Hearts 1-1 St Johnstone
By Clive Lindsay

Ten-man St Johnstone held on against Hearts to retain their record of not losing on the opening day of the season since August 2004.

Hearts, the better side for most of the match, eventually made the breakthrough on the stroke of half time.

Calum Elliot headed in Lee Wallace's near post cross, but Saints replied immediately, with debutant Sam Parkin heading home from 12 yards.

Saints' Steven Anderson was sent off for scything Suso after 73 minutes.

But the game ended in a stalemate after a second half during which neither goalkeeper was tested.

Hearts manager Jim Jefferies had resisted the temptation to hand debuts to new strikers Kevin Kyle and Stephen Elliott, with the pair short of match-fitness, despite the absence of suspended trio Eggert Jonsson, Ismael Bouzid and Ryan Stevenson and the injured Andy Driver and David Obua.

St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes handed competitive debuts to goalkeeper Peter Enckelman and strikers Parkin and Marcus Haber, while Dave Mackay and Michael Duberry were passed fit.
Sam Parkin celebrates with Marcus Haber
Parkin (left) equalised for the visitors at Tynecastle

But it was Hearts who started the brighter, with David Templeton particularly influential.

The diminutive forward fired just wide from the edge of the penalty box and then netted in off the back post only to have his goal celebrations cut short by the far-side assistant referee flagging for offside.

Templeton then laid the ball into the path of Calum Elliot, whose low drive flew straight into the arms of Enckelman.

Saints' more direct style produced a couple of half chances, Liam Craig finding Parkin at the back post and then sending a long-range strike straight at goalkeeper Marian Kello.

The visitors were forced to adjust their line-up after 19 minutes, when Danny Grainger collided with a post, was stretchered off and replaced with Cleveland Taylor.

A Ruben Palazuelos shot on the turn powered over from 20 yards as both sides were being restricted to long-range efforts.

All that changed in the dying seconds of the first half when a Wallace cross was steered past Enckelman from eight yards off the head of Elliot.

Saints were level within seconds, Taylor crossing from the by-line and Parkin powering his header into the far corner of the net from 12 yards.

The game descended into a dour midfield battle after the break, but Hearts were given a chance to take advantage when their opponents were reduced to 10 men after 73 minutes.

Anderson could have no complaints after a karate kick from behind into the calf of Suso.

Hearts threw on Kyle in an attempt to make the breakthrough and, although the big striker finished the game with blood streaming from a head cut after a clash of heads with Hugh Davidson, the lifeblood had already been drained from the game.

Taken from the BBC