21st October 2017 Hearts v St Johnstone 1-0


Another Hearts match after what seems like months since I saw them. The game is again at Murrayfield as new stand is still not complete. This week there was talk coming from Tynecastle that the stand may not be ready by the scheduled opening date of 5th November when Patrick Thistle are visitors. If that is the case that match may be switched to Murrayfield. However if the opening is delayed any longer problems may arise as the following week Scotland start the rugby autumn test series at Murrayfield and the stadium will not therefore be available to Hearts. We shall see how this develops. 

We had Harper with us in the morning and after Natalie went out with him and Rufus, our dog, I watched the end of the Hibs BetFred Cup semi-final against Celtic on BT Sport. I don't really like either team but was quite pleased when Hibs were knocked to as I did not want to hear gloating Hibs fans talking about reaching a cup final. I left house at ten past two and walked down to the West Approach Road where I caught a 30 bus. I got off after two stops and walked the short distance to the ground. If anyone thinks I was being lazy you cannot walk along the West Approach Road. Once in the ground I met Brian, and his son Craig. I knew Brian through my previous work. We had  a good chat and have agreed to meet up for lunch shortly. I then got to my seat and was ready for the game. Unfortunately a fan three rows in front of me collapsed and the first ten minutes of the game were obscured a bit by stewards and ambulance crew trying to help him. He was taken away on a stretcher but was at least moving as he was carried out. I heard later he was rushed with police escort to the Royal Infirmary where he then had three stints put into his heart but seems to be recovering ok.

I was not sure how to describe this game until I saw the Scotland on Sunday report. They said - This was a match to be endured rather than enjoyed. There was no flow to proceedings, just a succession of aimless long punts, defensive headers, slack passes and glaringly obvious fouls. The first half in particular was appalling and was not helped by the setting sun over the west stand which made viewing the Hearts goal difficult, The two best chances in the first half came from Hearts corners. The first of which Kyle Lafferty headed past the post and the second brought a good save from Alan Mannus from a Christophe Berra header. Both corners had been taken by centre-back John Souttar! It says something about the Hearts side when a centre-back takes the corners. I cannot imagine Alan Anderson or Don Murray taking a corner in the 1970s. They were centre-backs who could kick a centre forward further than they could kick the ball !

The second half was slightly better after Harry Cochrane replaced Prince Bauben. Prince had been booked after about six minutes and thereafter appeared reluctant to get stuck in for fear of being sent off. Hearts made a few chances in the second half the best being a run by Jamie Walker who passed to Isma on the right of the goal but he could not finish. After seventy-five minutes a shot by Cochrane was collected by Lafferty in the box. He turned and shot towards goal and with the help of a deflection of a defender the ball ended up in the net. A scrappy goal in a scrappy game. Hearts broke in injury time with three against two. Jamie Walker fed the ball to Cochrane on the right but his shot hit the post just before the referee blew for time. At the end of the game the Hearts team included Cochrane (aged16), Euan Henderson (17), Jamie Brandon (19) and John Souttar (21) which looks good for the future.

A horrible game in front of a crowd of just short of 18,500 but the three points lifted Hearts above Hibs in the table. After the game I walked home via Russell Road and Ardmillan Terrace with a spring in my step

Teams
Hearts: McLaughlin, M.Smith, Souttar, Berra, Walker, Buaben, Lafferty, Milinkovic, Callachan, Brandon, Goncalves. 
Subs: Cochrane, Henderson, Stockton.
St Johnstone: Mannus, Shaughnessy, Millar, MacLean, Wotherspoon, O'Halloran, Comrie, Scougall, Gordon, Easton, Craig. 
Subs:Cummins, Alston, Johnstone

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