Hearts secure win but fail to take outright lead in league

Ian Paul
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30 Oct 1997

Hearts.....................3 Dunfermline...........................1 THEY were able to overtake Rangers and equal Celtic's points total but Hearts were not quite up to collecting the three-goal win they needed to take over on their own at the top of the premier division.

They had looked likely to get there when they went two ahead with 17 minutes of a hard-fought tussle at Tynecastle, but their anticipation was doused quickly when the Fifers pulled a goal back.

Instead of chasing their third goal, Hearts were then forced into a defensive role for a while as Dunfermline tried to get the goal that would have earned them a point.

Hearts made sure that didn't happen when Steve Fulton scored their third in the last minute, but the Fifers were never as vulnerable to the Edinburgh club's manoeuvrings as they had been against Rangers in their last outing.

Even so, when Neil McCann, the best player on the park, put Hearts in front after 13 minutes, the capital plan seemed on course.

Then, in the second-half after Stephane Adam, fed by McCann, increased the the lead, Tynecastle was jumping.

Not for long, however, as Andy Smith silenced the home lot with a goal two minutes later.

Still, the three points keeps Hearts in the championship hunt and they will settle for that in any circumstances.

Hearts manager Jim Jefferies, while admitting to being a little disappointed that his team didn't go ahead of Celtic at the top of the league, did make the point 3-1 was ''not a bad result against the team who've beaten us twice this season.'' Not surprisingly, he was especially pleased with the performance of McCann - ''He had a fantastic game'' - but added that overall he thought it was an excellent team display.

''If we keep playing like this we look as if we can keep up our challenge at the top.'' Dunfermline manager Bert Paton felt that his team did not settle until after Hearts scored.

''We didn't make many clear-cut chances even then, and that's a worry for us.

We seem to be playing the league leaders every week and we'll be at it again on Saturday against Celtic.'' Sergio Duarte livened up a dreary opening period with a splendid free kick which bent just outside a post, a lot nearer than might have been gathered from Gilles Rousset's casual dismissal of the effort.

As so often happens, that sparked off some action at the other end, particularly a well-struck shot by Stephane Adam which was stopped at his right post by Ian Westwater.

The Tynecastle Frenchman was also involved in the opening goal in 13 minutes, but it was designed and finished by McCann.

The Under-21 internationalist cut inside from the left touched the ball to Adam, whose quick return across the edge of the box was well weighted ahead of his team- mate, and the final low shot was tucked neatly out of Westwater's reach.

The Fifers were unlucky not to draw level midway through the half when a fierce low cross by Greg Shields which went all the way to Colin Miller on the far side, but when he sent it rapidly back into the middle Britton tamed it and then shot against the left-hand post.

Dunfermline were on top at this point and Hearts were being berated by their management on the bench, which may have been one reason they came close to scoring a second goal when a good Fulton cross was headed by David Weir, whose effort seemed to be tipped over the bar by Westwater but the referee still gave a goal kick.

Dunfermline gradually got their game together and Shields sent over a low cross that would have reached Britton but for the timely interception of Rousset.

In 48 minutes, the Fifers replaced Britton with Alan Moore, but he was only on site for a few minutes when Hearts scored their second goal and again McCann was at the centre of the action.

He made a lot of ground from halfway and timed his pass to Adam perfectly.

The Frenchman made a fine job of his right-foot shot low past Westwater.

Dunfermline then reduced the deficit to one goal.

Shields provided the hard-hit low cross from the left which Smith steered past Roussset.

But in the last minute McCann sent a perfect crossfield pass into the path of Fulton and he hit their third.

HEARTS: Rousset, Locke, Pointon, Weir, Salvatori, Ritchie, McCann, Fulton, Hamilton, Cameron, Adam.

Substitutes: McManus, Quitongo, Robertson.

DUNFERMLINE: Westwater, Shields, Miller, Tod, Barnett, Welsh, Shaw, Duarte, Smith, French, Britton.

Substitutes: Curran, Moore, Millar.

Referee: J Fleming (Glasgow).

Taken from the Herald