Hearts battle to victory

MARK BONTHRONE

COMBINING competing in Europe with performing well in the league has proved difficult for Scottish teams in recent seasons, but yesterday Hearts showed they’re capable of playing on both fronts.

Just three days after an energy-sapping trip to Bordeaux, the Tynecastle side recorded a hard-fought 1-0 victory against a battling Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

Steve Paterson’s men put up as stern a test as the Jambos are likely to face this season - outwith the Old Firm - and although they perhaps rode their luck at times the Capital club left the Granite City with all three points.

While the Jambos have failed to hit the heights they set themselves in qualifying for Europe last term, they now seem to have mastered the winning mentality that allows them to pick up points even when not playing at their best.

Yesterday’s win, achieved courtesy of a solitary strike from the on-form Andy Kirk, has allowed Hearts to open up a six-point gap over nearest challengers Motherwell with a free weekend this Saturday due to Scotland’s Euro 2004 play-off clash with Holland.

And boss Craig Levein admits he is delighted with his side’s most recent success which helps erase the memory of Hearts’ last game straight after a European tie - a 5-0 thumping by Celtic in Glasgow.

"That was as hard a game as we’ve had up here in a long time," said Levein.

"Even though we won the game and have been beaten here before, that was as hard a game as we’ve had in a while.

"It was a difficult night for everybody as the wind is very strong and it seems to swirl here and not just move up and down the pitch like most places. There were always likely to be mistakes and there were a few but we have won the game and I’m very pleased."

And Levein also had special praise for goalscorer Kirk, who bounced back from the disappointment of not playing a part in last Thursday’s UEFA Cup win by netting the only goal of the game.

"The ball hit Andy’s shoulder before it went in but he was in the right place at the right time.

"Kirky got the goal and worked hard and continued in the same vein that he has been in over recent weeks."

Levein chose to freshen things up from Thursday night as he made four changes to the team that started in France.

Robbie Neilson, Patrick Kisnorbo, Phil Stamp and Jean-Louis Valois all dropped out with Austin McCann, Scott Severin, Kirk and Paul Hartley all coming in.

The changes necessitated a switch of formation with the Jambos opting to ditch the 4-4-2 line-up that has served them so well this season in favour of a 3-5-2 formation.

And if there was any apprehension about the alternation it didn’t show with the visitors out of the block at a lightning pace.

Despite only returning from their trip to Bordeaux in the early hours of Friday morning. the Jambos showed no sign of tiredness as they went at Aberdeen straight from the whistle.

Mark De Vries, scorer of the winning goal in Bordeaux, looked eager to continue where he left off as he cushioned a McCann pass on his chest before turning and firing in an 18-yard shot that David Preece did well to fist away after nine minutes.

However, the Dons goalkeeper could do little to prevent his side from falling behind three minutes later.

Hartley swung in a dangerous corner that was headed into the ground by the unmarked Kevin McKenna ten yards from goal. The home defence failed to react and as the ball kicked up off the turf, Kirk swung out his right foot to knock it towards goal where Steve Tosh could only help it over the line.

Dennis Wyness, who has not hit the back of the net since the end of August when he scored in a 2-0 win over Dunfermline, squandered a great opportunity to double his tally in Hearts colours when he shot straight at Preece from eight yards after a De Vries cutback.

And the Capital club were almost made to pay the penalty for that miss when an uncharacteristic slip from captain Steven Pressley presented the home side with a great chance to level the game.

Pressley badly misjudged the flight of a Tosh crossfield pass allowing Scott Booth to play in the dangerous David Zdrilic at the back post with an inch-perfect cross.

The Dons’ top scorer did everything right, heading the ball back across Craig Gordon only to see his effort crash back off the crossbar with the young goalkeeper stranded.

On a bitterly cold night in Aberdeen, the temperature of the game was raised substantially after the interval as the Dons battled hard to avoid slumping to their sixth home defeat of the season.

However, Steve Paterson’s men showed too much of their fighting qualities as they repeatedly gave away fouls and talked back to the referee.

So it came as no surprise when they were reduced to ten men. Zdrilic, who had already been booked in the game, got involved in an off-the-ball incident with Alan Maybury and although both players were involved in pushing and shoving one and other, it was the Australian who saw red due to his previous caution, while Maybury was also booked.

Twelve minutes from time, the home side were further disadvantaged when Tosh was also dismissed for his second booking when he caught Maybury late, right in front of the standside linesman.

The home fans were incensed by those decisions but they had good reason to be annoyed with the official two minutes later when De Vries appeared to tug the jersey of Anderson as he went for the ball in the box, yet nothing was given.

Late on, Eric Delomeaux went close with a rasping 30-yard drive that appeared to have Gordon beaten but the Jambos held on for an important and well-deserved victory.

Taken from the Scotsman