Gary Locke: referee calls cost Hearts points against Hibs

Gary Locke praised Hearts' endeavour for cancelling out James Collins' opener for Hibernian, but was irked by their hosts' penalty winner late on.

Referee Bobby Madden awarded a penalty after Lewis Stevenson was felled in the box by Jordan McGhee.

"We got ourselves back in the game at 1-1 and it looked like it would have finished that way," said Locke.

"Then you get a referee decision that has cost us a couple of points when there was nothing in the game."

Locke said the match had panned out like he expected, with a determined Hibs side looking to dominate physically at dead ball situations.

"They put us under pressure like I knew they would at set-pieces where they have a physical presence but I thought we coped with that well," he told BBC Radio Scotland.

Hibernian were awarded a penalty on 82 minutes when Jordan McGhee was judged to have fouled Lewis Stevenson in the Hearts box, close to the by-line.

"From where I was there didn't look a lot in it and I've seen it again, the ball's out the pitch and Jordan steps across him.

"That type of thing happens every week and you never see a decision given for it yet Bobby decides to give a penalty tonight.

"There's not a lot we can do about it, I had hoped that 2014 we might get a wee bit of the rub of the green from officials and it's certainly not started too great for us."