Romanov sees Hearts and United share spoils

ALAN PATTULLO AT TANNADICE

Dundee Utd 1
Wilson (62)

Hearts 1
McKenna (5)

Referee: I Brines. Attendance: 5,723

HEARTS ignored off-field activity to claim a point at Tannadice but could not reap the maximum reward after Kevin McKenna’s brilliant volley gave Craig Levein’s side a perfect start in only three minutes.

An equaliser from Mark Wilson gave Dundee United a probably merited share of the points and would not have vexed those Hearts fans present as much as the rumours that this match might have marked the end of the Levein era at Tynecastle. A report has linked the Hearts head coach with the vacant manager’s position at Leicester City and this notion did not seem so outlandish with the appearance at Tannadice last night of the prospective new Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov. He sat in the main stand alongside Anatoly Byshovets, the man primed to become the new director of football at Tynecastle when the Lithuanian businessman takes control. Levein is set to meet Romanov tonight in Edinburgh when the issue of his future is likely to be discussed.

McKenna’s acute sense of his whereabouts was in evidence once again when accepting an Alan Maybury throw-in on the edge of the Dundee United box. Despite another positional change for the Canadian, switched from centre-forward to left midfield, he remains aware enough of where the goal is and hooked an outrageously-audacious volley over the startled head of home goalkeeper Paul Jarvie.

Only three minutes of a strangely low-key evening had elapsed before McKenna struck, and suddenly United were forced to chase the match rather than dictate it. To be fair they had themselves almost snatched the lead before McKenna’s fine opener, the re-called Collin Samuel firing just wide of the post in the opening seconds. Samuel later hit a post with an equally fierce drive as United sought to retain the good will of their supporters after a fine result at Ibrox on Sunday had quelled a rising discontent at the way the campaign is unfolding.

Hearts, though, had misses of their own to regret, chief among them being Dennis Wyness’s blast over the top from just ten yards. The Hearts striker was making a rare start for his side and if confidence is his main concern at present then this poorly-executed attempt was not likely to help. He was, however, unfortunate that a later header placed into the far corner of Jarvie’s net was ruled out for a push by Patrick Kisnorbo on Derek McInnes. Hearts were stalked once more by misfortune after 24 minutes when Andy Webster’s meaty shot from outside the box flew past Jarvie and cracked back off a post.

The general perception that Hearts were in control of the game led to a chorus of boos greeting the half-time whistle from the home stands. With only one league win this season too sustain them, the natives are clearly growing restless.

Levein who made a change to his attack just four minutes after half-time, replacing a clearly-unimpressed Graham Weir with Ramon Pereira.

Just after the hour mark United managed to bring some cheer to their fans with an equaliser which came out of an innocuous passage of play. A Barry Robson free-kick into the box was cleared only so far as Mark Wilson, who manoeuvered his body with agility and screwed a tremendous lob into the far corner of the net.

United had suggested a comeback was possible with a Billy Dodds header having already been ruled out for off-side and were making up for a feckless first half with a post-interval performance which was marked by endeavour. Grant Brebner typified this with a strong run towards the Hearts box having robbed Paul Hartley in midfield, and his sweeping ball to release Grady was then pushed just too wide of the post by the striker.

Hearts were a shadow of the side which commanded the opening half, although Pereira did strike a post from a tight angle after 70 minutes. Had he scored it would have come profoundly against the run of play and United almost immediately claimed a goal themselves when Wilson’s in-swinging corner was prevented from swerving straight on into the net by Maybury’s goal-line clearance.

Dundee United: Dundee Utd: Jarvie, Wilson, McCracken, Innes, Archibald, Samuel (Scotland 67), Brebner, McInnes, Robson, Dodds (McIntyre 71), Grady (Kerkar 71). Subs not used: Hirschfeld, Ritchie, Gardiner, Cameron.

Hearts: Gordon, Neilson, Pressley, Webster, Maybury, Wyness (McAllister 68), Hartley (Stewart 74), Kisnorbo, Hamill, Weir (Pereira 50), McKenna. Subs not used: Moilanen, MacFarlane, Berra, Elliot

Taken from the Scotsman