Shearer marks return with a double

GRAEME SMITH

2 Jan 1995

ABERDEEN travel to Tannadice today hoping to kick off 1995 with the confidence which Duncan Shearer helped restore on Hogmanay.

Shearer's absence through injury since September has coincided with one of the worst runs in Aberdeen's history and there was a huge burden of expectation from his team-mates, as well as the Aberdeen fans, when he started his first full game against Hearts.

He took just five seconds to show it was a responsibility he could shoulder.

Dodds took the kick-off and tapped the ball to Shearer, who took advantage of the wind to send a 45-yard shot rocketing towards the Hearts' goal, forcing Craig Nelson to tip it over the bar for a corner.

"I didn't expect to score, but it gets the crowd behind you," said Shearer.

"The gaffer's always saying to try and get an early shot in, and you can't get much earlier that."

Just a minute after having rounded the Hearts wall with a 25-yard free kick, Shearer scored Aberdeen's first goal at Pittodrie since October 29.

In the thirteenth minute Nelson came off his line to try to catch a Miller cross, but Shearer beat him to it and sent a header looping over the keeper and into the net.

John Inglis, who is establishing himself as a commanding force in the Dons' defence, notched his first for the club after 28 minutes by tapping in a Stephen Wright cut-back.

After the interval Ray McKinnon replaced Peter Hetherston, who had twisted his knee and is a serious doubt for today's match with Dundee United.

He quickly made an impact, providing the pass to Kane, who set Shearer up with only Nelson to beat, and the striker curled the ball round the keeper.

Aberdeen had been playing some of their best football of the season, although the Hearts performance did make life a little easier for them, but after the third goal they eased up.

Youngster Kevin Thomas, who had replaced John Robertson at half-time in a tactical move, pulled one back when he was left unmarked to head in a Colin Miller cross.

But Hearts never looked capable of denying Aberdeen a victory they so desperately needed.

Hearts manager Tommy McLean felt his team got what they deserved.

"We cut our own throats," he said.

"The calibre of the goals was ridiculous and can be traced back to three individual mistakes.

They played in fits in starts and in the later stages had a wee flurry, but by then the game was lost."

Aberdeen assistant manager Roy Aitken was delighted with the victory but unhappy at how the players "took their foot off the pedal" in the second half.

Taken from the Herald