St Johnstone 3 Hearts 3: Referee under fire after dramatic 90 minutes at McDiarmid Park

THREE red cards, two penalties, two ambulances and one mass brawl - it was all happening in Perth on Saturday and not surprisingly referee Brian Colvin was getting it in the neck afterwards.
From Saint to sinner, Steven Anderson sees red in the game against Hearts From Saint to sinner, Steven Anderson sees red in the game against Hearts

IF Hearts players were hell bent on giving Billy Brown a memorable send-off in what they thought was his last game at the club, they certainly didn’t let him down.

The Tynecastle assistant boss was supposed to be leaving after the game against St Johnstone in Perth, having been deemed surplus to requirements by the club administrators.

However, it was confirmed last night that he had been given a stay of execution and will be staying on for a bit longer, until the end of his contract on January 31 at least.

With six goals – including Danny Wilson’s injury-time equaliser – three red cards, two penalties, two
ambulances and one mass brawl, this mental day at McDiarmid Park is bound to live long in the memory.

You would think the arrival of the emergency services – first to cart Murray Davidson off for knee surgery and then to treat St Johnstone kitman Tommy Campbell for a suspected heart attack – might have brought some sense of perspective and calm to the madness.

But it didn’t, thankfully, and the frantic battling led to arguably the most dramatic, spell-binding climax to any game you’ll see this season.

That Saints’ red-hot striker Stevie May racked up his second hat-trick in three weeks became almost an afterthought as Hearts fought back from 3-1 down to snatch a point.

So much for this image portraying the Jambos kids as fragile wee lambs facing burnout. They gave everything to grab two late strikes and earn their first point in four games.

With things kicking off everywhere you looked, it was a confusing place to be – and none looked more bewildered out there than referee Brian Colvin.

The hapless whistler made more questionable decisions than drunken teenagers at a frat party but the difference is he was getting other people into trouble with his clangers.

Saints defender Steven Anderson shouldn’t have walked for a 21st-minute foul on Dale Carrick when the young Hearts striker was 35 yards from goal with lots to do before it could be called a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Then there was the 39th-minute penalty that set May on the road to claiming another match ball. Yes, there was a tug by Kevin McHattie when Nigel Hasselbaink turned the young full-back but the contact appeared to have been outside the box.

More cock-ups were to come, not least the decision to flash two more straight reds for Ryan Stevenson and Saints keeper Alan Mannus for their part in the 89th-minute mass bust-up that left Tam Scobbie having to don the gloves to see out the three minutes of stoppage time. Or not, as it turned out, with Hearts snatching that draw.

Ref Colvin was toiling so badly he was asking players for advice. Scobbie said: “I don’t think Steven’s was a red card. I spoke to the ref during the game and he was running about asking everyone’s opinion. He was saying, ‘Do you think it was a red card? Do you think he was getting in?’

“I think it was the linesman who made the decision for him in the end.

“I’ve never had a ref asking players if they thought it was a red card or not. Sometimes if they’ve made a bad call, they might say, ‘It was probably a bad
decision but we just need to get on with it. I make mistakes’. But I think there was a doubt in his mind and he’s told Steven he’ll look at it again. If it’s wrong, he’ll hold his hands up. At least he’s man enough to do that.

“Frazer Wright was beside Ando and the boy was also 30 yards from goal. It’s definitely not a guaranteed goalscoring opportunity.”

If Colvin doesn’t hold his hands up, you can be sure St Johnstone will appeal against Anderson’s dismissal.

Despite that early blow, Saints didn’t look like a side with a man short as they dominated most of this match. Sure, they got a break with the first penalty that gave them the lead six minutes from the break but, based on possession, they were good for it.

Even more so when, four minutes after the break May was left chasing a pass from Hasselbaink. Keeper Jamie MacDonald came out to make the save but May managed to bundle it home.

Hearts hit back in the 59th minute as Carrick rose to meet McHattie’s corner with a close-range header and grab his first goal for the club.

But four minutes later May earned another penalty, courtesy of McHattie’s hand ball. The hitman drilled home another low spot-kick for his 19th goal of the season and Hearts looked down and out. Which only makes what unfolded in the dying minutes all the more impressive.

Another maiden goal, this time fired in by Sam Nicholson ? a lively half-time replacement for Dylan McGowan – sparked the rammy as Hearts players waded into the net to recover the ball while Saints stopper Frazer Wright made it his business to get in their way.

All hell broke loose as Stevenson went toe-to-toe with Mannus (not a wise idea considering the big Northern Irishman has a background in cage fighting) but the decision to flash two more reds was, in Scobbie’s view, another blunder.

He added: “It was handbags. It’s one of those things when Hearts are trying to get the ball back and we’ve tried to slow it down. A yellow card for both would have done. That left me volunteering to go in goals for the first time since I was about six or seven at primary school.

“I wanted the boys to put the ball in the corner and keep it there. Unfortunately, after getting the second goal, Hearts got a lift, their fans were behind them and they managed to get the third through a great header from big Danny. You need to give them credit for that.”

Another point that edges Hearts to just one short of finally wiping out that 15-point deduction is credit enough as this young Hearts side walked away with their heads held high –and with the knowledge that their assistant boss will be by their sides for a little bit longer.

Taken from the Daily Record