home games. If we are to pick up three points at home and one away on average, then we're looking at having a decent season. Our home form of late, where we've beaten Aberdeen and Hibs recently, has been good so there's no reason why we can't continue that against St Mirren at the weekend. If we do get a win, all of a sudden we've got some good momentum behind us.

I was really disappointed for Jamie MacDonald that he made a mistake for the Inverness goal because he rarely lets us down, but mistakes happen in football and the key thing was the way he responded. He made some good saves and was steady for the rest of the game, so that shows he's got plenty of character.

Any team managed by Terry Butcher and Maurice Malpas is always going to be up for it and battle for everything, so to come away with a point having been a goal down has to be seen as a positive from a Hearts point of view.

I'm delighted for Stephen Elliott to get his first goal of the season but, having said that, I'm still not convinced that we're suited to playing with Stephen up on his own as the main central striker. I'm not just talking about Hearts, but any team, when I say it's an awful task for a striker to play up front on his own continually with no direct support. I think there are some games where two up front would be better, but that's the manager's decision. To Stephen's credit, he doesn't grumble, he just gets his head down and does what's asked of him and he was rewarded with his equaliser. Hopefully, as happens with a lot of strikers when they get a goal, he'll take confidence into next week's game and go on a wee run and get a batch of goals.

As for the revelations in midweek that the players won't get a day off in midweek, I won't be reading too much into that either way. I think results dictate whether different approaches work or not, so time will tell. If it's done properly you could still have the same amount of time on the training ground with a day off as you would by working all week.

For me, it's all about the quality rather than the quantity of the work that's important, but, bearing mind that the manager is trying to instil a new style of play into the team, I can understand entirely why he might feel he wants more time with the players.

The feedback I'm getting out of the club is that Paulo Sergio is a very diligent, thorough and honest individual, so hopefully he's allowed the time he requires to get his ideas over and move the club forward the way he wants.

Taken from the Scotsman