Skacel strike spares Rix a first game defeat

ABERDEEN 1-1 HEARTS

SCOTT DAVIE
AT PITTODRIE

RUDI Skacel's 11th goal of the season yesterday salvaged a draw for Hearts as the Tynecastle team marked Graham Rix's first game as a first-team coach with a result that saw them slip two points behind Premierleague leaders Celtic.

Anyone judging this purely on the result may feel this was not the most auspicious start for someone whose winning ratio at Chelsea, Portsmouth and Oxford was just 27 per cent. Given the volatility of those behind the scenes at Tynecastle, you would be right to fear for Rix if his tenure was to begin with a defeat against a team in the bottom half of the Bank of Scotland Premierleague, as was on the cards for 50 minutes of this match. On a scale of misfortune, that would have registered somewhere on the wrong side of 'bad start'. But there were signs of the coaching ability so highly rated by Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli when Chelsea hoovered up five major trophies.

Hearts were out-thought and out-fought in the first half by an Aberdeen side that had managed just one win in the previous 14 meetings between the clubs and were suffering from a string of more recent poor results. The visitors went in at half-time trailing to a Jamie Smith strike, but Rix made a few forceful points in the dressing room at the interval, brought on the more mobile teenager Calum Elliot up front for the ineffectual Michal Pospisil, and was rewarded with a response that actually strengthened their championship credentials.

Gordon Strachan will not be looking forward to his first trip back to Pittodrie as Celtic manager on Sunday week if Jimmy Calderwood's side produce this level of performance. Aberdeen were obdurate in defence and matched the more physically imposing opposition with a full blooded approach that threatened to knock the men from the capital out of their stride. Hearts have more resilience nowadays, though, and it was inevitable that Skacel should ride to the rescue, even if the prolific marksman required a deflection to claim the equaliser in 65 minutes.

Television viewers who tuned in after watching Barcelona beat Real Madrid in the Bernabeu the previous evening will know the quality on show here was certainly a pale shadow of that, but it was a classic in terms of the blood and thunder variety the SPL can produce.

Rix had understandably resisted any temptation to tamper with the side that has served the club so well so far this season, with the only change being the expected reintroduction of Edgaras Jankauskas. The Lithuanian striker was available again after the suspension incurred in his dismissal at Easter Road with young Calum Elliot giving way by returning to the bench from the start.

Of course, Calderwood rivals former Hearts target Claudio Ranieri when it comes to the title of 'Tinkerman' and made three changes to the side he savaged following their CIS Insurance Cup defeat at Motherwell. Ryan Esson was back in goal, Michael Hart was reinstated after recovering from his latest injury, as was Darren Mackie, last season's top scorer whose current campaign has been hampered by injury.

Smith has supplanted him in the role of leading marksman in this campaign and it was not surprising he extended that lead given an impressive performance, especially early in the match. The former Celtic player was used wide right in midfield, with his pace and movement giving Takis Fyssas an uncomfortable time as the Greece international was often wrong footed.

The Hearts defence in general seemed to find it difficult to pick up his runs, which was a major factor when the home side took the lead in 12 minutes. When there was no way through on the right of the area, play was switched to the left, with Scott Muirhead intruding to good effect before pulling the ball back for Smith, who marked his 25th birthday in style by ghosting into the box to angle a shot past Craig Gordon.

Aberdeen's defending, patchy at best this season, was clinical and concise, with Hearts captain Steven Pressley coming closest to a leveller before the break. The Scotland international surged forward and was close to heading home a Saulius Mikoliunas cross in first-half injury time.

After the interval Hearts were only ever in danger of being caught out on the counter attack as they hogged possession. But they needed Skacel's intervention to rescue the situation. The ball broke to the midfielder at the edge of the area and his shot took a wicked deflection off second-half substitute Gary Dempsey to send it looping over the head of Esson and in under the bar.

Esson was relieved to get support from midfielder Barry Nicholson when he wandered out of his goal late in the game and Paul Hartley's chip from long range threatened to snatch victory.

Calderwood, who predicted before a ball was kicked that Hearts would still finish below Rangers as well as Celtic this season, was impressed by their resilience but also praised his own team's fighting qualities. "We got pushed around at Tynecastle earlier in the season and we were determined not to let it happen again. Hearts are a physical side but we coped well today," he said. "I was delighted with the attitude of my players after recent disappointments."

Taken from the Scotsman