ANDREW Driver revelled in his first 90 minutes playing under the attacking freedom offered by Jim Jefferies as his goal helped Hearts to a convincing 2-1 victory over Hibernian at Tynecastle.
Hearts had numerous chances to add to their quickfire first-half double, when Gary Glen nodded home three minutes after Driver had volleyed a 24th-minute opener.
Glen over-ran the ball as he rounded Hibernian goalkeeper Graham Stack, Driver saw a shot cleared off the line by Lewis Stevenson after a great piece of skill, and Suso Santana blazed over from inside the six-yard box with the Hibs goalkeeper left stranded.
Hibernian failed to exert enough pressure on Hearts even after Derek Riordan’s 79th-minute lifeline as the hosts reopened a six-point gap on St Johnstone in the race for a top-six spot in the SPL.
Driver feels the Hearts supporters will enjoy Jefferies’ second spell in charge after the functional football under the previous manager Csaba Laszlo.
He said: “The performance showed a massive difference in styles, we came out there and took the game to them.
“You heard the atmosphere, the fans reacted in a positive way. As a fan, that’s what you want to see – positive football. It’s all very well getting results, everyone wants that, but if you can get results and play good football, that’s what you come to watch football for.”
Falkirk winger Ryan Flynn believes the rock-bottom Bairns can win all of their remaining games this season after he gave them a relegation lifeline against Hamilton.
Steven Pressley’s men would have slipped nine points behind their hosts had it not been for Flynn’s volleyed equaliser just moments after a one-goal advantage had turned into a 2-1 deficit.
Scott Arfield gave Falkirk the lead, against the run of play in the first half, but Mickael Antoine-Curier’s seventh of the campaign for Accies and Simon Mensing’s disputed penalty eight minutes later had the visitors staring at another costly defeat.
However, Flynn popped up only three minutes later to rifle in when Hamilton failed to clear Pedro Moutinho’s free-kick.
Flynn is now targeting another positive result when the Bairns travel to face St Johnstone tomorrow bidding to close the three-point gap to second-bottom St Mirren.
The former Liverpool youngster said: “There are nine games to go and so it’s nine important games, games that are all winnable. We just have to keep pushing on.”