We've already had a couple of notable and memorable game against the Jambos this season. When we beat them in September, it was our first ever league win at St. Mirren Park, and in February we beat them in the League Cup semi-final. However, points now would arguably top those achievements. We desperately need to win at least one of our remaining games before the split as Falkirk can't go on losing for ever. The good news is we've managed a clean sweep over Jim Jeffries so far this season, having beaten his Kilmarnock side three times and his Hearts side once. He'll be sick of the sight of us soon.
The game against Celtic suggests the players and the fans are finally getting used to our new home. The atmosphere seemed good from my vantage point (a pub in Dumfries) despite the low attendance, and the players responded well after their cup final disappointment. That needs to continue for the next few months. A good, vocal backing from the support can work wonders - and if the players give us something to back, we'll respond in kind. It's very much a two way street and we have to make it work to our advantage.
It's anyone's guess who will be playing for Saints tomorrow afternoon. A large proportion of the squad was struggling with a virus before last week's game against Aberdeen and the players were told to stay at home earlier in the week in a bid to contain it, although that seems like a case of shutting the door after the horse has bolted to me. Assuming everyone is fit enough, it will probably be 4-4-2 again as David Barron is still missing and Chris Innes is a doubt, although there is a chance he could return. If it is a back four, we could be treated to the rare sight of two left-footed players in the team. Steven Robb and Graham Carey have been doing well in recent weeks and both are fit. Carey's dead ball delivery could be useful, while Robb scored against Aberdeen last week and deserves his place. Ideally, both will start.
What happens up front is anyone's guess, but it will almost certainly be two from the trio of Craig Dargo, Billy Mehmet and Michael Higdon. Rory Loy has hardly got a look in since being brought in on loan from Rangers but claimed earlier it is the good form of the strikers that has kept him out of the team. Well, they might be playing well - and Dargo destroyed Celtic last week - but they simply aren't scoring, and that's the main role of a forward. Dargo hasn't scored since October (admittedly he's been injured), Mehmet has three league goals all season and Higdon has one all year. It's surely time to change things rather than continuing in the same way and hoping that things suddenly click. On the plus side, Andy Dorman may well be back to goalscoring form after last week and he might be hitting his stride at just the right time.
It wouldn't be Hearts without at least one managerial change in a season and it duly happened between our trip to Tynecastle and our semi-final win. Csaba Laszlo was out and in came Jim Jeffries, bringing with him the the every faithful Billy Brown and Gary Locke. Laszlo was probably given the bullet for moaning about the lack of a striker once too often, although it's a fair point as we'll see in a moment. I remember reading somewhere that Jeffries has signed a three year contract, which is a bit optimistic considering the average lifespan of a Hearts boss is about a third of that!
It's probably fair to say that the main goalscoring threat Hearts possess is in midfield at the moment. The likes of Gary Glen and Christian Nade may chip in with the odd goal here or there, but Andrew Driver, Michael Stewart and Eggert Jonsson score a bit more regularly. That state of affairs is something Hearts need to address if they want to get back into Europe, although in fairness Jeffries has guided them into the top six without managing to solve the problem. The Spaniard Suso is a tricky winger but can be a bit hit and miss, but his space and ball control could cause us a few problems if we're not careful. Ian Black has proved a good acquisition from Inverness Caley Thistle, while Jeffries pipped Saints to the signing of Ayr United's Ryan Stevenson in January and he'll be looking to show us what we've been missing.
Perhaps helping to compensate for the lack of a decent striker is Hearts' strength at the other end. They're in the strange situation of having three good keepers to choose from in young Jamie MacDonald and the more experienced Marian Kello and Janos Balogh. Jose Goncalves is a strong centre half and scored against Saints in September, while Marius Zaliukas has been a decent defender in recent years. Lee Wallace is highly rated and could be set to leave in the summer, having been the latest product of what is actually a pretty good youth set-up at Riccarton.