Tynecastle fare leaves the faithful with hunger pangs

JIM REYNOLDS

2 Sep 1991

HONOUR if not appetite was satisfied at Tynecastle on Saturday.

Both the capital premier-divison clubs rolled toward a no-scoring draw, kept intact their respective unbeaten records, breathed a sigh of relief, and we were all left wondering what the pre-match fuss was about.

As derby matches go, this was one of the tamest in Edinburgh for a long time but at the end of it all the impression gained from the respective managers, Joe Jordan and Alex Miller, was that neither was too unhappy about the outcome.

Now, if the club's don't meet in the Skol Cup beforehand the action-starved fans must wait until November to see if Easter Road can provide the thrills that were missing at Tynecastle.

Saturday was too bland for those who like their football to have a little bite to it.

Yet for the neutral the performances were interesting, and none more so than the one turned in by Hibernian's man for all occasions, Neil Orr whose display in the middle of defence was an inspiring one for those around him.

Orr, who is now 31, is one of that rare breed who will do an excellent job no matter where he plays, and on Saturday his arms must have been as leaden as his legs at the end.

Like a hyped-up traffic policemen he waved and shouted players into position.

To be heard above the roars of vociferous keeper, John "the mouth" Burridge, was an achievement on its own.

With Orr and Burridge about the Hibs players were almost afraid to make a wrong move and at the back they seldom did as Hearts tried almost everything in an effort to break them down.

It was all so frustrating for the home side and John Robertson in particular.

The striker, who is in his testimonial year, has scored 17 times in two dozen derby matches but hardly got a look at the target on Saturday.

Hibs were also strong in midfield where Murdo MacLeod, Brian Hamilton, and Pat McGinlay closed down all the spaces and left little no room for creative artists such as Gary Mackay and Derek Ferguson.

With honours even in the first half Hearts stepped up the pace after half-time, and had most of the pressure during that spell.

They were, however, caught up in Hibs stranglehold at the back and maybe a more direct approach would have paid better dividends.

Hibs did not threaten the Tynecastle men too much and new £500,000 striker Keith Wright had a quiet derby debut.

Afterwards Joe Jordan said: "Of course I'm disappointed that we didn't maintain our 100 per cent record, especially when you consider the amount of pressure we had.

It certainly wasn't a classic but we just have to be content with a point.

"I'm not too unhappy with the way the team played -- and I've seen worse derby matches -- and I can't be critical of the contribution my players made."

Alex Miller certainly couldn't be critical of his team's effort.

"It wasn't a great game for the fans," he said, "but the result was the most important thing for us.

We're still unbeaten and we have taken a point from a very difficult away match."

Despite the lack of excitement everybody seemed fairly satisfied, even the fans.

Nobody, neither maroon nor green, had to slink away from the ground looking for places in which to hide.

Taken from the Herald