Aberdeen 0 Hearts 0

From ROBERT MARTIN at Pittodrie

HEARTS were out on their feet. Aberdeen were just out of luck.

The Jambos’ Europa League efforts against Liverpool on Thursday had clearly taken its toll on John McGlynn’s side.

But despite dominating the second half, Craig Brown’s Dons couldn’t make the most of it.

Scott Vernon, Ryan Jack and Rory Fallon all went close to a winner, but a combination of desperate defending, good goalkeeping and some poor finishing saw them fail.

Hearts could even have nicked it in the dying seconds when Andrew Driver’s shot came back off the post.

That would have been cruel on Brown’s side, who attacked in waves for much of the second half.

And in young winger Ryan Fraser they have unearthed a talent who will trouble every SPL defence.

Hearts were without the banned David Templeton so Driver replaced him in the only change to the team which had put so much into Thursday’s game against Liverpool.

And they picked up at Pittodrie where they had left off at Tynecastle as they took the game to the Dons.

Ex-Jambo Gary Naysmith did well to block a John Sutton shot after good play from Driver, while Arvydas Novikovas was a threat as he drifted in from the left to support striker Sutton.

But as the first half wore on Dons widemen Fraser and Jonny Hayes started getting crosses into the Jambos box.

Andrew Considine went close to giving the home side the lead in the 16th minute from a Hayes corner.

Dons felt they should have had a penalty in 24 minutes when Darren Barr sent Ryan Jack tumbling but ref Alan Muir waved the appeals away.

A misunderstanding between Naysmith and Mark Reynolds allowed Driver to bomb forward and Sutton was inches away from turning home the cross. From the corner, Sutton fired just past.

At the other end Isaac Osbourne turned the ball wide from a Fraser corner.

The Dons should have gone in front six minutes before the break.

Reynolds found Fraser on the right and he immediately laid the ball into Gavin Rae, whose pass sent Jack racing through but a fine stop by Jamie MacDonald denied him.

There was further drama just before the break when Rae stole the ball off Marius Zaliukas and was clipped by Mehdi Taouil, but the Moroccan was relieved when ref Muir only flashed a yellow card and not a red one.

Dons went close to taking the lead once again in first-half injury time when Vernon got in ahead of Zaliukas but his volley from Jack’s pull-back crashed back off the bar.

Zaliukas was a doubt for the Liverpool game and he stayed in at half-time, Denis Prychynenko replaced him, with Barr stepping back into defence alongside Andy Webster.

The new pairing were helpless as Fraser picked out Jack 12 yards out but keeper MacDonald was once again equal to his shot.

Dons skipper Russell Anderson fired wide in 54 minutes after more good play from Fraser.

But there was bad news for the home side just before the hour mark when Naysmith went down with a pulled hamstring.

He was replaced by Chris Clark with Jack moving to left-back.

Novikovas was booked for a foul on Hayes as the Dubliner raced down the right.

The Lithuanian was soon replaced by youngster Jason Holt, who was immediately clattered by Considine, earning the Dons defender a booking.

But Hearts were looking more and more tired and Aberdeen pressed on looking for the opener.

Striker Dale Carrick replaced fellow Hearts youngster Callum Paterson in the 70th minute while Dons boss Brown threw on Rory Fallon and Josh Magennis for Fraser and Vernon with 15 minutes left in a bid to take the points.

Fallon headed over from a Hayes corner in the 79th minute and the New Zealand striker then saw a shot charged down by Ryan McGowan after more good play from the Dons winger.

Fallon, again, headed over from another Hayes cross in the 84th minute as Dons kept up the pressure on MacDonald’s goal.

Hayes then could only turn a Clark cross wide as he slid in at the back post.

Hearts were hanging on, but they could have stolen the game in the last seconds of injury time.

Reynolds’ rushed clearance fell to McGowan, who crossed for Driver and his effort crashed back off Langfield’s post with the keeper beaten.