Heracles put some distance between themselves and the Eredivisie relegation zone by securing a 2-0 win against 10-man PEC Zwolle in this afternoon's clash at the Polman Stadium.

The hosts broke the deadlock just before the quarter-hour mark when a Warner Hahn save landed at the feet of Thomas Bruns, who pounced on the rebound and fired home.

Heracles doubled their lead two minutes after the restart courtesy of Bryan Linssen, who made the most of poor defensive play to pick up the ball and shoot past Hahn.

Zwolle suffered a further setback when Trent Sainsbury was shown a straight red card in the 52nd minute after clashing with Wout Weghorst, and were unable to conjure up a fightback as the hosts secured all three points.

The result puts Heracles 15th in the Eredivisie table on 31 points, three clear of the relegation playoff zone, while Zwolle remain seventh.