Craig Levein pleased after Hearts battle to victory at Hamilton
Hearts boss Craig Levein praised Jamie Walker and the rest of his team for battling to victory in the face of Hamilton's “combative” style.
Hearts boss Craig Levein praised Jamie Walker and the rest of his team for battling to victory in the face of Hamilton's “combative” style.
The Jambos claimed a 2-1 triumph at the SuperSeal Stadium but were made to fight all the way by Martin Canning's tireless Accies.
Boyhood Hearts fan Ross Callachan marked his second start for the club with a dream goal three minutes in before a Kyle Lafferty penalty put them in control.
When Hearts switched off after that spot-kick, however, Accies capitalised with a Rakish Bingham goal and then push Levein's men all the way.
But the visitors clung on for the former Scotland boss' first win since returning for his second stint in the Hearts dugout last month.
“That was a typical away match in the Premiership for us, so we had to be gritty, determined, focused - all the things that make good defenders,” Levein said.
“It was good to see them digging in when needed. I was disappointed last week after drawing with Aberdeen. This time I'm thrilled.”
Levein made special mention of Walker after he was caught up in a furious spat with Hamilton's Darian MacKinnon.
The livid Accies midfielder let rip at Walker after accusing him of a dive, but Levein was pleased to see his man stand firm.
“That's a rather frightening prospect,” he said about the head-to-head with MacKinnon. “When you come to Hamilton, that midfield area is the most combative of the game so you have to stand up and be counted. It wasn't just Jamie - they all did that.
“It was a scrap at times but from our point of view, we know now if we have to dig deep, we can.
“Jamie was brilliant. I said to him after the game that his performance was fantastic. He set up Ross' goal by a great bit of skill in midfield and worked his socks off.”
Canning confessed he was just as upset with his side's sluggish start as he was with referee Bobby Madden's decision to hand Hearts a penalty for an Ioannis Skondras' challenge on Esmael Goncalves midway through the first half.
“I was so angry after the game,'' he said. You can't give anyone a two-goal start in this league.
“It's so frustrating coming away from a game like that. It was a good performance but ultimately you need to win the game when you're playing well.
“I didn't think it was a penalty. I thought the ball was there and Ioannis put his body across Goncalves and was strong enough to come away with it.
“But Bobby seemed to think there was a kick on the calf by Ioannis. If that's the case I'll hold my hands up, but at the time I didn't think he did."