At 1.30pm we watched the Hearts team bus come perilously close to bashing the wall on it's way into the stadium's narrow car park entrance. We prayed that this was not a sign of things to come but in truth it was the closest scrape we faced on an afternoon where Andrius Velicka grabbed his first Jambos treble and sub Roman Bednar added the other.

The tricky Stair Park surface had posed one or two problems during the warm up for the Hearts players - the groundstaff had worked well to keep the pitch in a playable condition, as there were plenty of divots littered along the grass. Velicka inspires victory at Stranraer

Hearts made four changes from the side which beat Dunfermline 1-0 last Tuesday; amongst them we saw Hristos Karipidis and top scorer Andrius Velicka returning to the line up. It was a reasonably strong selection from Valdas Ivanauskas, and interesting to see Neil McCann plying his trade in central midfield alongside Bruno Aguiar. With Julien Brellier injured and Paul Hartley suspended via the red card he picked up in last year's final against Gretna, the head coach did not have all options available.

At just after 3pm we got underway, in front of a packed crowd with people standing all around the ground, with the exception of the main stand. Games like these always bring back memories of days before all-seater stadiums, with a chance to literally be on top of the action.

A spirited start from the home side could not, initially, disguise the gulf in quality between the sides. Hearts were visibly sharper and faster, but this was not to write off Stranraer who were playing with a passion and commitment to their cause. They won the first corner after four minutes as well, forcing Christophe Berra to head the ball behind his goal.

Hearts' first shot at goal was on eight minutes, coming from a Bruno Aguiar free-kick. Driver won a reasonably soft foul as he threatened to burst into the box and Bruno dispatched an effort over the bar.

By quarter of an hour, Hearts were threatening to use the channels to create a chance. Driver had fed Pospisil down the left flank and Michal's delivery only narrowly missed Velicka. However, Andrius did not have long to wait before breaking the deadlock.

It was nice and simple. Bruno Aguiar lobbed a neat controlled ball over the Stranraer midfield and defence, leaving the Lithuanian, thanks to his superb timing, with a free run at goal. He delivered a great chip of his own, which wrong-footed Scott Black and hit the back of the net with ease.

Hearts were gradually asserting themselves, Velicka being only an inch away from connecting with Driver's cross. That said, Alex Burns nearly got hold of a high ball about ten yards from Craig Gordon's goal. Had he done this, Scotland's first choice keeper would have been forced to react for the first time in the game.

The signs were that Stranraer were settling a bit, challenging McCann and Aguiar for control in the middle of the park. Further up the pitch Burns was again so close to latching onto another high ball, this time a header from Michael Moore. As it was, Gordon gathered easily.

High balls appeared to be the tactic Stranraer had settled on, and you couldn't deny it was working. First Craig Gordon spilled the ball from a free-kick, although it looked as if he was fouled, and then from the resulting throw-in, David Hamilton met the rising ball with a left-foot volley, which the Hearts number one stooped to keep out of the net.

However, all quality teams can weather a wee bit of a storm and then strike back. This is precisely what Hearts did on 42 minutes. Having won a corner, Driver proceeded to deliver it at a venomous, swerving pace. It was flicked on expertly by Pospisil and turned into the net first time by Velicka. After recent pressure applied, Stranraer were entitled to feel hard done by, but that's football.

With nothing to lose, home boss Gerry Britton threw on a forward at the break, although it was also a striker that was replaced- Mullen came on for the lively Alex Burns. They came out to prove a point and registered the first effort of the second half; Dougie Ramsay curled narrowly wide from a free-kick.

Hearts hit back when Aguiar lobbed in McCann for a free run at goal down the left side. Terry hit the ball across goal, hoping that Pospisil could convert the chance. Unfortunately Michal's momentum in trying to get a touch meant he was falling over before he could connect, and the danger was cleared.

Hristos Karipidis almost fatally misread a pass back to him, letting Mullen in with an opportunity. The Greek defender recovered well to block the eventual shot, but it was a reminder that Hearts weren't home and dry just yet.

There was a scare on 58 minutes when Neil McCann was floored after appearing to catch his foot in the turf. Terry lay prostrate for more than a minute, prompting fears that the nasty injuries which have plagued his recent career might have reared their head again. Thankfully he was ok after some treatment, as was Andrius Velicka when he went down holding his head.

By the time we reached 70 minutes, Bednar and Mikoliunas were on for Pospisil and Neilson. The game had staggered a bit, but sprang back to life when Moore swivelled and hit a sweet effort from fully 25 yards out. Gordon was equal to it and palmed the ball away for a corner, even though the shot had bought an ovation from the crowd.

Karipidis almost got himself into a spot of bother outside his own box when he was closed down by two Stranraer players. Berra helped him out though, and from the resulting break, Mikoliunas was close to playing in Driver for what would have been a decisive third.

That came almost immediately. A poor kick out from Black was intercepted by Bednar who one-twoed with Velicka, presenting himself with a clear run and shot at goal. The big Czech didn't miss, sending Black the wrong way with a belting finish. It was Roman's first goal since the one that saw off Celtic in August.

Andy Driver could have immediately made it four, but Black rushed out well to block his strike. Eggert Jonsson then replaced Neil McCann with ten minutes to go, immediately getting involved a move that finished with shot from Bednar that didn't quite hit the target.

Bednar had certainly made an impact, embarking as he did on a run that took out four or five blue shirts before firing narrowly wide of Black's far post. His introduction added some zip to a relatively pedestrian second-half; one that Hearts had largely controlled and never looked like losing.

Mikoliunas pinged a great, low shot from 25 yards off the post, which looked like being the last action until Velicka struck again in injury-time to complete his hat-trick. Driver played him in and he made no mistake with a delicate chip over Black. It was a well-worked goal that drew applause even from the home fans, rounding off a decent day out for the Jambos.

Stranraer: Black; Snowdon, McAlpine, Aitken (Walker 89), Wilson, Sharp, Hamilton, Crilly (Wright, 51), Moore, Burns (Mullen, 46), Ramsay. Booked: Moore, Snowden. Subs not used: Hunter, Morrison.

Hearts: Gordon, Neilson, Karipidis, Berra, Wallace; Barasa, Aguiar, McCann, Driver; Velicka, Pospisil (Bednar, 63). Booked: Velicka, McCann. Subs not used: Banks, Mikoliunas, Jonsson, John Armstrong.

Referee: Eddie Smith

Top man: Andrius Velicka