It wasn't the best of games, but who really cares? We needed to get a win - especially at home - and that's exactly what we got. Jim Goodwin set the ball rolling with a 40-yarder just before half-time that didn't look as good as it sounds before Lewis Guy got the second right at the start of the second half on one of the few occasions he wasn't given offside. Hearts were reminiscent of Saints. They had lots of possession but couldn't do anything with it, they forced lots of corners and let a striker wander through their defence for their second goal.
We appeared to have a fairly conventional team line-up with most players in their correct positions - something that seems to be a rarity these days. Paul Dummett came in to the defence allowing Graham Carey to operate in a more advanced position. Gary Teale dropped to the bench where he joined Jon Robertson, the former Hearts midfielder not getting the chance to get it up his former club that he so desperately craved. Former Saint John Sutton was among the Hearts subs. Instead Callum Paterson - who I'd assumed was a defender - was up front with Ryan Stevensonin behind. Thankfully Rudi Skacel hadn't made a late return.
It took less than two minutes for Goodwin to get his weekly booking although this time it was a ridiculous decision as it looked like a fair tackle on Darren Barr. How this was the only booking all afternoon is a mystery and fair play to Jim for not getting another one. Neither side seemed to particularly want the ball in the opening stages but Hearts were certainly the more dangerous. Ryan McGowan's cross found Andrew Driver at the back post and he flicked it back into the middle but Paterson headed over, the youngster then seeing his low shot saved by Craig Samson a minute later. Carey, who has a good record with free-kicks against Hearts, had a chance to flex his muscles early doors but sent his effort over the bar.
It at least seemed to wake us up and a good run from Steven Thompson saw him tee up David van Zanten for a perfect cross that Paul McGowan headed wide despite being unmarked. In fairness he's probably not the person you'd want to get onto the end of a cross - and Thompson had perhaps held onto the ball a bit too long before releasing. Sadly it turned out to be a rare attack as Hearts were knocking on the door, forcing a number of corners without making them count, which sounds familiar. Another one came in comic fashion when Arvydas Novikovas teed up Paterson and he somehow put his shot wide with the help of a deflection off of Dummett. After being given offside by the latest flag ever Lewis Guy almost put us in front when he met Carey's cross but MacDonald made a good save.
He didn't look quite so clever a few minutes later. After good work from Thompson, Goodwin picked up the ball more than 40 yards from goal and decided to try his luck. It was a shot that definitely owed more to placement than power, the low effort bouncing past MacDonald into the bottom corner. The Hearts keeper was not best pleased and Goodwin didn't look overjoyed either even though he'd just pinged Saints in front. We probably didn't deserve the lead and Hearts had a chance to draw level a few minutes later, a free-kick taken short to Danny Grainger who drove his effort into the advertising hoardings as we enjoyed a half-time lead.
No sooner had the second half started than we were enjoying a two goal lead. As we broke from a corner the ball was played to Thompson who made his way forward past a couple of lame challenges and then squared for Guy who had the simple task of tapping into the empty net. There were a few appeals for offside but they were as half hearted as the attempted challenges on Thompson. It could have been three when Carey sent the ball out wide for Thompson and he put it back into the box but this time it went the wrong side of the unmarked Guy. That was the end of Carey's afternoon as he was promptly replaced by Gary Teale.
After another Hearts corner failed to bare fruit it was time for the inevitable - John Sutton. Barr was the man to make way and you felt it would end badly for us, but in truth it made hardly any difference to Hearts' performance. Dale Carrick came on for Driver for the last 15 minutes or so while Kenny McLean - who'd had a good game for us - was replaced by Dougie Imrie. Five minutes later Thompson, who had been fantastic, was replaced by Sam Parkin. Almost immediately Hearts should have been back in things when Novikovas worked some magic down the Hearts left before messing up his shot.
And that was that. A dull second half fizzled out, which was fine by me. We rarely looked in danger of conceding one, let alone two, and were comfortably able to see things out for our first home win of the season.
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