McLean praises Hearts' attack

RAY HEPBURN

29 Jan 1990

Hearts 3, Dundee United 2

THERE must have been a hint of envy when Dundee United manager Jim McLean paid unstinting tribute to the three Hearts front players who had given his experienced back division a torrid time at Tynecastle.

"Hearts pace, penetration, and movement off the ball was different class," he said, after John Colquhoun, John Robertson, and Scott Crabbe had indeed given the Tannadice team more trouble than they have had for years.

Aberdeen having already claimed a UEFA Cup place with their Skol Cup triumph and admittance to that tournament down to two teams this year, means there is going to be a scramble for that second place.

Saturday's results could be far reaching.

One of the most pleasing aspects of Hearts' push up the league has been the return to form of Walter Kidd.

The man signed by Willie Ormond in 1977, could not have contemplated a fourth-minute goal -- nor could Alan Main.

The young United keeper was well positioned to grasp Kidd's shot, but somehow he fumbled it into the net.

To his credit, Main recovered his poise and made stops from Jimmy Sandison and Crabbe, before the Hearts striker finally beat him in 40 minutes.

United found a little more zest for the game in the opening period of the second half, but John Robertson's sixty-fifth minute penalty seemed to have put paid to their resistance.

We had reckoned without some lack of concentration by Hearts and United's spirit.

Craig Levein offered Paddy Connolly the chance to earn encouragement for the visitors with a sloppy pass back, and Mixu Paatelainen converted a penalty awarded against Tosh McKinlay eight minutes from time.

With 14 points from their last nine matches, Hearts have come closest to matching Rangers for consistency through the turn of the year.

Their consolation on Saturday is that they chose to give away two sloppy goals, on a day when they had already sent three past one of the best defences in the country.

HEARTS -- Smith, Kidd, McKinlay, Levein, McCreery, McPherson, Colquhoun, Sandison, Robertson, Crabbe, Bannon.

Substitutes -- Ferguson, Mackay.

DUNDEE UNITED -- Main, Van der Hoorn, Malpas, McInally, Krivokapic, Narey, Clark, McKinnon, J O'Neill, Connolly, Paatelainen.

Substitutes -- Bowman, Jackson.

Referee -- A M Roy (Aberdeen).