Stephen Kingsley scored a late winner as ten players Hearts defeated Kilmarnock 1-0 in an end-of-season Scottish Premiership match played against the backdrop of manager Derek McInnes’ upcoming move from Rugby Park to Tynecastle Stadium.

The Jambos made their move to sign Killie’s boss last week, and the agreement is set to be finalised on Monday.

 

As a result, McInnes was absent from Rugby Park as the team he is about to lead overcame Yan Dhanda’s first-half dismissal to defeat the team he has managed since January 2022.

In what turned out to be a final-day battle of the interim managers, Liam Fox, who will leave the Jambos after overseeing four consecutive victories since taking over from the sacked Neil Critchley, defeated Chris Burke, who took charge of ninth-placed Killie for the first time.

Burke made three changes to the Killie side that lost 3-0 at Motherwell in McInnes’ last game on Wednesday, starting goalkeeper Robby McCrorie, Brad Lyons, and Bobby Wales, whose summer transfer to Swansea was confirmed on the morning of the game.

Hearts made three changes from their 2-1 victory over St Johnstone, with Scotland custodian Zander Clark making his first appearance since August, Kingsley making his first start in five and a half months, and Calem Nieuwenhof making his second start of the season.

There were a few chants of “oh, Derek McInnes” from the travelling fans, but there was none of the awkwardness and acrimony that might have ensued had the 53-year-old, who had been heckled by sections of the Killie support at Motherwell in midweek, stuck to his initial stated intention of taking charge of the Ayrshire side for one final time in this largely meaningless bottom-six clash.

The hosts got off to a strong start, with David Watson and Danny Armstrong posing threats in the first quarter of an hour.

Hearts were dealt a blow in the 22nd minute when Clark was forced off injured and replaced by Ryan Fulton, capping a miserable campaign in which he lost his first-choice status to Craig Gordon after representing Scotland at Euro 2024 last summer.

The visitors were reduced to ten men in the 38th minute after Dhanda was found to have raised his studs on Stuart Findlay’s ankle as he attempted to pass the Killie defender after hurdling Watson’s challenge.

Findlay, who appeared laboured following the incident, did not return for the second half, with Bruce Anderson replacing him, and the substitute headed straight at Fulton within seconds of the restart.

Hearts fared well despite their numerical disadvantage, and Alan Forrest and Cammy Devlin both tested McCrorie as they began to gain control of the game.

Kingsley finally broke the deadlock in the 89th minute, firing home a low shot after Adam Forrester’s free-kick broke to him just inside the box, ensuring the Jambos ended a largely disappointing season on a high note by finishing seventh ahead of their new manager’s arrival.

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