Hearts accept early gift and then Levein shuts the door The odds were all against a Celtic victory

IAN PAUL

21 Dec 1992

ONE of the great guides for all betting men, Sod's Law, prevailed again on Saturday at Tynecastle, where Hearts beat Celtic 1-0.

To all who have studied the mechanics of the system, this was a stonewall certainty.

Hearts had not won for six games; Celtic had not lost away from home for 13 months.

Ergo, Hearts were the bet of the day.

It is this kind of lateral thinking which gives us all a chance of beating the bookie.

But there is a tough bit about Sod's Law.

Once you've twigged it, then it ain't Sod's Law.

For Celtic fans, who made up a large percentage of the 13,554 attendance, the familiar sight of a defender presenting a goal to the opposition did not enhance the memory of this trip east, especially when that goal ended up as the difference between the teams.

It also leaves them six points behind Rangers, who have two games in hand, and two behind Aberdeen, who have a game fewer played.

Anyone who fancies them for the title now is indeed the supreme optimist.

Even Old Sod himself might baulk at that.

At least manager Liam Brady did not try to hide behind the old winter conditions screen.

"We didn't play," was an accurate summation of his team's efforts.

"The conditions were difficult for good football, but I was disappointed with our performance.

Hearts coped better and got it right at the back."

That also was spot-on.

The Tynecastle defence was magnificent.

Yet on a slippy, hard ground they should have had a tough time against nippy players like Andy Payton and Stuart Slater.

In fact, the opposite was the case and I would guess that this was their easiest afternoon for a while.

Craig Levein and his cohorts, Peter van de Ven, Alan McLaren, and Tosh McKinlay, made up a solid, comfortable and disciplined force, although Levein insisted that the credit for the ease of their day was due to the Tynecastle midfielders.

"Our system demands that the opposition midfield is restricted and Collins and McStay didn't get a chance to play," said Levein.

"Celtic had two wee guys up front and, when they were forced into using long balls, it made life simple for us."

Levein was overstating the case a bit, because he and van de Ven, in particular, were marvellously composed throughout.

Bearing in mind that Hearts had gone through a tortuous week recently, when they lost 12 goals, as many as they had conceded in total until then, the way they have tightened up and recovered their self-control is admirable.

There was no question that they were well worth the two points against Celtic.

It was only some bad finishing and some great saves by Pat Bonner which prevented them from winning more comfortably.

Maybe they would have found it a little more difficult if they had not been given that golden gift before forty seconds had passed.

Young Mark McNally was not under severe pressure as he rose to a chip forward from McKinlay.

Unfortunately for McNally, he made a hash of the option he chose, to head back to Bonner.

Instead of directing the ball towards the keeper, he laid it gently in front of Ian Ferguson, who was so taken aback that he almost let the opportunity slip away.

However, he recovered in time to steer the ball out of Bonner's reach.

The Celtic keeper was not beaten again and much of the credit for that goes to yer man himself.

He was in superb form, making memorable saves from Gary Mackay and Allan Preston, even if he should have been beaten after blocking the latter's shot.

John Millar needed only to steer the ball over the prostrate Pat to put his team two ahead, but instead smacked it past a post.

Bonner's only problem was his kicking from pass-backs, although you might wonder why he was put in this position so often on a ground that made control a bit tricky for outfield men let alone keepers.

Celtic had their moments, especially a clear chance in front of goal for Payton, but the striker made a hash of his shot, and Hearts still produced more opportunities, and far more imaginative football, in the second half.

Most of the good stuff was down to John Robertson, who had one of his best games of this or any other season.

Robbo is well recognised as a penalty-box man, sharp and incisive, but this time he showed the other qualities which can make him a creative influence.

His clever little passes and chips, not to mention his close control, made him the game's outstanding player.

Time and again he unravelled the Parkhead defence and on one occasion he swivelled in and around Tony Mowbray like a champion downhill racer before laying on a fine chance for Derek Ferguson, who shot over the bar.

It was a good showing by Hearts, but the net result is effectively an end to another challenger's aspirations, as their own must be considered gone.

Manager Joe Jordan, understandably, was more interested in seeing his team recover winning form than worrying about the effects on the title chase.

"It's nice to be able to put an end to that non-winning run," he said, "and there were a lot of good aspects to our performance.

The defensive discipline was excellent."

He had a good word or two for keeper Nicky Walker, who has replaced internationalist Henry Smith.

"He has had to wait a long time for his chance, but he has done well."

His captain, Levein, had no doubts that a win over Celtic was essential after recent efforts, but equally acknowledged the fact that Hearts, who are nine points behind Rangers, have a long way to go yet.

"It will be awfully hard for anybody to catch Rangers, but we all have to hope that they will drop points to give us a chance to peg them back a bit," said Levein.

Celtic players will no doubt say the same, but if either of these teams can win the championship from this distance it will be a remarkable feat.

Taken from the Herald