Kingston sees red in racism rant at referee

TO GET the football out of the way quickly, Aberdeen secured a sweet victory to strengthen their hold on third place in the SPL. Wrestling the headlines away from Hearts was never likely to be so straightforward as that, though, given that last night an accusation of racism was made by one of their players against referee Steve Conroy.

There were six bookings at Pittodrie and all of them went to Hearts players, with Laryea Kingston receiving two to get sent-off, and then getting a second red in the referee's room after the match for accusing Conroy of racism.

Conroy's match report to the SFA is expected to include the accusation by the black Ghanaian midfielder, which is believed to have been overheard by one of his Hearts team-mates. Kingston may have been capable of anything given that he was so incensed by his dismissal in the 63rd minute that he gestured to both sets of supporters as he raged off the field.

Conroy may find the accusation against him easy to dismiss given that he is married to a black woman. Somewhere along the way that familiar football slogan, Show Racism The Red Card, got perverted yesterday.

Sympathy for Kingston did not come naturally at Pittodrie because there did not seem to be much cause for him to complain about his first booking for persistent fouling, or his second for a high boot which caught Barry Nicholson on the head.

But it all contributed to the fog of bitterness around Hearts as they headed south last night, having lost ground to Aberdeen in the fight to finish third and claim a certain Uefa Cup place. At least it made a change for them to generate a controversy that had nothing to do with owner Vladimir Romanov, although it will be the shock of the season if he lets this one pass without wading in with an opinion or five.

Conroy can brace himself for scrutiny, especially considering racism reared its head when Motherwell supporters abused St Johnstone's Jason Scotland at Fir Park. Kingston can expect an invitation from the SFA to explain what grounds he had for believing the referee to be racist.

Such a one-sided distribution of bookings looked unusual from such a competitive match, but it was hard to think of a big decision he called wrong. All of Hearts' bookings came in the second half and three of them - Andrew Driver's in the 74th minute and those for Christophe Berra and Edgaras Jankauskas in stoppage time - were at a point in the match when frustration was understandable given that they were making no attacking inroads against a well-organised Aberdeen defence.

Romanov has fostered such a siege mentality at Tynecastle that even his most intelligent player is liable to succumb, though. "You would need to ask the referee about some of the bookings," said Craig Gordon, the Hearts goalkeeper who did so himself with considerable force when he confronted Conroy on the pitch at full-time.

"There were one or two Aberdeen players who could have been booked as well. There was a noisy home crowd and maybe that had something to do with it as well."

The fact no Aberdeen player was booked was one of the issues he had complained about, he said. "That was one among hundreds. I told the referee what I thought. I didn't swear at him, I was controlled. I didn't want to get into trouble but I wanted to get my point across."

Oddly enough, Gordon made a point of saying he had not complained about either of the bookings of Kingston.

There was just one, fleeting moment of beauty at Pittodrie and Aberdeen made so much of it it gave them the most delicious of victories. Steve Lovell's early winner was so well crafted it shone like a diamond on a slagheap.

The weight and accuracy of the pass Barry Nicholson delivered into Lovell's path was exquisite, playing the forward in behind the otherwise resolute Hearts back four to lash an emphatic finish which flashed across Gordon and inside his back post.

"It was magnificent vision from Barry," said Jimmy Calderwood. "Not just seeing the pass but getting the pace of it just right."

Aberdeen had 83 minutes to defend their lead and did so comfortably. Only in brief spells at the start of each half were they forced on to the back foot, and although they created few further chances of their own there was ambition to their play which was absent from Hearts.

Russell Anderson was named the sponsors' man of the match - he would have collected his award before heading off to his testimonial dinner in the city last night - although Scott Severin, Andy Considine and Ricky Foster were among those who had claims to the prize too. Lovell enjoyed playing alongside Craig Brewster, back from injury and on from the start, and the 40-year-old was denied a goal only by a fine parry by Gordon just before the interval.

Scotland's third and fourth best sides offered little in the way of flowing football. Hearts worked hard, and were robust, but they were directionless and were a shadow of the team which won 3-1 on their last visit to Pittodrie. "With all respect it's not the same Hearts team without Paul Hartley and big Steven Pressley," said Jimmy Calderwood.

In terms of whipping up a controversy to monopolise the headlines, though, Pittodrie had a visit from Hearts which felt all too familiar.

Taken from the Sunday Herald