Laszlo dives in over penalty that wasn't

Gary Sutherland
at Tynecastle
Hearts 1

Wallace 20

Aberdeen 1

Mackie 13
IT ALL kicked off after the final whistle. Fourth official John McKendrick had to fend off Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo with his substitute board. Laszlo seemed to be making for the referee Steve Conroy. It is maybe just as well he didn't get there. Laszlo also clashed with Aberdeen coach Sandy Clark as the pointing and shoving and shouting continued down the tunnel. It was quite an afternoon. The football wasn't bad either.

Laszlo's rage surely stemmed from the late flashpoint in the game when Conroy appeared to award Hearts a penalty, only to have his mind changed by assistant referee Chris Young. Hence the eruption and threat of fisticuffs from the Hearts manager – or perhaps not if you listen to Laszlo's reason for him losing the plot. After a visit to the referee's dressing room, an unrepentant Laszlo protested his innocence.

"Why must I apologise?" The Hearts manager looked baffled by the line of questioning. "If you get a draw, you're happy? I can't go on the field? I didn't touch anybody. I don't abuse anybody. I was angry, but I was angry because we didn't score goals. You don't know me." He's right about the last part anyway. The SFA will be getting to know him a bit better, though, having announced last night they are going to investigate the incident.

What Aberdeen goalkeeper Jamie Langfield knew beyond any doubt was that Michael Stewart dived in an attempt to win a spot-kick. "I've not touched him. I knew he was getting there before me. I pulled my hands away and it's actually quite scary how far away he was. I was nowhere near him. He's tried a cheeky one and thankfully it's not come off. You have to give the linesman credit."

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood also praised the official for "telling the referee what he saw". Then Calderwood addressed the matter of a radio report that suggested his sacking was imminent. "I heard it after the game. It's crazy where they get their info from. If that was ever going to be the case, there are enough honest people who would tell me before any idiot phoned up the radio."

Aberdeen's problem isn't so much travel sickness as home sickness. Poorly at Pittodrie, they'd been in rude health on the road with three wins out of four and knew that if they beat Hearts they could move ahead of them on goal difference.

Hearts and Aberdeen splashed about in swirling conditions. Zander Diamond headed over the Hearts crossbar and Scott Severin flung in a few long-throws to test Hearts keeper Janos Balogh. Soon the opening goal arrived for Aberdeen.

Andrew Considine passed down the left channel and Marius Zalinkas should have dealt with it, but Darren Mackie nipped in to roll a calm finish under the keeper and Hearts were behind with less than quarter-of-an-hour gone. Not that it took them very long to catch up.

Lee Wallace combined with Christian Nade on the edge of the Aberdeen box. The shooting opportunity was on and Wallace did not disappoint.

His angled smash beat Langfield and hit the roof of the net. You had to commend both teams for producing such an exciting start in such tough circumstances.

Entering the final quarter, this game was there for the taking. You wondered too if the harsh elements would contribute to a winner. These were testing times to be a goalkeeper or a defender.

Saulius Mikoliunas found himself in a great position in the Aberdeen box but instead of the cutback to Nade he fired the ball across the goalmouth. Bruno Aguiar glanced a header wide from Nade's centre. Lee Miller cracked a low shot off the post for Aberdeen. Miller tried again but this time Balogh gathered.

Deividas Cesnauskis entered the fray and immediately got on the ball. Then there was controversy when Langfield ran out to meet Stewart who went down. Referee Conroy decided it was a penalty. Langfield protested he hadn't touched Stewart who, by now, had the ball in his hands to take the spot kick. But Conroy was consulting his assistant and after their conversation the decision was reversed. Langfield applauded. There was uproar from the Hearts supporters. And there was more to come on the final whistle.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Bruno Aguiar was everywhere for Hearts. His constant crosses and corners and he might have scored too with a header late in the game.

QUICK FACT

Aberdeen hadn't beaten Hearts since December 2006 with Steve Lovell scoring the only goal at Tynecastle. The Dons will have to wait a while longer and they could easily have lost this match late in the day.

TALKING POINT

The penalty that wasn't. The decision given. That decision then reversed in front of the Gorgie faithful. Csaba Laszlo's fury at the final whistle. The Hearts manager was out of control, incandescent with rage at what he perceived to be an injustice.

Taken from the Scotsman