Hearts edge out Inverness in dying moments at Tynecastle

Laryea Kingston’s last-minute winner capped off a goal-fest at Tynecastle just minutes after Inverness Caledonian Thistle thought they had salvaged a much-needed point.

Managerless Inverness twice drew level courtesy of Pavels Mihadjuks and Dougie Imrie, cancelling out goals by David Obua either side of half time, but Hearts brought home the spoils in the 90^th minute when Andrew Driver set up his third goal of the match for Kingston to tap in with his first touch of the ball.

The result leaves Inverness at the bottom of the SPL after their eighth straight defeat, with Hearts leapfrogging Aberdeen into fourth spot.

Despite a reasonably dull first half, both teams came out guns blazing after the restart, making for a second forty-five minutes that had both sets of supporters on the edges of their seats.

The game was sparked into life on the 20 minute mark when winger Andrew Driver broke up the left flank and fired the ball goalwards, but a decent save from Inverness ‘keeper Ryan Esson denied the home side an early advantage.

Minutes later, the away-side had a penalty claim waved away by referee Steve Conroy, who saw little in a penalty-box tussle between Imrie and Robbie Neilson.          

Imrie had a prime opportunity to give his side the lead after 27 minutes when Don Cowie swung a free kick into the Hearts danger area, but a poor header at the far post saw a great chance go begging for the Caley midfielder.

The deadlock was broken in the 38^th minute when an Driver cross from the left flank was met by the head of David Obua, who sent the ball into the back of Esson’s net, possibly taking a deflection off defender Roy McBain as it crossed the line.

Signs of a comeback from Caley appeared when Mihadjuks provided a statement of intent, heading wide from a Cowie corner, and it was not long before Hearts paid the price for allowing the attacking threat from Inverness to continue pushing forward.

On 56 minutes, Mihadjuks rose to a well-taken free-kick from Cowie and powered the ball into the back of the net, leaving MacDonald totally stranded and bringing the game back onto level terms.

Moments later, Caley almost looked likely to take the lead, but a horrible miss by Ross Tokely was sent high from mere yards off the goal line.

Tempers flared in the 68^th minute when Driver was brought down by McBain in the penalty area and a penalty was signalled by referee Conroy, with McBain receiving a yellow card for the foul.

The afternoon looked to have taken a fatal turn for Inverness as Michael Stewart stepped up to take the spot-kick, but a diving save to the right from Esson kept Caley’s hopes alive. However, the away-fans’ joy was short-lived as just moments later, McBain was then shown a straight red following a verbal altercation with the referee’s assistant.

A second goal from Hearts came in the 79^th minute when Driver and Obua linked up for the second time, the winger providing an excellent cross that was once again met by the head of the Ugandan, restoring the home side’s advantage.

A Hearts victory seemed imminent with two minutes remaining, but Inverness were not yet beaten, and Tynecastle was left aghast when a superbly-taken free kick was curled into the top left-hand corner of MacDonald’s net by Imrie from 25 yards out.

But there was still time for one last turn, and late substitute Kingston sealed the points for Hearts with a simple tap in. Again the architect, Driver whipped in a low cross from the right flank, and Kingston wrapped the game up with seconds to go.

After the match, disappointed ICT caretaker manager John Docherty said: “We came away from the game with nothing and I felt we deserve something. I think we showed fantastic spirit and really dug in in the second half. We can take a lot of positives from the game.”

Docherty remained tight lipped on who would succeed Craig Brewster as Caley manager.

Hearts boss Csaba Lazslo commented: “It was a good performance. I spoke to the players and tried to prepare them for this spacial game.

“At 2-2 people left the stadium, I think 99 per cent did not believe in the team. I asked my players why they wait so long [to win], why they don’t do it in the 60^th or 40^th minute.

“It is not easy to come back three times, and the bench gave us something extra, not only from Laryea Kingston.”