23rd October 2021 Hearts 1 Dundee 1
Back to Tynecastle today to watch Hearts play second bottom Dundee in the SPL. Hearts snatched a late equaliser at Ibrox last week and currently sit second in the table and are the only side undefeated in the SPL. It was also interesting this week to see Hearts response to Hibs announcement that they would no longer be issuing individual match programmes but instead a quarterly magazine. Hearts have increased the size of their programme from 48 to 60 pages with no increase in price. Big team big programme ! Wee than nae programme ! After lunch I left home at 13.30 and decided to go for a walk before heading to Tynecastle. I walked along the canal as far as the Slateford bridge and then back along Slateford Road and down Robertson Avenue to Tynecastle. I arrived at the Main stand entrance around 14.30. This was the first day of checking for Covid vaccination passports for entry to the ground and there was a long queue at the extended entry barriers. However the checks being made were, in my view, cursory as all everyone had to do was display either a telephone app or a letter showing double vaccination. No check was being made to prove that the vaccination status belonged to the ticket holder. I was in the ground after a five minute wait and headed to my seat in Section Q. I was a bit surprised when just before the kick-off a guy with a young boy came and took the two seats to my left. He must have seen my surprise and said the Chris and his father who normally sit there were in hospitality today and had given him their season tickets to use. Given the child was around three/four I said I would moderate my language to which he laughed and said "don't bother I will probably being shouting something similar!"
Hearst fielded the exact same starting eleven and substitutes as against Rangers last week. John Soutttar had recovered from injury and replaced Taylor Moore in central defence who dropped to the bench. Gary Mackay-Steven (GMS), Armand Gnanduillet and Josh Ginnelly provided further attacking options on the bench, if required. Dundee included former Hibs player Leigh Griffiths up front with two other ex-Hibs players Jason Cummings and Liam Fontaine on the bench. An experiences squad also lncluded former Hearts player Jordan McGhee along with Charlie Adam (Rangers and Liverpool) and Cillian Sheridan (Celtic and Kilmarnock).
The match started with hearts doing most of the attacking as had happened in the previous two games. The one fault I find with Hearts playing a 3-4-3 formation is the lack of support for central striker, Liam Boyce. Robbie Neilson plays with two wingers in front of the wing-backs where-as I would like to see one wing and I would like to see a second striker in place of one of the wingers. However Ben Woodburn was playing on the left today and he started really well with two attempts from outside the box, one over the bar and one past the post. Beni Baningime and Tammy Devlin were dominating central midfield and playing some lovely passes to the wing-backs, Michael Smith and Alex Cochrane. Baningime showed why he was not still playing at Everton when on two occasions he found himself in the Dundee penalty area but just did not seem what to do next. One shot was blocked and on the condition occasion he just seemed to fall over. Woodburn got a silly booking around the half hour mark when he seemed to be fouled twice on a run down the right and after the referee and assistant ignored the incidents he took out Dundee's Jordan Marshall on right touchline. It was a booking from frustration but he continued to moan as the assistant. Hearts came close when a Smith corner was headed against the bar by Boyce before Craig Halkett's header from the rebound was cleared of the line by a Dundee defender. Hearts finally went ahead in thirty-seven minutes after a run across the penalty box by Boyce. His shot was blocked and fell to Woodburn who sent it to Souttar on his right. From Just outside the penalty are the defender sent a shot into the far top corner of the net giving Adam Legzdins in the Dundee goal no chance.
Fr the second half Hearts replaced Woodburn with MS. Whether this was due to injury or as a result of his early yellow card I am not sure but the game continued as in the first half with Hearts continuing to press forward. Hearts had an early chance when McKay had a run down the left and cut the ball back to Boyce. Dundee's Ashcroft did really well to block the shot. GMS had chance after another McKay run lead to a shot by Smith being blocked by Legzdins. The rebound fell to GMS whose shot hit the post. Boyce who had been the subject of an assault earlier when he was elbowed by a Dundee defender on a run towards the penalty area limped off just after the hour mark. It was later reported to be a calf injury and he was replaced by Gnanduillet. hearts seemed to fall out of the game after this and Sheridan who has come on fro Griffiths forced Craig Gordon to punch away a shot from outside the box. Dundee equalised in eighty-three minutes. A long throw from Cammy Kerr was sent into the box but dropped short of the bigger players in the centre of the area. Substitute Cummings at the near post diid not even have to jump to head the ball past Gordon across goal and into the corner of the net. Gordon had been injured and required treatment after a clash with Sheridan minutes earlier but even fully fit would have had no chance with the goal/ Gordon's injury lead to seven minutes of injury time but Dundee played these out well and the game ended in a draw.
On the final whistle I walked home not sure how I felt. Hearts were now one point ahead of Rangers at the top of the SPL but should really have taken three points. However considering some of the poor quality football I have seen at Tynecastle over the past few seasons I don't think I can complain about todays game. I arrived home to watch Manchester City v Brighton on Sky. City were excellent an showed how real quality football can be played. I gave up watching when they are 3-0 up as I thought the game was then dead.
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