Hearts 1 St Johnstone 1

Aug 15 2010 Gary Ralston, Sunday Mail

DEREK McINNES looked on in anger as sinning Saint Steven Anderson was red-carded - and told him it's time to grow up.

The St Johnstone central defender saw red after 72 minutes at Tynecastle for clattering into Suso Santana from behind with a touchline tackle he didn't even have to make.

Referee Steve O'Reilly was in such a rush to pull the red card from his back pocket that he ended up throwing it up in the air - and that's exactly where Saints' chances of taking a point would have remained had it not been for Michael Duberry and Co.

First of all, they had to cope with the departure of Danny Grainger, who was taken off on a stretcher midway through the first half after his knee clattered a post following a mid-air collision with Calum Elliot.

They also weathered everything Jambos sub strikers Kevin Kyle and Stephen Elliott had to throw at them late on to preserve a point their side barely merited.

The Perth team had fallen behind on the stroke of half-time, Calum Elliot nodding his first goal in the SPL since a double strike against Kilmarnock in April last year.

The Jambos' lead didn't last even two minutes as Saints debut striker Sam Parkin, a former youth starlet with Chelsea, stooped to guide a header past Marian Kello.

But any chance Saints had of taking more from the match ended with Anderson's rash tackle and his gaffer was in no mood to show forgiveness afterwards.

McInnes said: "The sending-off changed everything. It was a stupid challenge. I'm not defending it, although I'll be interested to see if it would still be viewed as a red card later in the season.

"Ando has to learn. He put his teammates up against it but they fronted up.

"Sam Parkin occupied the two central defenders well, Collin Samuel gave us decent legs and Jody Morris and Michael Duberry really organised the team.

"Is Steven feeling down? He should be. Ando's not a kid anymore and he needs to be better than that.

"The Hearts boy was going nowhere and he got involved in a tackle he didn't need to make.

"We have a lot of trust and faith in him and he was playing well until then but what he did forced the ref to make a decision."

Hearts almost snatched a winner late on when a wonderful cross from Arvydas Novikovas on the left was nodded back across goal by Kyle. But Duberry appeared under the bar to head to safety as new boy Elliott prepared to pounce.

It would have been no more than they deserved because even before they had gone down to 10 men Saints seemed happy to soak it up at the back and hit long on the counter to Parkin and West Brom loan striker Marcus Haber.

Hearts started the season like an express train hurtling towards Waverley and David Templeton was only inches past with a low shot from the edge of the box after just 30 seconds.

He even had the ball in the net 90 seconds later, only to be flagged offside. Slowly, however, Saints began to find their feet and Duberry went close with a header from a corner before Chris Millar saw a low volley at the back post well saved by Kello.

But they were dealt a blow in 22 minutes when they lost defender Grainger, who banged his right leg against the woodwork after an aerial challenge with Elliot.

The visiting fans and players were unhappy the Jambos hitman was allowed to go unpunished for a clumsy attempt to get the ball.

Grainger was taken to hospital where he will be assessed in the next 48 hours.

He was replaced by the wonderfully named Cleveland Taylor, who sounds as if he should be a light-middleweight contender - and has the physique of one as well.

He certainly had Hearts on the ropes when he took on Jason Thomson down the left and crossed for Parkin to net on his debut and silence the majority of the 14,562 fans who had been in raptures just a few moments earlier.

They had been celebrating when Elliot swooped at the front post to connect with a Lee Wallace cross and nod powerfully past Peter Enckelman to give his side they lead.

Hearts still had overwhelming territorial advantage in the second half but could not find the means to break down the Saints defence, even after Anderson was ordered off for that silly lunge from behind at Santana.

Kyle's header apart, Enckelman was rarely seriously troubled - and Saints could almost have taken the lead before Anderson's dismissal when Haber took on Barr down the left and almost squeezed a shot inside keeper Kello's right-hand post.

Taken from the Daily Record