Both teams started brightly, with the first chance falling to
Kilmarnock.
Frazer Wright, who was sent off right at the end of the game, nodded
narrowly wide from close range following David Fernandez's corner.
Hearts then threatened when Christian Nade's lay-off was met by Saulius
Mikoliunas and his effort fizzed across the goalmouth and past the post.
But it was Kilmarnock who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck
and Anthony Basso - still deputising for Steve Banks in the Jambos goal -
did well to smother a smart shot from James Fowler.
Basso then pulled off a great save when Fernandez's cross found Danny
Invincibile who was denied by the goalkeeper from a couple of yards out.
The home side continued to crank up the pressure and David Lilley rose
above everyone else in a packed goalmouth to meet a corner from Fernandez,
only to see his header parried by Basso.
Tim Clancy was then denied the opener by the woodwork when his
close-range volley cracked off the goalkeeper's right-hand post.
Tempers began to flare and Tall was handed the first booking of the
game for a foul on Fernandez with just over half an hour gone. He was
joined in Craig Thomson's book by Mikoliunas and Wright before the end of
the first half.
Fernandez recovered from the challenge to test Basso with a point-blank
header, but the Hearts goalkeeper was in fine form yet again. The ball
broke to Craig Bryson who rifled just over the crossbar to the dismay of
the home crowd.
Hearts looked more dangerous after the restart and Christophe Berra was
not too far away when he threw himself in front of Laryea Kingston's
free-kick only to see his header scrape the post.
Ivaskevicius was then withdrawn after an hour for Gary Glen, allowing
the teenage striker to make his first appearance of the season, but he did
little to trouble Alan Combe in the Killie goal with his first attempt.
Combe was then called into action to pull off a decent save to prevent
Nade claiming the opener, before a timely intervention from Wright denied
Ruben Palazuelos with the follow-up shot.
Kingston made way for Stewart, before Kilmarnock swapped Locke for
Flannigan and Fernandez for Gary Wales.
With time running out, Mehdi Taouil could have snatched the winner with
a decent effort but Basso came to the rescue of Hearts again with an
impressive one-handed save.
Basso may have been the star man for Hearts but a lack of cutting edge
at the other end of the pitch means the Jambos will finish in the bottom
half of the SPL for the first time since the league split was introduced
for the 2000/01 campaign.
The game also ended disappointingly for Killie when Wright picked up a
second yellow for a foul on Nade in injury-time.
