27th August 2023 Dundee 1 Hearts 0

Well after a European match on Thursday it was off to Dens Park today for a Sunday league match against Dundee. I decided to take the cheapest means of travel and caught the Megabus which by using my concessionary travel card I managed to travel for £1, 50p each way to book a seat. I caught the 11.40 Megabus and arrived at Dundee bus station around 13.00. I decided to walk to Dens Park and despite going the wrong way at one stage arrived at Tannadice Street around 13.45. The rain had just started to pour down so I nipped into a cafe for a latte and a blueberry muffin hoping the rain would stop. After around fifteen minutes the rain died down and I walked up the hill towards the ground. The turnstiles were not open so ai decided to have a walk before the turnstiles opened and I met Colin, another old work colleague. We had a chat about the Hearts recent from beforeColin headed back down towards the ground. I walk a bit further and then turned back towards the away fans entrance. There ai met Grant who had come by train. I was going to head in when Grant said there was a programme seller across the other side of the road. I bought a £3 programme then walked back to the turnstiles. I had my ticket scanned then found my seat which was two rows above an exit. I also met two other former work colleagues who entered the ground after me. Both Pete and Harry and I exchanged our views on todays match. 

Hearts made five changes to the starting line-up defeated PAOK at Tynecastle on Thursday night, with Toby Sibbick and Aidan Denholm coming into the defensive midfield roles while Kenneth Vargas, Alex Lowry and Yutaro Oda were the attcking midfield trio supportingLawrence Shankland as the main striker. Dundee won the Scottish Championship last season and returned to the SPL after several years. Manager Gary Bowyer resigned and has now been replaced by former Kilmarnock assistant manager Tony Docherty. under have brought in a number of new players to help them in the SPL including Scott Tiffone form Patrick Thistle ,Amadou Bakayoko (on loan from Forest Green Rovers)and goalkeeper Trevor Carson formerly with Motherwell among others. 

To be honest the first half was awful. There were two early chances when Bakayoko shot past the post and then a Frankie Kent header from a corner flew over the Dundee bar. Finlay Robertson than had a chance for Dundee but his shot from the edge of the penalty area was straight at Zander Clark. Dundee did have the ball in the net after thirty-two minutes when former Hearts player Jordan McGhee forced the ball over the line from the edge of the six yard box. However Zach Robinson was in an offside position and VAR rules the 'goal' off. Hearts had a penalty claim when Oda was brought down in the penalty area but VAR ruled that the challenge was fair. 

 

Hearts made three changes for the start of the second half with Cammy Devlin, Nathaniel Atkinson, and Liam Boyce coming on for Offiah, Sibbick and Oda. Boyce was soon in action and 

his low ball across goal brushed off the knee of a home defender before spilling back off the post. Alex Lowry’then showed lovely footwork before dispatching a lofted ball across goal again. This time, Kenneth Vargas was there to receive, and the Costa Rican’s downward header was cleared off the line to the relief of the home support when it seemed easier to score. Dundee however took the lead in sixty-five. Clark took a free-kick just outside the Hearts penalty area to Rwoles. The centre-half passed to Denholm who mishit his pass under a challenge from Bakayoko. The ball ran to Luke McCowan thirty yards from goal and he curled a shot into he term corner of the goal as Clark tried to rush back into his goal. to be honest the game was over then and despite Hearts having most of the possession they were unable to create many further chances. In injury time Kent had a chance but his attempt was blocked as were two further follow-up attempts. 

After the final whistle I walked down Tannadice Street and caught a bus into he town centre. I walked from Wellgate to the bus station and managed to catch the 17.20 bus back to Edinburgh rather than the 18.30 bus I was booked on. I got back to Edinburgh around 19.00 an walked home from the west end arriving home around 19.15 after what was an appalling match with both sides being awful. 

Teams

Dundee: Carson, Kerr, Beck, Shaugnessy, McGhee, Tiffoney, Bakayoko, McCowan, Robinson, Robertson, Boateng

Subs: Cameron, Sylla

 

Hearts: Clark, Kent, Kingsley, Shankland, Oda, Rowles, Sibbick, Denholm, Offiah , Lowry, Vargas.

Subs: Grant, Boyce, Atkinson, Devlin, Tagawa