SPL: Hearts 1 Dundee Utd 1

Aug 30 2010 Gordon Parks

MAYBE sofa queen Lorraine Kelly popped in for a quiet half-time chat with Peter Houston and his players.

That would explain the transition after the break by a Dundee United side with a split personality from the one that took the SPL by storm last season.

The Arabs-daft couch counsellor had looked on at Tynecastle as a traumatic week that began in Greece looked like ending with defeat in Gorgie.

But Britain's favourite agony aunt's presence brought some comfort to a Tannadice team that secured an unlikely point through a late Morgaro Gomis wonder striker after David Templeton had given Hearts a deserved lead.

This was an afternoon for alter-egos as the Tynecastle men started like a side rediscovering their own identity as Scottish football's third force only to survive a late onslaught that included a penalty miss by Jon Daly.

Hearts suffered a pre-match blow when on-fire hitman Calum Elliot failed a fitness test and that setback was compounded by the loss of Lee Wallace who pulled up in the warm up and was replaced by Craig Thomson. Jim Jefferies opted to recall keeper Marian Kello in favour of Janos Balogh while Darren Barr, Suso Santana and Adrian Mrowiec were the other names to be included in the line-up after being sidelined from last midweek's rout of Elgin City.

Tannadice boss Houston made four changes to the side that started in their traumatic Europa Cup tie against AEK Athens.

Former Queen's Park kid Barry Douglas was handed his first start, Danny Swanson, Daly and David Goodwillie all returned as David Robertson, Danny Cadamarteri, Paul Dixon and Gomis made way.

The Jambos' growing injury fears survived a scare just seconds into the clash when Ismael Bouzid took an elbow on the jaw from Daly that required treatment.

But it was United who were forced into a quickfire alteration after Swanson limped off in the fourth minute with a muscle strain to be replaced by David Robertson.

It was the home side who looked the more eager early on and Kevin Kyle was allowed space in the box to turn on a Ryan Stevenson cutback but Sean Dillon managed to block the effort in the ninth minute.

It should have been advantage Hearts 60 seconds later and this time Kyle turned provider by knocking a cross from the right into Stevenson's path but the midfielder wasn't brave enough as he stabbed an effort off the bar with only Dusan Pernis to beat from six yards out.

It was a gilt-edged chance and the ball may have taken an awkward bounce but a more clinical execution was required.

United's response was swift as Douglas tore down the right flank to fire a loss cross into the front-post area that Daly was inches away from converting but Kello managed to whip the ball from the Irishman's toe.

It was a momentary relief from the maroon pressure and Pernis was on hand to push away a thundering low strike from Templeton who had cut in from the left in 20 minutes.

United's unconvincing start to this SPL campaign showed little sign of improving as last season's swagger was replaced by uncertainty at the back and a failure to impose themselves in a midfield that was turning into the sole ownership of the Tynecastle side.

But another sporadic burst into the Hearts half allowed Goodwillie a snap-shot that Kello turned away for a corner in the 28th minute.

Jambos finally got their opener a minute later. A slack pass by Scott Robertson at the edge of the Hearts box allowed Suso to pick out Templeton who took an assured touch inside the area and slipped the ball past the outrushing Pernis.

The damage could have been more severe moments later as Kyle's dipping volley from distance was narrowly off target and that was followed by a vicious free-kick from Thomson that swerved inches wide.

Scott Robertson did manage to stem the flow of traffic towards United's goal five minutes from the break but his crude lunge on Suso earned Hearts a free-kick and the midfielder the first booking of the game.

Just minutes after the restart, Templeton was allowed to break free of his markers and only a deflection prevented his 25-yarder finding the bottom corner as he looked certain to double Hearts' advantage.

In what was developing into a fiery clash, Hearts continued to pepper the Arabs box with half chances but as the game progressed they looked increasingly vulnerable as United hit on the break.

A careless pass from Bouzid in the 63rd minute allowed Goodwillie to run at goal but Barr arrived just in time to rescue his defensive sidekick with a terrific clearance.

The threat continued and the game erupted in 76 minutes when ref Craig Thomson threw United a lifeline by awarding a penalty after Bouzid appeared to handle. It sparked a furious exchange with the whistler and the Jambo players as Suso went into the book for dissent. But it proved a moot point as Daly failed to beat Kello from the spot with the keeper brilliantly saving at his left post.

United did find the equaliser and it came six minutes from time courtesy of Gomis.

David Robertson swung in a cross from the left and Gomis cracked a sensational volley past Kello from the edge of the box.

The confidence crisis then belonged to Hearts as United tried to seal victory in the closing seconds but Kello denied Craig Conway by twice beating out the wideman's shots from the left.

Taken from the Daily Record