Kilmarnock FC: Hat-trick hero Cillian Sheridan breaks Hearts

Oct 5 2012 by Alex Milligan, Kilmarnock Standard

WITH four goals in his last two games, fans will be calling their new striker Killie-an Sheridan.

The 23-year-old’s hat-trick saw the Rugby Park side record their first away win of the season, propelling them into third spot in the SPL.

But this was no one-man show, a terrific all-round performance in front of Scotland’s largest crowd of the day gave them a thoroughly deserved win.

Yet the impact of Killie’s new hitman wasn’t a big surprise to skipper Manuel Pascali, who said: “I played against Cillian in the past and he is a real handful of a striker. He reminds me a bit of Conor Sammon because he is big, strong, has pace and can finish.

“He has got everything, really. We are lucky to have added him to our team and he was great in this match.”

Kenny Shiels went with an unchanged side at Tynecastle following the previous win over St Mirren.

Hearts had the more promising start with teenager Callum Paterson, but his feed to Andy Driver was cut out by Kyle Letheren.

Paterson was the main threat but scorned a couple of good chances when he sent his header high from a great cross from Aryvdas Novikovas and couldn’t find the target from a Ryan Stevenson corner. The Tynecastle side fell behind to the first of Sheridan’s three counters on 32 minutes.

James Dayton duped former Killie colleague Mehdi Taouil on the left when he darted to the by line and crossed for the Irish striker to glance a header home.

Hearts passed up another goal opportunity to equalise before the interval when Paterson was again found wanting with another wayward header.

Not surprisingly, the home side came out after the break with all guns blazing, but Paterson was off target with a shot from the edge of the box.

Again that was to prove costly, for on 52 minutes Sheridan scored his second, and what a beauty it was.

Skipper Manuel Pascali found the striker wide on the right with a terrific crossfield pass.

He left Hearts defender Danny Grainger in his wake and headed for goal, slipping the ball low past MacDonald from a tight angle to double Killie’s lead.

On 62 minutes, Danny Racchi’s cross from a free kick on the left was fumbled by Jamie MacDonald and Sheridan was in the right place to tap the ball into an empty net.

Great stuff... and for the second successive week Killie were three goals ahead with two-thirds of the game played.

But, just like the previous week, they conceded a late goal, with Marius Zaliukas scoring Hearts consolation counter on 88 minutes, netting a Grainger corner.