It was a sunny, sunny day in Leith, but not for those for whom the song was written. A largely uneventful derby was settled by Marius Zaliukas, when his fizzing volley ten minutes from full time gave Hearts their first win at Easter Road since November 2002 (discounting the Festival Cup, of course).

It was a far cry from the shocker against Dundee United - disciplined, polished and gutsy. There's still work to be done, no one can deny that, but all of a sudden things look more rosy.

Andy Driver's early volley was smartly parried away by McNeil, whereas Craig Gordon was called into action twice in the space of a minute; to block Scott Brown's effort from ten yards out and then to catch Steven Fletcher's header. The bulk of the early pressure was all Hibs, although Hearts were (so far) up to the task defensively. Goncalves cut out a probing cross and Aguiar cleared a header off the line.

One thing is obvious - Hibs are a much better side for having Rob Jones in their team. Last season their centre backs were ritually and routinely torn apart by predatory forwards, but Jones, with his presence and height, is more than a match for any striker. Velicka was, with 20 minutes gone, finding it difficult to get any change from the Hibernian captain.

Fletcher and Murphy each had a crack at goal from set pieces, neither effort troubling Gordon. Aguiar curled a decent delivery into the box that nearly found Velicka, but McNeil got there first. These were the stand-out points, as we reached the half-hour mark.

The Jambos, gradually, were beginning to find their feet, as confidence at not having shipped an early goal began to grow. Aguiar indulged in some neat footwork to fool Jones and Velicka had a tame stab on target. It was better from the visitors.

Karipidis blasted the ball right against Scott Brown as the Hibs dynamo sought to close down play. The Greek apologised by patting Brown on the shoulder, but Brown was in no mood to accept it, appearing to mutter something unrepeatable in Hristos's general direction.

On the verge of half-time, McNeil was called into action twice, one time to tip Murphy's lobbed passback over the bar and the other time to catch Velicka's lob. His feet were definitely over the line, but it's another issue as to whether the ball was.

No changes were made at the break. Hearts were getting stuck into things a bit more, even though Hibs still looked dangerous going forward. Stuart Dougal, who is a fine referee, was causing some consternation with his refusal to book anyone in a green shirt, when Brellier and Zaliukas had entered his book for fairly innocuous challenges in the first half.

Jones and Beuzelin proceeded to get in each other's way when vying to meet David Murphy's cross. It was a free header but the confusion they caused each other meant the ball sailed over Gordon's crossbar.

Aguiar tried his luck from a long way out, clearing the defensive line on the box but proving no real torment to McNeil.

It was fair to say that, whilst there were plenty of talking points, there was no real action to write home about. Neither side was able to penetrate the defensive line of the other. Ivan Sproule and Eggert Jonsson were on the pitch now, trying to add a different dimension to the game. Plenty of mistakes were being made, which added up to a lack of quality in the final third.

Ten minutes were left when Hearts took the lead. Andy Driver delivered a whipping ball in from the right hand channel which McNeil failed to collect. The loose ball landed perfectly at the feet of Zaliukas, who still had a bit to do. The Lithuanian was composed and clinical, volleying the ball into the left hand corner. This was the cue for rather loud celebrations behind Craig Gordon's goal.

Hibs pressed up the park in a desperate bid to level the scores. A mis-hit from goalscorer Zaliukas let in the zippy Sproule. He hit a great right-foot strike that was superbly stopped by Gordon. The ball lingered along the goal line, but Karipidis reacted first and cleared.

The four minutes of injury time were excruciating but when Mr Dougal blew for full time, Hearts had ended a near five year barren run at the home of our greatest rivals. Players, coaching staff et al gathered to join in the celebrations with the travelling support. It was a close game, with perhaps a draw being the fairer result, but as Hearts News sits back this evening with a bottle or two of something refreshing, we honestly couldn't care less.

Hibernian: McNeil, Whittaker, Hogg, Jones, Murphy, Zemmama (Sproule 60), Scott Brown, Beuzelin, Stevenson (Stewart 74), Benjelloun, Fletcher (Sowunmi 89). Booked: Beuzelin Subs Not Used: Simon Brown, McCann, Martis, Chisholm.

Hearts: Gordon, Karipidis, Zaliukas, Berra, Goncalves, Pilibaitis (Jonsson 66), Aguiar, Brellier, Ivaskevicius, Driver (Fyssas 88), Velicka (Pospisil 77). Booked: Zaliukas, Brellier, Pilibaitis, Driver, Pospisil. Subs Not Used: Banks, Armstrong, Mackle, Kelly.

Referee: Kenny Clark

Top man: Christophe Berra

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