Hearts tame Tigers
Hull handed another pre-season defeat
Last Updated: August 3, 2008 5:33pm
Ksanavicius: Match-winner
Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo celebrated his first game at Tynecastle with a 1-0 win over Premier League new boys Hull.
Audrius Ksanavicius headed home just after the half-hour mark in a game of few chances.
Hull only threatened from Geovanni's dead-ball prowess while Laryea Kingston showed he will be vital for the home side's Clydesdale Bank Premier League campaign, which kicks off against Motherwell on Saturday.
Hearts should have taken the lead in the eighth minute following a slick move when Kingston played Ksanavicius through but the Lithuanian's poor finish dribbled three yards wide.
Hull almost broke the deadlock a minute later but Steve Banks palmed away a powerful, swerving free-kick from Brazilian Geovanni.
Andrew Dawson curled over another free-kick for the visitors before Ksanavicius shot weakly on the turn at Boaz Myhill following Kingston's cross.
Opener
The game degenerated into a midfield stalemate until Ksanavicius finally found his finishing touch in the 33rd minute.
Kingston won the ball in the middle of the Hull half and Hearts moved the ball out left for Palazuelos, whose cross was headed into the corner from 10 yards by the Lithuanian.
Hull began to control possession in the second-half and Geovanni forced Banks to palm away another 30-yard free-kick, with the Hearts keeper recovering to push out Nick Barmby's headed follow-up.
With Geovanni off the park, half-time substitute Dean Windass took Hull's next free-kick but curled the ball straight into the arms of Banks as the English side made it three pre-season games without victory.
Andrius Ksanavicius
