Hearts suffer a cup hangover

JIM REYNOLDS

26 Mar 1990

Hearts 0, St Mirren 0

NEVER mind poll tax rebates.

The 8000 or so who paid their money to stand or sit in frozen boredom at Tynecastle on Saturday have a much better case for getting some of their cash back.

Without a doubt this was one of the most inept performances I have seen all season.

It was as if the players couldn't wait to get themselves packed up and off on their holidays, yet Hearts are supposed to be battling for a place in Europe while St Mirren can hardly guarantee anyone that they will still be playing premier-division football this time next year.

Conditions were wild and certainly not ideal for football but the bottom line is that the fans were short changed and if it wasn't for the fact that Hearts are to play Hibernian at Easter Road next weekend, I would wonder how many would be tempted to stay away.

Even the respective managers had nothing to offer in the way of comfort.

Alex MacDonald of Hearts shook his head and said: "It was pretty dour stuff.

I think my players were worried about making mistakes although the fans didn't get on their backs.

"I've little doubt the players were still feeling the effects of going out of the Scottish Cup at Aberdeen last week.

The next game was always going to be difficult and I am just glad we've got it out of the way."

St Mirren's Tony Fitzpatrick, whose side are just four points clear of bottom club, Dundee, said: "I was very disappointed with our display, very unhappy.

We should have come here trying to win the match especially after Hearts had lost in the cup last week.

"I'm certainly not happy with one point.

We defended well enough but never really posed a threat.

It was a terrible match which neither side deserved to win.

However, we are not worried about our position.

We are four points ahead of Dundee with six games left and that will be enough."

Both defences did look good but that wasn't surprising considering they were never put under any real pressure, which made me wonder at the lack of discipline shown by St Mirren's Norrie McWhirter, who got himself sent off in the closing minutes for aiming a punch at Alan McLaren.

He had been booked shortly before that and should have known better.

McWhirter is one of the most promising young defenders in the country but this latest rush of blood means he will miss next Saturday's match against Motherwell and that does absolutely nothing for St Mirren's survival plan.

HEARTS -- Smith, McLaren, McKinlay, Levein, McCreery, McPherson, Colquhoun, Mackay, Robertson, Crabbe, Bannon.

Substitutes -- Foster, Berry.

ST MIRREN -- Money, Martin, Black, Davies, Godfrey, McWhirter, Shaw, Manley, Stickroth, McDowall, Kinnaird.

Substitutes -- Lambert, McWalter.

Referee -- D Yates (Perth).