John McGlynn gets credit for Hearts fresh thinking

By STUART BATHGATE
Published on Thursday 31 January 2013 00:54

PERSISTENCE paid off for Hearts last night as a goal four minutes from time gave them a 1-0 victory over Dundee. John Sutton scored and the assist came from Arvydas Novikovas, but the real credit went to manager John McGlynn, who had brought both men off the bench just minutes earlier.

“We had tired Dundee out to a certain extent, and bringing on the fresh legs created something for us,” McGlyn said.

“That’s why we went 4-4-2. We took off Jason Holt, who was excellent, but we had to sacrifice someone to get an extra striker on. We merited probably three or four goals. We played exceptionally well, created a number of chances and were in total control of the game. We hadn’t taken the chances, and then the introduction of Arvydas and John made the difference.”

Striker Michael Ngoo got lost on the way to the ground for his home debut, but had another impressive outing on his own before being joined by Sutton for the closing stages.

McGlynn added: “He was unlucky he didn’t score in the first half. The fans have taken to him very quickly, and he’s a great addition to us.”

Dundee boss Barry Smith did his best not to be too downhearted after a result which leaves his team 14 points adrift at the bottom of the table, “We thought we’d handled them relatively well,” he said. “We know we can play better.”

Meanwhile, Hearts director Sergejus Fedotovas says the club’s charge to the League Cup final will prove crucial in safeguarding the club’s future.

The Gorgie side are in line for a £500,000 windfall after beating Inverness in Saturday’s semi-final to set up a 17 March final against St Mirren.

Fedotovas said: “People have been working hard this season and it was not easy, but the situation is improving both financially and on the field.”

Taken from the Scotsman