Colleen Paterson
A SECOND-HALF header from Andrew Driver earned Hearts a hard-fought victory over Abredeen at Tynecastle this afternoon.
The home side had fallen behind to a goal from Darren Mackie on their home patch, only for Christian Nade to level matters right on the stroke of half time.

Hearts' battling performance after the restart merited a goal and it duly arrived in 66 minutes when Driver met a pinpoint cross from Obua to secure a vital three points.

The Jambos had a glorious chance to open the scoring inside the first 15 minutes when Robbie Neilson launched a high ball into the box.

Christian Nade managed to get a touch on it but coudn't control enough
to take it away from Jamie Langfield and the Aberdeen keeper stretched to tip it away to deny the Frenchman a second attempt.

Although the game was flowing from end to end at pace, neither side was
capable of stringing enough accurate passes together to create any real opportunities in front of goal.

However the Dons showed how it should be done with 19 minutes gone and it was a cracking strike. Charlie Mulgrew was the creator, sweeping a long ball from the left deep to the other side of the box and Darren Mackie was there to lash it beyond Janos Balogh and into the net at speed.

The Tynecastle side had a glimpse of goal a few minutes later when Lee Wallace managed to get the ball into the danger area where Gary Glen gratefully received the pass, but Langfield was equaol to it as Glen spun round to get the shot in.

Balogh then rescued Hearts when Miller rattled in a powerful effort from just eight yards out, it was struck sweetly but the Tynecastle keeper did well to block and Zander Diamond couldn't keep his effort from the rebound on target.

David Obua then came close with five minutes of the first half remaining, when he retained possession well and managed to thunder a shot in from the edge of the box but agains, Langfield was not to be easily caught out and was up well at his right-hand corner to claim it with both hands.

They levelled matters in injury time at the end of the first half and it came at the end of some inventive play involving Michael Stewart and Bruno Aguiar. The Portguese pushed the move forward wityh a wonderful ball to Obua, who headed the ball back from the byeline and into Nade, who this time left the DOns keeper with no hope.

The Dons should have been reduced to ten men after 65 minutes when Richie Foster slid in with two feet, late and heavy on Nade but Cahrlie Richmond somehpow decided that the challenge merited only a yellow card as the big striker rolled around on the ground in agony.

Hearts turned the game on its head with just under 20 minutes remaining when the referee played the advantage allowing Obua to get a ball deep to the back post and Driver was there is head the ball down and into the net.

In the dying seconds Aberdeen hit the post through Chris Maguire and Balogh managed to keep the visitors out from the rebound.

Hearts: Balogh, Neilson, Wallace, Karipidis, Aguiar, Driver, *Nade (Mrowiec 90), Obua, Jonsson, *Stewart, Glen (Palazuelos 80). Unused subs: MacDonald, Mrowiec, Cesnauskis, Thomson, Elliot, Templeton.

Aberdeen: Langfield, Mulgrew, Foster, Diamond, Severin, Kerr, Miller, Mackie (Wright 78), Young (Considine 77), Vidal, Duff (Maguire 77). Unused subs: Bossu, Stewart, Paton, Pawlett.

Taken from the Scotsman