20th April 2019. Hearts v Rangers. 1-3
Yet another early kickoff as game is live in TV. Kickoff was 12.00 so I had a couple of bacon rolls with a glass of orange juice before leaving for Tynecastle at around 11.05. Walked down the road and arrived at 11.20. There was a small queue at the ticket office so I thought I would pick up my ticket for the Hibs game while I was there. Things looked over more promising when the security guard alongside the queue said that those queueing to pick up tickets should form a new queue at window 5. I joined that queue which was for those collecting tickets for todays game and next weeks Derby at Easter Road. This was not a good idea as I found out that the tickets for Easter Road had not yet been printed. Those, like me, who were collecting tickets for that game gave their names to the girl behind the counter who took details to the girl in the back of the office printing the tickets. Orders for those waiting were being prioritised and we were told wait would be around two minutes. Ten minutes later I got my tickets. The guy in front of me suggested that administration fee's should be refunded given the tickets were not ready for collection having already been paid for. A loud laugh was the reply. I got to my seat in the stand around 11.40 and watched the teams warming up. It was strange to see the lower section in Section G of the Wheatfield Stand opposite the Main Stand where I sit unoccupied. This section is generally occupied by the more racous elements of the Hearts support. There have been a few incidents in that area including smoke-bombs being thrown onto the pitch. As a consequence Hearts have closed that area with season ticket holders in that Section being relocated to other areas within the stadium for the remaining two matches of the season. However two of the worst instances of crowd misbehaviour have occurred in the Main Stand area. Neil Lennon was attacked by a fan a few years ago, while Celtic manager, and this season, as Hibs manager, was hit by a coin thrown, although I do think he made the most of it. I think clubs should take action against those guilty of offensive but it is over the top to close an area because of the actions of a few. If police and stewards did their jobs properly and took action when offences occurred I am sure unsavoury behaviour would be stamped out.
Hearts had lost the injured Aidan Keena and Peter Haring from last weeks semi-final starting eleven in addition to the injured substitute Calumn Morrison. Oliver Bozanic and Sean Clare were named as replacements for the injured duo from last weeks starting eleven. A further change was also required when Clare felt ill in the warm-up and was replaced by Craig Wighton in the starting line-up with Clevid Dikamona stepping from the stands to the bench. Rangers were without the suspend Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent. Loanees Jermaine Defoe and Steven Davis stepped in as the replacements. Former Hearts striker Kyle Lafferty was on the bench for the Ibrox side.
Rangers looked the better side at the start of the game with Hearts looking pedestrian in midfield. A number of fans do not rate Sean Clare but he can bring speed of both thought and movement to the midfield when he is in the mood. In contrast the Rangers midfield passed and moved well with Scott Arfield acting as a third striker in support of Daniel Candeias and Defoe. Rangers took the lead in fifteen minutes when Wighton lost the ball in a challenge to Jon Flanagan in the middle of the Hearts half. A couple of quick passes lead to Glen Kamara passing the ball through to Defoe who shot past ‘Bobby’ Zlamal from just inside the penalty box despite the keeper making a good attempt to save. The Hearts central defence did not look to clever at this goal as no-one had followed Defoe’s run leaving him alone in the box to finish. Hearts had a couple of half-chances with Uche Ikpeazue firing high and wide after a run into the Rangers box. Shortly afterwards Wighton raced on to an Ikpeazu flick into the box but did not have the strength to hold off the covering defender to allow him a clear shot on goal. Things got worse in thirty-six minutes when Bozanic lost the ball to Ryan Jack after a challenge in midfield. Jack passed to Candeias on his left and continued his run into the Hearts penalty area. Candeias slipped a good ball into his path for the midfielder to slide home from about twelve yards out.
The second half started with Hearts on the defensive. A corner in forty-eight minutes was played short to Candias who crossed to the far post where Nicola Katic forced the ball home. Hearts came more into the game and Alan McGregor made two good saves from headed opportunities from Christophe Berra and Wighton. Rangers were by now treating the game as a training exercise and I felt that if Hearts managed a goal Rangers would score another. I was proved wrong after seventy-one minutes after Hearts pulled a goal back. Bobby Burns fed the ball to Jake Mulraney who beat his man and crossed into the box. The ball was missed by Ikpeazu but substitute Steven MacLean was lurking a few yards behind him and had a simple header to score. Rangers did have further chances to score with Arfield forcing a good save from Zlamal after James Tavernier had squared the ball to him on the edge of the box. Lafferty did come on as a substitute with just under ten minutes to go to a chorus of boo’s from the Hearts fans. Despite his goals last season the way he forced through his move to Rangers has rankled across the Hearts support. Lafferty replaced goalscorer Defoe who had earlier been booked for a stamp on Hearts Bobby Burns. The lack of crowd reaction to this incident summed up Hearts performance as the fans did not express their feelings about the incident. Generally there would have been shouts for a red and not a yellow card but the lack of fight and passion from Hearts the field had blunted the crowds enthusiasm.
On the final whistle I left the ground quickly having moved to a seat near a stairway exit with five minutes to go. I walked down to the West End to continue todays football journeys with a trip to ainslie Park to watch Spartans but that’s another story !
Teams
Rangers looked the better side at the start of the game with Hearts looking pedestrian in midfield. A number of fans do not rate Sean Clare but he can bring speed of both thought and movement to the midfield when he is in the mood. In contrast the Rangers midfield passed and moved well with Scott Arfield acting as a third striker in support of Daniel Candeias and Defoe. Rangers took the lead in fifteen minutes when Wighton lost the ball in a challenge to Jon Flanagan in the middle of the Hearts half. A couple of quick passes lead to Glen Kamara passing the ball through to Defoe who shot past ‘Bobby’ Zlamal from just inside the penalty box despite the keeper making a good attempt to save. The Hearts central defence did not look to clever at this goal as no-one had followed Defoe’s run leaving him alone in the box to finish. Hearts had a couple of half-chances with Uche Ikpeazue firing high and wide after a run into the Rangers box. Shortly afterwards Wighton raced on to an Ikpeazu flick into the box but did not have the strength to hold off the covering defender to allow him a clear shot on goal. Things got worse in thirty-six minutes when Bozanic lost the ball to Ryan Jack after a challenge in midfield. Jack passed to Candeias on his left and continued his run into the Hearts penalty area. Candeias slipped a good ball into his path for the midfielder to slide home from about twelve yards out.
The second half started with Hearts on the defensive. A corner in forty-eight minutes was played short to Candias who crossed to the far post where Nicola Katic forced the ball home. Hearts came more into the game and Alan McGregor made two good saves from headed opportunities from Christophe Berra and Wighton. Rangers were by now treating the game as a training exercise and I felt that if Hearts managed a goal Rangers would score another. I was proved wrong after seventy-one minutes after Hearts pulled a goal back. Bobby Burns fed the ball to Jake Mulraney who beat his man and crossed into the box. The ball was missed by Ikpeazu but substitute Steven MacLean was lurking a few yards behind him and had a simple header to score. Rangers did have further chances to score with Arfield forcing a good save from Zlamal after James Tavernier had squared the ball to him on the edge of the box. Lafferty did come on as a substitute with just under ten minutes to go to a chorus of boo’s from the Hearts fans. Despite his goals last season the way he forced through his move to Rangers has rankled across the Hearts support. Lafferty replaced goalscorer Defoe who had earlier been booked for a stamp on Hearts Bobby Burns. The lack of crowd reaction to this incident summed up Hearts performance as the fans did not express their feelings about the incident. Generally there would have been shouts for a red and not a yellow card but the lack of fight and passion from Hearts the field had blunted the crowds enthusiasm.
On the final whistle I left the ground quickly having moved to a seat near a stairway exit with five minutes to go. I walked down to the West End to continue todays football journeys with a trip to ainslie Park to watch Spartans but that’s another story !
Teams
Hearts: Zlamal; Smith, Souttar, Berra, Burns; Lee, Bozanic, Djoum; Wighton, Ikpeazu, Mulraney.
Subs: Maclean, Cochrane, Dikamona
Rangers: McGregor; Tavernier, Katic, Goldson, Flanagan; Kamara, Davis, Jack; Candeias, Defoe, Arfield
Subs: Middleton, Lafferty, Polster
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