Aberdeen broken-hearted.

Inspiration is sadly lacking as crunch cup-tie looms for Miller

RAY HEPBURN

24 Oct 1994

THE contrast that just one quarter of a season can produce was never more vividly featured than in Hearts' 2-0 victory over Aberdeen at Tynecastle.

On August 13, the opening day of the season, the Dons defeated Hearts 3-1, with £800,000 signing Billy Dodds scoring a debut goal before enraptured home supporters.

The Edinburgh team, moving hesitantly into a new era under Tommy McLean, had a John Colquhoun goal as consolation and went on to take just one point from their opening four games.

This time, the Dons travelled to the capital en route to Wednesday's Coca-Cola Cup semi-final against Celtic without a subsequent victory since that bright beginning.

Hearts, meanwhile, have recovered from their tardy start and were bidding to win their fifth match in six outings against Wilie Miller's confidence-seeking players.

McLean's men did so with thrilling style, one sensational goal and a flowing togetherness that made them the best team that has played in Edinburgh thus far.

Stephen Frail's twelfth- minute goal may not be bettered this season, and a typical predator's second from John Robertson four minutes before half-time clinically ended the contest.

The demeanour of the Hearts players, effervescent and ebullient, showed a stark difference to an Aberdeen team seeking inspiration from a result, a figure, a break, anything.

Miller's problem is not the ever-present possibility that players' form will shade, although at Tynecastle three-quarters of his team were below par.

Much more serious was their lack of enthusiasm for the fray, which offered the genuine possibility of an embarrassingly heavy defeat during a breathtaking first 45 minutes by Hearts.

Miller issued a stern warning afterwards, that if there is no improvement, players will leave and he must hope fervently that this works for Wednesday at Ibrox.

For Hearts, the aftermath threw up a tantalising array of possibilities as their players moved to within three points of the league leadership and eight points clear of Saturday's rivals.

It was hard to argue with Craig Levein's suggestion that Frail has the scope to develop into a player who could accompany him in the Scotland team.

To recall that this John Brownlie or Danny McGrain play-a-like was purchased from Dundee by Sandy Clark for £120,000 in March, it demonstrates that Jim Duffy's hand was not being forced -- it was being twisted painfully.

After Jim Bett's authoritative performance in midfield, there will be little chance of disagreement when he and manager McLean sit down to decide if his one-month contract should be extended.

Chairman Chris Robinson will be praying that performances like Saturday's will produce an upturn in the response to Hearts' share issue.

It was a pretty impressive sales pitch.

Taken from the Herald