Diamonds deliver an early blow

JIM REYNOLDS

28 Sep 1992

ALEX MacDonald, by nature, is a man who appears to have a permanent smile on his face and the grin was wider than usual on Saturday night after watching his Airdrie workaholics record only their second win of the season by beating Hearts 1-0 at Broomfield.

It was a thoroughly deserved result against a club who sacked him some time after he had taken them to within minutes of a premier-division championship and into a Scottish Cup final.

MacDonald will never admit that he gets a kick out of putting one over on his old club -- he is not the type to gloat -- but he does seem to have the knack for it because Hearts haven't won in the last five meetings between the sides.

More important for the Airdrie manager is the fact that this win comes just days before they face Sparta Prague in Czechoslovakia in a UEFA Cup tie where they find themselves a goal behind from the first leg.

No-one gave Airdrie a chance in their first venture into Europe and they have even less of one now, but such is the spirit around Broomfield they will concede nothing.

MacDonald said: "We took what was really only a half chance against Hearts and we are capable of doing the same against Sparta, who will have to come out at us on their own pitch.

The tie isn't over yet."

Hearts meet Slavia, another lot from Prague, at home this week, and they are also a goal down, but on Saturday's evidence they have no reason to feel optimistic, although they were without key players who could be back for the UEFA Cup match.

After a dreadful start, the Tynecastle side put a lot of pressure on Airdrie, especially during the last third of the match, but they were lacking in the ideas department and never matched Airdrie for determination.

Hearts just don't seem to have a spark about them these days.

The match itself was not one for the purists.

One could almost hear the ball yelling in protest as it was thumped from one end of the field to the other.

Midfield men would be made redundant in a league where every side persisted in these tactics and defenders would have permanent neck damage from constantly gazing at the sky in search of the ball.

Airdrie struck early, when everything looked fresh and hopes of a decent match were high.

In 15 minutes, Jimmy Boyle sent Alan Lawson scampering up the right wing and when his low cross reached the near post, Owen Coyle expertly clipped the ball behind Henry Smith.

"It wasn't really a very good ball from Alan," said manager MacDonald.

"You expect quality passes from him but that wasn't one of them, which makes Owen's strike all the better.

Another one like that on Wednesday will do us just fine.

"We haven't had many breaks this season but the lads have never stopped working and I couldn't ask any more from them.

We've taken a point from matches against Celtic, Aberdeen and Hibs and now we've beaten Hearts.

We're gradually getting there and I'm happy with the way things are going."

Hearts missed the sharpness of John Robertson in front of goal and they must be hoping desperately that he will be fit for the match against Slavia where surely their midfield will be given more time and space in which to build than they were given at Broomfield.

Former Hearts man, Kenny Black, was given the sponsor's man of the match award but from the chants of the Hearts' fans, their man of the match was striker, Scott Crabbe, a man who wasn't even there.

He was away pondering whether he should join Dundee United this week.

The Gorgie Road faithful don't want him to leave, even although the clubs would seem to have agreed the terms for a transfer.

Taken from the Herald