HEARTS 2 ROSS COUNTY 2

Monday 29 October 2012

FOR a brief moment on Saturday, Hearts supporters got to be football fans.

Hearts' Arvydas Novikovas is kept in check by Richard Brittain, of Ross COunty. Picture: SNS

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CHRIS TAIT

It will have seemed like a novel guise, given they had taken their seats inside Tynecastle as potential shareholders, or at the very least, as innocent bystanders to the declining condition of their club.

The revelation of a £1.75m tax bill – and the brochure to advertise a share issue which accompanied it on Saturday – likely played some part in the subdued atmosphere at Tynecastle, at least initially. It is hard to concentrate on the fitba' when such large figures obstruct the view.

Yet their focus came to be held by events on the pitch; Hearts' purposeful perfor-mance only belatedly bringing a reward against Ross County with John Sutton's equaliser in the dying moments. That is a somewhat prosaic account of a goal the significance of which was heightened by its timing. It also served as a reminder that Sutton can still be useful to his side. Hearts have scored more times than only two of their Clydesdale Bank Premier League rivals.The goal, late as it was, was Sutton's third of a campaign in which he has become increasingly peripheral. He will seem more of a significant threat given the drama and emotion which tend to surround late goals, but it should not be forgotten that he has lost his form since joining from Motherwell, which last season cost him his place in the squad when he was ostracised with a loan spell to Australia's Central Coast Mariners."I don't think I've regressed as a player," said Sutton. "I just want to be part of a successful season for Hearts. Hopefully, we can do well."The striker may well expect the Scottish Communities League Cup quarter-final with Dundee United on Wednesday to offer another platform to rehabilitate him into the team. His cause is helped by a shortage of alternatives.Callum Paterson occupied a lone striker's role against County until the introduction of Sutton and, although his pace and enthusiasm irritated the Highland side at times, their experience meant the teenager was too often swatted aside. The SPL can be difficult terrain for young players in which to find their feet and Paterson is not helped by a lack of familiarity with the role he is being asked to perform. It was not until the campaign started that he was moved forward from full-back.It is perhaps tempting to view Ross County similarly to Paterson in terms of top-flight experience but they have settled quickly in the top flight and will likely endure for another season at least given how badly Dundee have been impaired by their late promotion.Yet the disadvantage of others has not been the main cause of County's relative success, rather it has blossomed from within a seasoned squad. Of their starting XI on Saturday only one player, Stuart Kettlewell, did not have a prior affiliation with a Premier League club and he seems to be making up for that by scoring for a second successive week.Their point at Tynecastle has left County in ninth place and within touching distance of Highland rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle in fifth, which should please them. Admittedly, it is not the most illustrious place to be but the competence that County have shown this term suggests those below will find them hard to shift."It might surprise people outside the club, but you just have to look at our squad. Look at the back four, for example, how many appearances they have had in the Premier League," said Richard Brittain, the County midfielder who cancelled out Arvydas Novikovas' goal."We also have Ross Tokely on the bench who has had about a million appearances for Caley Thistle. It is no surprise to us [how the side are doing] but it is just a start and hopefully we can keep building on that. It is a steep learning curve, the Premier League. But every player worth their salt wants to play at this level."

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HEARTS 2 ROSS COUNTY 2

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