Hearts 0 Dundee 1

From ROBERT MARTIN at Tynecastle
Published: 03rd September 2012
4
ONE Ryan was given a hero’s welcome from the Hearts support.

The other barely received a ripple of applause when his name was read out.

Ninety minutes later both McGowan and Stevenson were booed off the pitch after Hearts suffered a shock home defeat to Dundee.

There’s no doubt they will both go on to be key men for Jambos this season after deciding their futures lie with the Gorgie club.

Aussie McGowan was cheered every time he touched the ball, following his decision to reject a proposed move to Rangers.

He won a penalty when he was tripped by Lewis Toshney, only for Rab Douglas to save John Sutton’s spot-kick.

Ryan Conroy had earlier put Dundee ahead with their FIRST goal of the season from the spot after Marius Zaliukas had fouled Colin Nish. Stevenson, wearing the No7 shirt just vacated by David Templeton, was sent on at the start of the second half to try and do something about it.

His reception was muted — but he did make a difference to John McGlynn’s side.

But even he was unable to find a leveller as Barry Smith’s men held on for a huge win.

Templeton was the notable absentee from the Hearts side that drew with Liverpool on Thursday, with youngster Dale Carrick taking his place.

Smith, meanwhile, made two changes to the side that crashed to Queen’s Park in somewhat less glamorous circumstances in midweek, with Colin Nish and Lewis Toshney returning at the expense of Steven Milne and Graham Webster.

It was the team in white who stunned Tynecastle by moving in front in the second minute. Pressure on Jamie MacDonald’s goal forced Danny Grainger to thump the ball out and when Lewis Toshney’s throw came into the box, Nish stole a yard on Marius Zaliukas.

The Lithuanian’s first instinct was to tug his shirt and referee Craig Thomson’s was to point at the spot.

Conroy stepped up to drill the ball low to MacDonald’s left and score his side’s first goal of the SPL campaign.

Hearts tried to respond by getting Arvydas Novikovas into the game.

McGowan also bombed down the right to try and get balls into the box for John Sutton to attack.

But even at this early stage Neil McGregor and Davide Grassi were throwing themselves at everything to keep the men in maroon at bay.

That pressure prompted Callum Paterson to try his luck from long range in the 19th minute but Douglas was equal to the task, turning his shot over his bar for a corner.

Paterson’s next effort from distance nearly hit the corner flag as Hearts grew frustrated.

John Baird then tried his luck at the other end with a shot that drifted wide of MacDonald’s goal.

Baird went close again with an effort that Grainger did well to deflect over for a corner in the 25th minute but Dundee handed Hearts a chance to level the game two minutes later.

McGowan took matters into his own hands with a run into the Dundee area.

As he tried to lay the ball off to Novikovas, he was caught by Toshney’s challenge.

Ref Thomson once again decisively pointed to the penalty spot and booked the on-loan Celt for his tackle.

It was the third time in as many home games the Jambos had been awarded a spot kick — and Sutton had converted the previous two against St Johnstone and Inverness.

This time the Englishman’s effort was brilliantly turned away by Douglas low to his right. The veteran keeper angrily pushed team-mates away as they rushed to congratulate him.

He then did superbly to hold Grainger’s cross under pressure from Sutton and Zaliukas.

The keeper, however, looked less assured when Grainger curled in a free kick in the 33rd minute which drifted just over his bar but he did well to get down to a low Paterson shot seconds later as Hearts continued to press.

Douglas did even better to turn Carrick’s low shot around his post five minutes before the break. Then Grassi got himself in front of Sutton to stop the striker from turning in Novikovas’ low cross as they gamely hung on. Sutton stayed inside at the break, to be replaced by Stevenson. He was given a mixed reception by Hearts fans in contrast to that afforded to McGowan.

He made an immediate impact, unsettling the Dundee defence as Hearts continued to make most of the running.

Novikovas tested Douglas with a low shot in the 50th minute, which the keeper only held onto at the second attempt.

Paterson volleyed a Novikovas cross five minutes later.

But McGowan was booked for clattering into Matt Lockwood and Iain Davidson followed for a trip on Novikovas.

Stevenson won over a few more fans on the hour mark when he beat Grassi and fired in a shot that Douglas blocked.

McGlynn threw Andrew Driver on for Carrick in the 65th minute before Nish was booked for a foul on Zaliukas but the visitors held on to claim their first win of the campaign.