20th May 2023 Hearts 2 Aberdeen 1



At last back at football. After a couple of weeks off due to illness returned to Tynecastle today for the SPL match against Aberdeen. With an early 12.30 kickoff to allow Hearts to show the match on PFV I left home around 12.00 to walk to the ground. I arrived around 12.15 and headed to my seat in the main stand o wachthe players waring up. Had a chat with those around me and we all agree that this was a must win game for Harts if they wanet to guarantee group stage European football next season. 

Interim manager Steven Naismith made two changes to the side that drew in Paisley last weekend. Nathaniel Atkinson and Alex Cochrane came in for  James Hill and Andy Halliday who both tarted on the bench. Cochrane missed last weeks match after being sent off against celtic in the previous home match. I had watched that match on Sky and still cannot see how the referee and VAR could see that the full-back denied  a clear goal scoring opportunity. Aberdeen were missing top scorer Duk and Ross McCrorie while skipper Graeme Shinnie remained suspended for this match. 

Hearts had two early chances when Lawrence Shankland beat his man and had his curling shot well saved by Kelle Roos in the Aberdeen goal before Youtaro Oda cut in from the right but again Roos blocked his shot. Hearts were playing some good football while Aberdeen relied on a long-ball game. Zander Clark did well to block a shot from Marley Watkins after Kye Rowles missed a header. However Aberdeen took the lead just after the half hour mark. Clark flapped at a corner from Leighton Clarkson and the ball was headed in at the back post by Mattie Pollock.Hearts continued to press forward and Cochrane and Oda had attempts blocked. However after forty-two minutes Hearts equalised when Barrie McKay passed to Josh Ginnelly around twenty-five yards from goal on the left hand side of the penalty area. Ginnelly turned and curled the ball into the far corner of the net giving Roos no chance of making a save. Fittingly the gal game during a minutes applause for recently decease Hearts fan David Stewart and the celebrations include fireworks being set off by his friends behind the Whitfield stand. 

Ginnelly had a chance early in the second half half but glanced his header wide of the goal. Hearts went ahead in fifty-six minutes when McKay sent Cochrane free down the left. The full-back sent a low ball towards the near post where Shankland made a good run to fire the ball high into the net. Ten minutes later Ginnelly was forced off injured and replaced by Jorge Grant. Given the way the forward has been playing recently I hope it is nothing serious. Hearts continued to press forward and substitute Alan Forrest missed a sitter when a shot was deflected by Cammy Devlin into his path in front of an open goal with minutes to go. After eight minutes of added time which was extended after a double head knock in the centre circle the final whistle was finally blown to give Hearts three valuable points.

As I walked home I looked at the  statistics to see Hearts had sixty-one percent possession, thirty shots on goal and eight on target. The change in the style of football since Naismith since he  took over is remarkable. There is a change in approach with a more attacking intent. Players like McKay,  Cochrane and Devlin have regained confidence. Oda who hardly got a chance under Robbie Neilson has shown that he is an excellent attacking player. I liked Neilson as both a player and manager but he seemed to have gone stale. Hearts need to appoint Naismith as a long term replacement rather than bring in an outsider. 


Teams
Hearts: Clark, Haring, Shankland, Atkinson, Devlin, Rowles, McKay, Cochrane, Sibbick, Ginnelly, Oda.
Subs:Grant, Smith, Forrest, Kio.

Aberdeen: Roos, Scales, Barron, Miovski, Watkins, Ramadani, Hayes ©, Pollock, Clarkson, Richardson, Macdonald
Subs: Mackenzie, Markanday, Myslovic, Duncan, Bavidge

 

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