ON a day when the football community of the present remembered the sacrifice of players of the past, it almost seemed like a sacrilege to think of the future of something so comparatively trivial as the SPFL Championship title race.

Yet, after tribute had been paid to the 10 Hearts and Raith Rovers players who failed to return from the First World War, thoughts did indeed turn to whether Robbie Nielsen's Tynecastle side can keep ahead of Rangers in the pursuit of the top spot that guarantees promotion to the Premiership.

Hearts had to rely on the long-range shooting of Turkish defender Alim Ozturk to supply their only goal for the second league game in a row. As the defender gathered the ball 35 yards out, the home fans yelled: "Shoot", hoping - half in jest - for a repeat of his sensational equaliser in the recent derby match against Hibernian.

While that long-range effort had been unsaveable, this one should have made for a simple parry for Raith goalkeeper David McGurn. Sadly for him, he failed to stop the ball tumbling into the net behind him.

After his previous match-saving effort, Hibs manager Alan Stubbs had moaned that Ozturk could try the same thing a thousand times again and not score. "So that was another fluke," the Hearts player said with a wink. "I heard the fans shout and just went for it."

Ozturk's goal should have been the cue for the home team's young forward players to show the skills and panache that have lit up this division since August. The trio of Billy King, Jamie Walker and Sam Nicholson interchanged positions and buzzed about behind Soufian El Hassnaoui, but time and again they came up against a solid wall of Raith defenders. Clearly they missed the powerful presence of Swedish forward Osman Sow, sidelined by a thigh strain.

It says much for Hearts' lack of penetration and Raith's doughty defending that the unfortunate McGurn was given no real chances to atone for his error. Instead, the visitors grew in confidence before subjecting the Hearts goal to a sustained but ineffectual assault in the closing minutes.

By that stage the home side were down to 10 men due to Adam Eckersley limping off with a hip injury moments after his team's third substitution.

A minute from time Hearts goalkeeper Neil Alexander rushed a clearance that was met by the boot of Raith midfielder Liam Fox 40 yards out. Fortunately for his team, Alexander scurried back to his goal to make a flying save and secure three vital but barely justified points.

"Raith deserved something," admitted Neilsen. As for Ozturk's winning goal? "Another lucky strike," the Hearts manager said with a laugh.