Maroon memories: Win comes straight out of rough ride to Europe

They did it the hard way, but the Hearts manager could look back on a job well done. Hearts qualified for Europe with the club in the healthiest position it had been in for some time.

At the start of the campaign at Tynecastle, the aim was for the Gorgie club to win "their" league. That is, while Celtic and Rangers battled it out for the championship, the Capital club wanted to be the best of the rest.

Prior to this match, Don Goodman, of third-place rivals Motherwell, had attempted to psyche out the Gorgie squad by accusing them of being "bottlers".

Goodman's actions backfired badly. Jefferies later admitted his team talk was one of the shortest he has had to give in five years at Tynecastle.

And, on the park, his players showed that they were no chokers.

Passion and commitment were called for in this derby and it arrived in spades from both sets of players in a first half that probably won't be remembered for the football played.

Martin McIntosh and Grant Brebner picked up early bookings as the challenges went flying in, while Nick Colgan produced a superb stop to deny Juanjo a 20th-minute goal when the Spaniard looked to turn in a Gordon Petric header.

His inclusion may have raised eyebrows before the game, this being only his second start of the season, but in the 39th minute it turned out to be one of Jefferies' more inspired decisions. Picking up the ball on the right-hand touchline, Juanjo drifted inside looking to play a pass into the area. Nobody moved, and his options were limited.

At one stage he actually threw his hands up into the air to urge his colleagues to move but, with Hibs defenders starting to crowd him out, he decided to cut inside.

Having done that, though, there was only one thing on his mind and Colgan was helpless as he then curled his shot into the Irishman's bottom left-hand corner.

The mood somewhat darkened as Hibs equalised after the interval through Mixu Paatelainen, the future Hibs boss scrambling home after Kenny Miller's header had come back off Antti Niemi's post.

If the Hearts players were going to bottle it, then the time had arrived. Instead, they took the game by the scruff of the neck.

Hearts craved something special and, from a free-kick, the impressive Lee Makel delivered.

Hibs boss Alex McLeish later described the set-piece as "undefendable", Makel's cross whipping straight onto the head of Gary McSwegan, who glanced the ball past Colgan from the six-yard line. McIntosh then saw red for his second bookable offence when he brought down Colin Cameron and, with the clock ticking, Hearts were content to play out time, and finally start thinking about getting the passports out.

"We know we under-achieved during the first half of the season, but, at the winter break, one of our targets was to qualify for Europe," said Jefferies afterwards.

"It is very important for this club to be in Europe, and we are very pleased to have achieved that. The club has had a great week at all levels, and the fans can enjoy the summer.

"To beat Hibs like this is sweet revenge for the games in which they have beaten us this season, and I think we deserved the result we got."

Hearts: Niemi; Flogel, Pressley, Petric, Naysmith; Makel (Tomaschek 85), Severin, Cameron; Juanjo, McSwegan (Murray 82), Jackson (Kirk 79). Subs not used: Rousset, Fulton.

Hibs: Colgan; Collins, Hughes, McIntosh, Lovering; McManus (Reid 74), Brebner, Murray (Lovell 88), McGinlay; Paatelainen, Miller. Subs not used: Gottskalksson, Smith, Renwick.