Aberdeen 2 Hearts 0: Stirring stuff

CRAIG Brown has left the Pittodrie dug-out with his head held high.

The applause which followed him along the side of the pitch was intended as appreciation for the work he has done in three years in charge of Aberdeen, but it was also a kind farewell to a reign which had begun to lose its value.

Yesterday's win over Hearts was only his team's second since Christmas, albeit one which has allowed the Pittodrie side to maintain pursuit of a top-six finish. The manager will retire next week before shuffling upstairs to assume a role as non-executive director and a chance for one last push to reach the top half of the SPL is perhaps a fitting end to Brown's career.

The reaction of fans stirred Brown, even if he insisted he is "not an emotional man", and the passion shown will have struck his replacement, Derek McInnes, who will take over after the split. Aberdeen's form had run cold this season but there is no sense of apathy, and when Gavin Rae failed to find Scott Vernon with a simple five-yard pass, supporters made sure he heard about it.

If a malaise has taken hold at Pittodrie then it has not yet strangled Aberdeen's ambition. It had stuck in the throat when Brown asserted that it would not be a disaster were his side not to finish in the top half of the league this season, and the old hand will be entitled to a sense of achievement if he ushers them over the line in his final match in charge, against Dundee United. Yet McInnes would not consider a place in the bottom six to be a total loss either, since it would allow him to incubate his new side in a less pressured environment; low-key fixtures against the likes of Dundee, St Mirren and Hearts likely to allow more time for his ideas to take hold.

His players may also consider it a more accommodating scene in which to prove their worth and McInnes was given his first chance to take notes yesterday. A comfortable performance allowed for his attention to fall on those in attack, although that was not necessarily good news for everyone. Josh Magennis is one of those out of contract in the summer and McInnes might have felt inclined to put an asterisk next to his name.

The Aberdeen forward started his career as a goalkeeper, later dabbling at full-back, and it is tempting to suggest he has yet to find his niche. When Jonny Hayes prodded a pass to his feet after 26 minutes the young striker seemed so bemused by the space he had that he stabbed the ball wide, presumably out of sheer awkwardness. Another shot after 44 minutes disturbed an errant seagull, although Brown was adamant Magennis was unfairly ruled offside on a couple of occasions after the break.

"The linesman was directly in front of the away support," said Brown. "My first act as director will be to move them."

Vernon also struggled to be effective – although he was shrewd enough to tee up Rae for a shot after just two minutes – and Aberdeen were once again left to rely on Niall McGinn. He has served them well this term, his double yesterday nudging his goal tally in the league to 19.

"I am leaving Derek McInnes with the best signing of the season," added Brown.

His first was a casual finish after 10 minutes – Ryan Jack's measured through ball to Hayes leaving the Aberdeen winger the simple task of rolling a pass to McGinn – although his second, after 55 minutes, placed a greater demand on his talents. McGinn wriggled past Dylan McGowan before clipping a shot across goal which the Hearts defence could only help over the line. Given the Northern Irishman's form this term you would believe that he meant it.

It was a goal which broke Hearts, the visitors left feeling sorry for themselves. Since the international break fell on the back of defeat in the Scottish Communities League Cup final they probably could have done without another week of self-recrimination.

The post-mortem from their loss at Hampden will have been painful – not least as Hearts had gone ahead – and this will prove just as uncomfortable. Tynecastle has been no place for the squeamish this season given the turmoil that has unfolded but comparatively mundane issues came to the surface against Aberdeen. Trying to constrain McGinn is no mean feat, although an inability to discomfit a side that has won just once in 11 matches certainly is.

Hearts had lost just once in the league under Gary Locke but the visiting manager seemed unable to coax a compelling performance – John Sutton's bundled shot against a post and an apologetic prod from Danny Wilson the closest they came.

"That's the story for our season at the moment – the chances we are getting, we are not putting in the net," said Locke.

Taken from the Herald