Inverness Caledonian Thistle fail to break Hearts at Tynecastle
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Scottish Championship
Hearts 2
Caley Thistle 1
Scorers Hearts: Naismith (45) Boyce (70) ICT: Doran (84)
INVERNESS Caledonian Thistle failed to cause an upset at Tynecastle as Hearts continued their 100 per cent start to the season.
Aaron Doran's header five minutes from time was not enough as goals from Steven Naismith and Liam Boyce gave Hearts all three points as Inverness lost further ground at the top of the Championship.
Manager John Robertson kept the faith with the same team that beat Arbroath last week.
Shane Sutherland and James Vincent returned to the squad as they started on the substitutes bench.
Caley Thistle had the first chance after four minutes when Nikolay Todorov got his head on to the end of Cameron Harper's cross but not enough power to trouble goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Hearts responded when Andy Halliday slipped the ball in for Stephen Kingsley who squared it across the face for goal for Liam Boyce who was unable to connect in the six-yard box.
A minute later Olly Lee whipped a free kick to the back post which Craig Halkett headed across for Liam Boyce who headed just wide.
Both teams played out a quiet first half with neither goalkeeper really tested during the first 45 minutes.
But Hearts took the lead two minutes into the break, as an unchallenged Naimsith fired Steven Kingsley's cross from the left wing into the bottom right corner from 10 yards out.
Hearts doubled their advantage in the 70th minute when Naismith found Olly Lee on the wing and his cross into the six-yard box found Boyce who back heeled the ball into the net.
Doran pulled one back for Inverness six minutes from time when he nodded James Keatings' cross into the back of the net. But Inverness couldn't find an equaliser.
Hearts: Gordon, Smith, Haring (Irving 61), Lee, Boyce (Frear 84), Naismith (White 70), Wighton, Halliday. Kingsley, Halkett, Popescu.
Subs: Stewart, Berra, Frear, Brandon, Henderson.
Inverness: Ridgers, Duffy, Welsh, Macgregor (Sutherland 67), Harper, Allardice, Kennedy (Doran 74), Mckay, Deas, MacKay (Keatings 74), Todorov.
Subs: Mackay, Devine, Keatings, Doran, Sutherland, Vincent, Fyffe.
Referee: Bobby Madden
