Moira Gordon: What a difference a year makes but ‘small team from England’ do enough

Published on Friday 24 August 2012 01:24

A YEAR ON and things were so different. Last season the visit of English Premier League opposition was overwhelming as Tottenham Hotspur gave Hearts a footballing lesson. But even a week is a long time in football.

The Liverpool starting line-up was the perfect illustration of that. There were only two survivors from Saturday’s league opener against West Bromwich Albion. Manager Brendan Rodgers had said all the right things about respecting what Hearts could do, but actions speak louder than words.

Last year it was described as men against boys, this year it was a more evenly-balanced contest. This may have been the Europa League play-off but it was boys against boys as 17-year-old Callum Paterson lined up against 17-year-old Raheem Sterling. Both are considered lads with great potential but it’s not often potential is given such a platform.

In the stands the Liverpool fans unfurled a banner proclaiming their opposition to mod£rn football, the pound sign in place of the letter e, getting their point across. But it is those pounds which gave them the air of complacency going into this tie.

Hearts had lost so many of their big names in the summer. Liverpool simply opted to travel north without theirs. Saving them instead for the second leg, should they indeed be required.

Those who did make the trip, such as Andy Carroll – a man whose transfer fee would be enough to buy the entire Hearts first-team squad and possibly Tynecastle as well – was left out. The official line was a tight hamstring, but the more likely explanation is that the big striker is still being linked with a move back to Newcastle and they would be less interested if he became hamstrung by the nuisance of being cup tied in a competition the Tynesiders are also involved in.

Last year there was an excitement, a buzz of anticipation in the lead up to a Scotland v England European tussle but memories of that mauling still sting in Gorgie, no matter how it can be rationalised.

This time there was a more realistic approach. Perhaps even a hint of trepidation. But, as the floodlights dazzled against the darkening skies, the mood was already brightening. This was typical Tynecastle on a European night, it was buoyant and bouncing.

The players had emerged from the tunnel to be greeted by swathes of swirling, birling scarves. And this time the players were determined they were not going to be left in a spin. They knew they had to press, they knew they couldn’t stand on ceremony admiring the reputations of their richer opponents. The Hearts fans sang: “You’re no famous any more”. The fact is some of the players they were up against hadn’t even been famous to start with. They might be one day, just as Liverpool teams of old were household names, especially on the European stage. But this was a game for the here and now and it was decent viewing for the home support.

Within the first 25 minutes of the match against Spurs Hearts were 3-0 down, the tie dead and buried, the fear of humiliation palpable. Twenty-five minutes into last night’s game and the worst thing to happen was a booking for midfielder Darren Barr. The players were full of self-belief and that confidence was growing.

The home side were getting into the final third and looking far from over-awed. They were winning corners and getting shots fired in, albeit all too infrequently on target. That profligacy left them susceptible to the eventual loss of a goal which gave their guests the victory and a crucial away goal should Hearts harbour hopes of a comeback at Anfield next week. But at least this year they travel south with their heads held high and and they are still in the tie.

The Hearts manager had made a few positional switches, returning Ryan McGowan to full-back and playing Paterson in a more advanced role down the right flank.

David Templeton was back in the side but in a central berth just behind John Sutton, while Arvydas Novikovas and Mehdi Taouil also found places in what was a midfield sent out with the clear intention of pressing up the park, and getting into attacking areas.

This was a Hearts side with their own intent. They were more than admirers of a team from a more illustrious and wealthy environment. The home support tried to wind Liverpool up by declaring they were now just a “small team in England” but everything is relative. A small fish in a large pond can look like a whale in a wee puddle.

Taken from the Scotsman