Smith off as Dons crash

Graeme Smith

21 Nov 1991

Aberdeen 0, Hearts 2

HEARTS moved back to the top of the premier division last night with their first victory at Pittodrie in two years.

But the game ended in drama and controversy when Aberdeen's Gary Smith was sent off in his debut game for a professional foul and Hearts scored the decisive goal as a result.

Smith was the last man in defence when George Wright broke away.

The players collided just outside the box but Wright fell to the ground a considerable distance away and it did not appear to be as a direct result of Smith's tackle.

However referee Jim Renton, who booked six players during the match, five of them for dissent, decided that Smith should get his marching orders.

John Robertson took the free-kick which he sent round the wall and high into the net past Theo Snelders to give Hearts two goals, two points, and step above Rangers.

Aberdeen, after having gone one down in the first half had fought hard in the second but, as so often in recent games, could not find the finishing touch.

They have suffered considerable injury problems and desperately need the return of Alex McLeish to marshal the defence.

Indeed, the international defender played his first match of the season in a reserve league game at Meadowbank which Aberdeen won 3-1.

Hearts got the perfect start after nine minutes from a mistake by Brian Irvine.

He tried to push the ball past John Robertson in an effort to clear an attack but the striker intercepted, raced in from 25 yards, and squared the ball to Ian Baird, who rifled it low past Snelders.

Theo Ten Caat made a great attempt to square things 60 seconds later with a curling shot from 20 yards which beat Henry Smith but just missed the top right-hand corner of the net.

A little nastiness began to creep into the match and the referee killed any fluency from either side by filling his book with the names of offenders.

Scott Crabbe, on the other hand, was lucky not to be booked after a harsh and unnecessary tackle on Eion Jess.

Ten minutes later Jess had his name taken along with Tosh McKinlay after dissent following an off-the-ball incident.

Alan McLaren and Willem van der Ark were next to have their names taken.

The fifth first-half booking was for Wright, who had a kick at defender Smith, Aberdeen's £175,000 signing from Falkirk.

Hearts came close to a second after 36 minutes when a shot by Wright rebounded off Snelders and Robertson just failed to reach it before the keeper.

After 41 minutes Jim Bett cleared off the line in a goalmouth scramble.

ABERDEEN -- Snelders, Smith, Winnie, Jess, Irvine, McKimmie, van de Ven, Bett, van der Ark, Ten Caat, Gillhaus.

Substitutes -- Booth, Graham Watson.

HEARTS -- Smith, McLaren, McKinlay, Levein, Mackay, McPherson, Crabbe, Wright, Baird, Millar, Robertson.

Substitutes -- Ferguson, Hogg.

Referee -- J Renton (Cowdenbeath).

Taken from the Herald