Aberdeen 2 - 0 Hearts: Brown leaves on a high

Craig Brown's side collected 3 points in his final game at Pittodrie as Dons boss in an entertaining contest that the home side dominated for long spells. They took the lead on 10 minutes when Niall McGinn tapped in from close range after being set up by Jonny Hayes. McGinn got his second goal on 55 minutes to put the game beyond Hearts after a magnificent solo run into the box.

Aberdeen made just one change to the side that lost at Celtic before the international break- Stephen Hughes dropped out with illness and he was replaced by Clark Robertson.

matchreport_01The Dons started brightly and Josh Magennis in particular provided a constant threat to the Hearts full backs in the early stages. He swung in a first time cross towards Gavin Rae who tried to side foot the ball over Macdonald but the effort was well over the crossbar.

Hearts had an early opportunity as well when Jamie Walker pinched the ball off Clark Robertson and played in Michael Ngoo- but his shop was saved by the chest of Langfield.

Soon after, Hayes sent a good cross into the box but Macdonald grasped it comfortably. The Dons wouldn't be denied for long though and it was top scorer Niall McGinn who put them ahead. Josh Magennis found Hayes who pulled the ball back towards McGinn and he tapped the ball home from close range.

Magennis continued to wreak havoc with the Hearts defence and he swung in another good cross but Scott Vernon headed over. Despite the Dons domination Hearts nearly got themselves level but Langfield pulled off a great save from John Sutton's goal bound header to deny the visitors.

At the other end the Dons created another two chances in close succession. First, McGinn tried a speculative volley that went just wide then, seconds later, the ball landed at the feet of Magennis who despite claims to the contrary from the visiting defenders, was onside. Unfortunately for Aberdeen he hesitated for a second as he turned to shoot and Macdonald blocked.

Niall McGinn very nearly created a second for the Dons on 28 minutes when he went on a great run down the left, beat the full back and then crossed dangerously into the box under pressure from Andy Webster. Unfortunately there was no one waiting to convert for thmatchreport_02e Dons.

The first controversial offside decision of the match happened just a minute later. Magennis clearly ran from an onside position to collect the ball but the linesman flagged to the anger of the Red Army.

The tempo of the game then dropped substantially but on 40 minutes there was another chance for the visitors when the ball fell to Walker and Langfield again saved well.

It should have been 2-0 just before the break- Magennis with another opportunity. This time he blasted high over the bar when he probably should have scored.

HT 1-0

The Dons started the second half well and immediately went in search of a second goal. Niall McGinn created another great chance for Magennis who finished well but turned round to see the offside flag up again.

They wouldn't be denied for long though and on 55 Minutes doubled their advantage. McGinn picked up the ball on the left touchline and headed for the box, dribbled past 2 Hearts defenders and lifted the ball towards the goal. A small touch off a defender sent the ball into the back of the net for McGinn's 18th league goal of the season.

matchreport_03And he could have had his hatrick a short time later but saw the chance blocked away to avert the danger. On the hour mark, he was at the centre of attention again when his momentum caused him to go down in the Hearts box. To the astonishment of the player and the home supporters, referee Willie Collum flashed a yellow card at the Northern Irishman for simulation. It wasn't a penalty but it certainly wasn't a dive and Niall can certainly feel aggrieved at the decision- the second such unjust decision in the last few games.

Jonny Hayes was outstanding throughout the game and saved the Dons captain's blushes after a Hearts corner. The ball was swung in and Anderson completely mis-kicked his clearance which landed at the feet of Danny Wilson who shot at goal. Thankfully Hayes was on the goal line to deny the Hearts man a certain goal.

Magennis then had another opportunity to grab a goal when he won a battle with Andy Webster but his chipped effort didn't have enough height and Macdonald saved comfortably. At the other end Langfield saved comfortably from a Ryan Stevenson effort as the visitors tried to get some foothold back in the game.

Craig Brown then made 2 changes in a short period of time when firstly Jonny Hayes had to go off injured and was replaced by Peter Pawlett, before Nicky Low replaced Josh Magennis.

Gavin Rae nearly snatched a third goal after a free kick fell to him in the box and he unleashed a powerful volley which Macdonald saved.Cammy Smith replaced Ryan Jack for the final few minutes as the Dons held on to their two-nil advantage and claimed 3 points against Hearts for the first time in a few years. It gives them a chance of finishing in the top six ahead of next week's final SPL round of fixtures before the split in Craig Brown's final match in charge of the Dons.