Hearts 2 Dundee 0

By Jon West, PA Sport

Second-half goals from Kevin McKenna and Ricardo Fuller gave Hearts the win they had so desperately craved but toiled to achieve.

The home side came into the match on the back of a run that had seen six of the last seven league games lost and participation in the CIS Cup ended by Ross County.

The half-time talk had centred on the precise location of the latest fans' demonstration against the current Tynecastle regime but those two goals lightened the mood considerably.

Instead, it was Dundee manager Ivano Bonetti who was once again left pondering why a team that looks so good on paper fails to impress on the pitch.

The first half had little to recommend it and 38 minutes had elapsed before a shot was landed on target by either side.

Dundee playmaker Beto Carranza was the man who forced Antti Niemi into a competent save following good approach play by Juan Sara and Gavin Rae, the current player of the month.

Earlier, the two sets of fans had been treated to little of note and instead the minutes were filled with sketchy approach play and a succession of niggly fouls.

Temuri Ketsbaia set the tone for much of the afternoon when he completely miskicked when in a good position and Hearts soon responded with a free kick from an encouraging position that McKenna lofted over the bar.

Mark Robertson got the bookings count off to an early start in the ninth minute for a tackle from behind on Steven Pressley but the next to be shown the yellow card, Zura Khizanishvili, did so in more controversial circumstances.

His clash with Fuller in the 20th minute covered a multitude of sins, the first of which appeared to be a dive and when the Jamaican made contact with the Georgian as he remained on the turf a petulant kick followed.

Hearts had gone close just before when Fuller had got the better of the Georgian to set up Stephane Adam for a near post chance that was wasted.

Rae fired over from distance, as did Javier Artero, who was playing his first game since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the summer.

Stevie Fulton saw a shot from a free kick move blocked almost at his feet and the home side's best effort before the break was a turn and shot from outside the box from Adam that fizzed just wide.

Stephen Simmons became the third man to be booked before the break for a foul on Massimo Beghetto.

Hearts took the game to the visitors after the restart and Fulton hooked over and Fuller found the sidenetting from a tight angle before, at last, a breakthrough came.

Fulton was the supplier, lifting a free kick on to the head of McKenna, who had risen the highest in the box. It had taken the home side 55 minutes to get an effort on target but it was worth the wait as far as they were concerned.

Dundee were forced to come out of their defensive shells, having previously employed Sara as a lone frontman and Alan Maybury, Hearts' recent acquisition from Leeds, almost gifted them an equaliser.

His first touch was merely a pass to Robertson, who was just wide with a fierce first time effort from just outside then area.

Ketsbaia was more accurate with Dundee's next attempt but Niemi was in the way to gather comfortably.

In the other net, Scotland Under-21 international Jamie Langfield was suddenly looking less secure.

A speedy backpass, which had Maybury charging after it, was sliced up into the air and had to punch away as the Irishman challenged.

Fuller twice saw shots blocked before making it 2-0 in the 73rd minute, with Fulton once again providing the assist.

He headed on to send the striker clear of the Dundee backline and his was a neat clipped finish past Langfield.

Fulton almost came up with a goal himself but was denied by a good save by Langfield. The portly playmaker had made it all the way into the box but in the end had to make do with only the man of the match award.

He was also booked in the last minute for a flare-up with Rae.

Teams:

Hearts: Niemi, Pressley, McKenna, Webster, Maybury, Gronlund, Fulton, Simmons, Mahe, Fuller (Kirk 80), Adam (Wales 68).

Subs Not Used: McKenzie, Boyack, McCann.

Booked: Simmons, Fuller, Fulton.

Goals: McKenna 55, Fuller 72.

Dundee: Langfield, Smith, Del Rio, Khizanishvili, Beghetto, Carranza (Forbes 86), Robertson (Milne 68), Rae, Ketsbaia, Artero, Sara.

Subs Not Used: Speroni, Gatti, MacKay.

Booked: Khizanishvili.

Att: 10,374

Ref: A Freeland (Scotland).


Taken from sportinglife.com