Aberdeen 0 Hearts 0

Feb 27 2011 Gordon Waddell, Sunday Mail

OPPORTUNITY knocked. Once again Hearts didn't open the door.

With second place beckoning, Jim Jefferies' side were second best - and even if the reward for victory was only going to last 24 hours they still came up short when their credentials to split the Old Firm were scrutinised.

Only a stunning display from keeper Marian Kello - his 12th clean sheet of the season - spared them from defeat.

But the Hearts boss reckons it's a point gained on a surface that will need to see a plough long before it sees a lawnmower.

The badly cut-up pitch contributed to a tousy affair of crunching collisions galore as Dons defender Rory McArdle suffered a deep facial gash after a horror clash of heads with Rudi Skacel.

Hearts stopper Andy Webster was also in the wars, hobbling off after half an hour.

Jefferies said: "We did use the fact we could go second as a motivation but Aberdeen are a team in form, at home, and are now away from the pressure of fighting relegation and are pushing for the top six. We got away with a point.

"We were second to almost everything first half, we had far too many passengers and on a surface like that you have to compete.

"We had a few choice words at the break and competed better.

"It wasn't a day for silky football - ironically it would have been perfect for a guy like Kevin Kyle because on that kind of pitch you just have to go back to front.

"It didn't suit some of our guys but you have to play the percentages. If you're not going to win just make sure you don't get beaten."

Facing its fourth game in 12 days the Pittodrie pitch was as responsible for that mantra as any other factor. But any style being shown on it was coming from the home side, a spring in their step evident after back-to-back wins.

Dons were inches from going ahead in the second minute, Paul Hartley's blocked shot falling to Sone Aluko who jinked inside three Jambos before seeing his curling top-corner-bound left-foot shot brilliantly tipped over by Kello.

With Rangers just two points ahead you'd have thought Hearts would have been flying from the traps - nothing could have been further from the truth. Everything they did was sluggish and their ball retention before the break was criminal, poor surface or not.

Sure, they had personnel problems - Lee Wallace a pre-match addition to the list of crocks, Ian Black and Ruben Palazuelos banned, Webster limping off.

And even Andy Driver, making his first start in more than 10 months, will need a few games more and a few pounds less before he gets back to his best.

It still didn't excuse those who were out there being second to almost everything for so long.

And that was never better exemplified than from Aluko's 18th-minute corner. McArdle had been off the park for five minutes getting stitches in his head knock and came back on with a bright red bandage that made him stick out like a Belisha beacon.

But he still got a free header from six yards that Kello had to turn superbly round the post. The keeper was in action again a few minutes later, scrambling a Chris Maguire effort out at his near post after good work by Rob Milsom and Scott Vernon set up the Scotland striker.

In contrast, Jamie Langfield had the deckchair out at the other end. Not a single save to make in 45 minutes. The fastest he moved was as the Dons sprinted down the tunnel for the interval, an instruction from Craig Brown to drive home the psychology of the fact their team is never done running.

If that's a truth then Hearts trudging off at the pace of an injured sloth was the perfect metaphor for 45 forgettable minutes. That all changed after the break though with Langfield hauled off the unemployment line inside two minutes, forced to parry a left-foot shot from Skacel round the post.

And from the corner Marius Zaliukas will be annoyed he didn't do better than head Craig Thomson's delivery six inches over.

They were pressing the game further up the park and closing Aberdeen down more - but Hearts still fell out of it as quickly as they'd come into it and Dons can feel aggrieved their superiority never told in the end.

Aluko blew a great chance on the break, his tame 12-yard effort on his good foot not making Kello work hard enough. And with 14 minutes left Ryan Jack carved out a great chance with a darting run only to hit the side-netting from 10 yards.

Jambos' one shout at a late winner was tame, David Templeton's penalty appeal after going over McArdle's trailing leg half-hearted at best. But the game finished as it started, with Kello the difference between three points and one for the Dons.

Langfield's quick release sent Maguire clear, his backheel played in sub Nick Blackman and the Slovak keeper made another magnificent stop from his 20-yarder.

Hearts skipper Zaliukas said: "You could say we were lucky - but Marian did his job. It was a tough game and a draw is good enough."

Taken from the Daily Record