Sweet moment for Hearts

MOIRA GORDON
AT TYNECASTLE

HEARTS 3
Pressley 44; Miller 48; Hartley 86

DUNDEE UTD 2
Robson 19; Archibald 48

WITH two strikers making their debut and five goals served up, it’s amazing how little goalmouth action there actually was, with large chunks of this 90 minutes consisting primarily of midfield hustling.

Both teams lined up in desperate need of a win. Dundee United are still languishing at the wrong end of the table and struggling to string together the results needed to catapult them to greater heights, while Hearts, more used to the label ‘best of the rest’, are simply labouring.

Sitting fourth at the time of manager John Robertson’s arrival at the end of October, they had won just two of their subsequent league encounters, leaving them perilously close to slipping out of the top six.

Which is why there was such a feeling of unrest permeating the Tynecastle air. With the deal to hand power to Vladimir Romanov pending, the players may just discover how much they liked having Chris Robinson around. While he was clinging to power, the supporters’ wrath flowed in one direction towards the directors’ box. Yesterday, it was those on the pitch who took the brunt of it.

The appearance of former Hibs striker Stevie Crawford debuting in the Dundee United shirt, having snubbed an offer from the Gorgie club, meant he was singled out for some early abuse and the game wasn’t even a minute old when the fans were speculating what solo activities the man gets up to in his free time. But the fact that he and his team-mates were soon putting the shackles on their hosts meant that it was the Hearts players who were subjected to the critics.

Robertson’s side are intent on a more passing style these days, but sloppiness and United’s greater work-rate combined to ensure that all too often the recipient was one of the grateful visiting ranks. It did little to enchant the home support, who are already fed up at the departure of key players and the suggestion that more are to follow.

The fact that two of the names mentioned are Paul Hartley and Phil Stamp should worry them, given that they remain the main sources of invention. The fact that Hartley also popped up with another vital goal to secure all three points and keep him high and dry as the club’s top scorer will simply increase the anxiety.

The duo were out-numbered and out-fought for large chunks of the game, however, as United took control of the midfield, digging deeper and hunting in packs. It made for a frustrating time for the hosts. Rarely could anyone get through the crowds to have a stab at goal and it’s little surprise that every one of the goals came from set-pieces.

United were the tighter unit, with Hearts unsettled, either by the close attentions of Ian McCall’s men, their own inability to complete a passing move, or the knee-jerk reactions of a disgruntled crowd.

The cross ball into Kevin McKenna, acting as target man following the departure of Mark de Vries, was proving the most dangerous tactic. In the third minute the Canadian got on the end of a Joe Hamill long ball but his header was straight at Tony Bullock.

At the other end Crawford really should have stuck the proverbial two fingers up at his detractors when a tangle between Grant Brebner and Stamp left the latter grounded and the former able to slide the ball through for the debutant. However, Craig Gordon was alert to the danger and was out to block what should have been a sure-fire opener.

The opener came in the 19th minute, though, when Hartley gave Derek McInnes a shove on the edge of the Hearts box and Barry Robson used his cultured left foot to curl the ball round the wall and into the very top corner of the net, with a slight deflection helping it on its way. Robson almost doubled the tally but his flick was met by a cracking fingertip save from Gordon.

It was looking like a very uncomfortable half-time for the home players until captain Steven Pressley slammed in the equaliser just a minute before the interval. A Stamp corner saw Bullock come out, flap a bit and miss, leaving the Hearts captain to charge in at the back post and belt the ball into the net. It may have helped get the gaffer off their back and it certainly hushed much of the growing negativity in the crowd.

The fact that it was followed by a second goal, just three minutes into the second half when Hearts new boy Lee Miller nicked in to finish off a free-kick knocked back across goal by McKenna and moved on by Pereira, was a further boost to the home ranks but a harsh blow to the visitors who had been the better of the teams up to that point.

They looked to have earned a share of the spoils when Alan Archibald belted home a Wilson free-kick in the 53rd minute, but then Hartley rose for his deserved moment in the spotlight.

A disputed free-kick with four minutes of the game remaining allowed the midfielder to curl his shot past Bullock. It left United deflated but Hearts were only elated.

Taken from the Scotsman