Hearts 2-0 Ross County: Elton Kabangu and Jorge Grant strike as Hearts move into top six
Report as Hearts move into the Premiership top six with a 2-0 win over Ross County; Elton Kabangu and Jorge Grant score either side of the break to seal victory for hosts at Tynecastle
Saturday 15 March 2025 21:23, UK
Elton Kabangu and Jorge Grant scored either side of the break as Hearts beat Ross County 2-0 to climb back into the Premiership top six.
Kabangu poked home the first in the 26th minute before substitute Grant converted at the near post in the dying stages.
It ended up being a straightforward victory for the hosts but County were still right in the game up until Grant doubled Hearts' lead.
The Gorgie side moved to sixth in the table with only three pre-split games to go, while County are four points worse off.
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Fresh from earning his first Scotland call-up, Hearts striker James Wilson was restored to the line-up.
But it was a quiet start to the game for both Wilson and Hearts as they struggled to find any rhythm in the early stages against a County team who looked comfortable.
It took until 21 minutes for Hearts to register their first meaningful attempt at goal when Blair Spittal fired over from 20 yards.
Hearts were enjoying the greater share of possession and they made it count in the 26th minute when Kabangu gave the home team the lead.
Beni Baningime showed great skill to make space before slipping in the on loan Union Saint-Gilloise forward.
And Kabangu poked the ball the legs of goalkeeper Jordan Amissah from close range
Hearts had a spring in their step and had a chance to double their lead in the 32nd minute when Lawrence Shankland slipped in Wilson but the teenager - running away from goal - could only hit a tame shot at Amissah.
The second period was similar to the first, with Hearts continuing to dominate possession of the ball without doing too much with it in the final third.
County had a chance to test Craig Gordon in the Hearts goal in the 55th minute when Kieran Phillips got a break of the ball on the edge of the box, but his right-footed curling effort sailed past the post.
Kabangu then volleyed over moments later from 12 yards after connecting with Shankland's cross before substitute Musa Drammeh failed to get his head on the ball from a good cross.
County 'keeper Amissah kept his team in it in the 88th minute with a stunning save to keep out Drammeh's first-time shot from Alan Forrest's cutback.
But Drammeh then turned provider in the 89th minute when his low cross was slammed in by Grant at the near post.
What the managers said...
Hearts manager Neil Critchley: "All results have gone in our favour today, which is positive for us. So it's been a good day all round.
"The sunshine was out, a fantastic pitch, we scored two goals, kept a clean sheet and the results have gone for us.
"You'd class it as a routine home win, but we've had to fight and work really hard for it, as Ross County make you do that.
"We're in a good place, we get a little bit of time to rest.
"Some players will play in midweek, and then we get time to rest and get ready for a really exciting challenge at Celtic in a couple of weeks' time."
Ross County boss Don Cowie: "It was everything that I would expect. A team working extremely hard to try and make it as difficult as possible for Hearts.
"We managed to frustrate them for periods of the game. But I think, as I always say, we're an honest group and we just lacked that little bit of quality to create that real momentum and that opportunity to get back in the match.
"We made a lot of substitutions in the last half of the game, really attacking ones to see if we could get that opportunity to get back in it.
"We just came up short, we didn't manage to show that bit of quality, whether it was from a set-play that we had - because we had quite a few of them - or in the actual game play."
