Hearts find themselves troubled by team in red in dress rehearsal for Anfield bow

Frank Gilfeather

If Aberdeen were left fuming last week as their aspirations of playing in a new stadium any time soon appeared to bite the dust courtesy of a spat with the city council, they were left bemused over their failure to convert their dominance over Hearts into a victory in this pulsating Clydesdale Bank Premier League match.

Craig Brown, their manager, certainly had the air of a man whose pocket had been picked after watching his side all but batter their opponents into submission in a tense match packed with incident. It could also have been worse as a jaded Tynecastle side almost snatched the latest of winners through Andrew Driver.

With 3000 Hearts fans expected to travel to Anfield for Thursday night's Europa League play-off second leg with Liverpool, it was perhaps unsurprising that a sojourn to the north east was dismissed by many of them, presumably on financial grounds.

The diminished numbers in the stands will only have encouraged a home side that – lifted by successive wins at St Johnstone and Morton – are in a positive frame of mind these days. They also had their captain Russell Anderson back after a facial injury, although Stephen Hughes' hamstring injury meant he was not able to feature.

Anderson's place at right-back would have raised a few eyebrows, making way for Mark Reynolds to partner Andrew Considine in the centre of defence. For Hearts, there was a return to action for Driver, a replacement for the suspended David Templeton, and his energy and enthusiasm were matched by a number of his team-mates in this high-tempo affair.

Aberdeen, too, had an ebullience to which their fans warmed as they sought their second league win of the season, but there was a need in both sides for a playmaker able to spot weaknesses in the other side's defence and to control the pace of the game.

Aberdeen should have opened the scoring, however, with seven minutes of the first half remaining when Ryan Jack found himself eight yards from goal. It was only the alertness and courage of Jamie Macdonald, the Hearts goalkeeper, that prevented the visitors from going behind.

Aberdeen then assumed control and Jack's neat ball to the near post was good enough for Scott Vernon to connect, only for his effort to skim the crossbar. The bookings picked up by Mehdi Taouil and Marius Zaliukas for cynical fouls were indicative of the pressure the hosts began to place on their opponents at the close of the first half and it became clear the heat was on for Hearts.

John McGlynn, the Tynecastle manager, had re-organisation in mind as he headed for the changing room, hence the replacement of Zaliukas by Denis Prychynenko for the start of the second half. The change did nothing to dampen the effervescence of Aberdeen and when Jack shot from close range, he would have been dismayed that Macdonald somehow blocked the effort.

The physicality of this game was also a talking point and referee Alan Muir had to be alert to some robust tackles throughout a frenetic afternoon. Five Hearts players were shown yellow cards, with Andrew Considine booked for the home side.

The territorial advantage enjoyed by Aberdeen could not be overstated. They pummelled and prodded at Hearts, wondering, as Muir blew the final whistle, what they had to do to find the net.

Fraser and Jonny Hayes twisted and turned their way into space on several occasions forcing the Hearts defence on to the back foot. They were mere spectators as the diminutive wingers fed the ball across goal on numerous occasions, only to be disappointed that there was no-one capable of converting the opportunities created. Rory Fallon certainly came into the category while his fellow substitute, Josh Magennis, also fell short in his efforts to find the target.

Yet, this was a performance that had the home fans in a crowd of almost 12,000 on the edge of their seats and hailing their team the best they have seen for many seasons.

However, with only a few seconds of the contest remaining a shot from Driver which almost provoked mass distress among the home support. A moment of indecision had allowed the Hearts winger space to have a strike at goal and no-one felt more relieved than Jamie Langfield, the Aberdeen goalkeeper, as his effort hit the post and bounced away, with the Aberdeen defenders looking on.

As for the Tynecastle side, there was something approaching satisfaction that they had managed to come through a torrid time without defeat, their pride still intact as they head to Merseyside in midweek.

For all that, there will be concern for McGlynn that Aberdeen found too many openings for his liking. Similar chances will be punished in the cruelest of terms by another team in red on Thursday night.

Taken from the Herald