Young defender-cum-striker finds week is a long time in football

JOHN McGlynn makes an unlikely soothsayer, yet the Hearts manager's words in defeat last Saturday proved prophetic yesterday.

"If he takes the chances he had, he's a hero," he said of Callum Paterson, the young defender pressed into service as a lone forward. One week later, and McGlynn was again talking about the 17-year-old, but this time had two goals and a hero to discuss in the wake of a splendid victory. It was the second of the campaign and came at the end of a few days in which the belated payment of wages helped clear the gathering clouds over the club.

It was, too, an object lesson in how perceptions can shift depending on circumstance. Paterson's overall performance was no more, or indeed no less, effective than against St Mirren last weekend but, while the two chances that came his way in Paisley were spurned, the two that fell to him at Tannadice were converted. The difference? A little bit of good fortune. Last weekend, 15 corners failed to yield as much as a consolation goal.

Time and again, the ball bounced, pitched or spun unfavourably in the penalty area as Lady Luck made her own mischievous contribution to Hearts' attacking shortcomings. She was, however, a more becoming mistress yesterday.

The visitors had been impotent for much of the opening half hour, with Radoslaw Cierzniak's sharp save from Scott Robinson's low, curling effort their only moment of real note. Then, their luck changed. Robinson's aimless hook across the area was headed by Keith Watson into the path of Danny Grainger, and his attempted volley rebounded against Sean Dillon and landed at the feet of Paterson, who lashed past an exposed Cierzniak for his side's first goal since David Templeton scored at Anfield.

The change in Hearts was immediate. Suddenly each of their players appeared quicker in speed and thought. Arvydas Novikovas, whose stunning goal here late last season effectively ended United's ambitions of earning Champions League football, assumed possession 35 yards from goal and ambled forward unchallenged before unleashing a shot that wobbled furiously away from a startled Cierzniak and nestled in the far corner.

"After that it was an uphill task," said Peter Houston of his side's second 3-0 defeat of a campaign that started so promisingly but is now in danger of turning ugly. "We were comprehensively beaten by a team with a lot of spirit and fight."

Houston did claim his side should have had a penalty, when Willo Flood appeared to be checked by Ryan Stevenson 60 seconds before the opening goal. He also suggested that would have changed the tone of the contest, but given United have scored just once in their previous four games, even that seemed a stretch.

Deprived of Gary Mackay-Steven for much of that time and also of Jon Daly for part, Houston's side have struggled to open up defences and lacked the reference point required to play in a more direct manner, their goalless draws with St Johnstone and Ross County blighted by a lack of clear opportunities.

Gavin Gunning came closest yesterday when he rattled the underside of the crossbar with a header from a Ryan Dow corner but the introduction of Daly after 58 minutes was rendered insignificant almost immediately after another of the defensive calamities that have come to characterise United's campaign.

Dillon beat Paterson to a through ball but a combination of a lack of pace on the Irishman's pass back and Cierzniak's uncertainty allowed Ryan McGowan to get a toe on the ball, which then broke against the goalkeeper for Paterson to roll in with the help of an upright. "I've seen those missed," said McGlynn. "But Callum caused problems and was a handful to play against today and got the reward."

Taken from the Herald