22nd August 2021. Hearts 1 Aberdeen 1

 

Today is a big day. The first time back at Tynecastle with no crowd restrictions and I will be sitting in my own allocated seat. I checked Futbology and this will also be my 1700th Hearts first team match. With a three r free o’clock kick-off I wanted to make sure I was in the ground early partly because I got a new season ticket last season and wanted to be sure it was working. I arrived at Tynecastle around 14,15 and spotted Tony in the queue for tickets. Tony is a Manchester City fan but Hearts are his Scottish team. He had the option to print his ticket at home or pick up at ticket office. Unfortunately he chose the latter option and it looked like he would have a long wait in the queue. Thankfully my ticket worked at the turnstile and I entered the ground with a smile on my face. As I was heading towards my seat I met Eric and his friend Brian. Eric used to sit next to me but has moved to a seat near a aisle in case he has too many pints in the 1874 bar before the game. We were all over the moon to be back at Tynecastle and had a long chat about our return. 

Hearts had Steven Kingsley missing due to illness. Alex Cochrane took over in the back three with Andy Halliday moving to left wing-back. Josh Ginnelly returned on the right wing after his substitute performance against Celtic last week. It was first chance to see Beni Baningime who signed from Everton before the SPFL fixtures started. From what I had seen of him on TV he looks like an excellent midfield player. Not only can he win the ball he also has a good range of paling and is not afraid of tracking back to assist his defence. Under new manager Stephen Glass Aberdeen have made a number of close season signings. Most notable was frontier Celtic captain Scoot Brown who has a dual role as player/assistant manager. Brown is a favourite of Hearts fans, in a kind of pantomime villain context, given his previous links with both Hibe and Celtic. Strikers Christian Ramirez from Houston Dynamo in the MLS and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Jet) from Livingston. Scotland centre-back Declan Gallagher also signed on expiry of his contract at Motherwell.

The game was mostly played in midfield at the start with Brown playing so deep I thought he was playing as a sweeper. Hearts had most of the ball but under the 3-4-3 system that Hearts play I feel that Liam Boyce lacks support up front unless one of the wingers moves inside to what is no known as the number ten role. The first chance came after round fifteen minutes when after a move that began on the edge of the Aberdeen  penalty area Christian Ramirez ran on to a though ball from Lewis Ferguson. Craig Gordon was quick out of his goal to block the strikers effort.  Ginnellly came close when he took a pass from Michael Smith past Aberdeen’s Johnny Hayes. The wingers cross was deflected and Aberdeen keeper Joe Lewis touch it past his near post. In the twenty-sixth minute there was a mass ‘twirling’ of scarves in recognition of Hears former captain, and number twenty-six, Maius Zaliukas who died from MND last year. Aberdeen replaces the injured McLennan with Jet before half-time and the substitute brought pace and power to at Aberdeen attack.

At half-time Aberdeen brought on Dean Campbell for Johhny Hayes who appears to have been carrying an injury in the first half. Hearts ha the first chance of the second half when Lewis got down to save an attempt from Ginnelly as he ran onto a pass from Boyce. Minutes later Halliday cross sun into the air and was fumbled by keeper Lewis. The ball fell to Gary Mackay-Steven about eight yards from goal but he mishit his shot past the empty goal. Hearts however won a penalty in city-six minutes when Mackay-Steven was tripped in the box on the left of the penalty area by Gallagher. Boyce took the kick and sent Lewis the wrong way as he shot into the net. Aberdeen equalised with twenty minutes remaining when Jet sent a low ball across the Hearts goal. The ball reach Campbell on the left of the penalty area and his return ball was tapped in by Funso Ojo at he near post. There-after the game was a tale of lots of effort by both sides but no further chances being created. A draw was probably a fair result between two evenly match sides.

I walked home happy to have been packed in a packed Tynecastle, 17449 was the official attendance, and also to have seen a good match between two good sides. The only criticism I could make is the lack creativity in the Hearts midfield. The four of Smith, Baningime, Haring and Halliday are all solid players but are not instinctively create. I would bring in Jamie Walker or Aaron McEneff for either of Haring or Halliday to bring a bit more attacking flair. Maybe new loan signing Ben Woodbury, from Liverpool might also be tried in that position.

Teams

Hearts: Gordon, Smith, Halkett, Souttar, Cochrane, Halliday, Haring, Baningime, Ginnelly, Mackay-Steven, Boyce. 

Subs: Ealker, McEneff, Henderson.

Aberdeen: Lewis, Ramsay, Gallagher, McCrorie, Hayes, Brown, Ferguson, Pjo Jenks, McLennan, Ramirez.

Subs. Emmanuel-Thomas, Campbell.