Hearts 3
Dundee Utd 2
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

It is five years since we last won at Tynecastle and after giving Hearts three goals of a start we almost grabbed a point. Our generosity began as early as the sixth minute when Walter Kidd's swerving cross cum shot slipped through keeper Alan Main's hands and sneaked into the net at the near post. It was the first goal that Alan had conceded in six games, but he didn't allow the errors to upset him. In the 19th minute he brilliantly tipped a Sandison shot from the edge of the box round the post. Crabbe then carved out a scoring chance but fortunately Robertson hit fresh air when trying to convert Crabbe's cut-back. Our best opportunity of the half was as the result of an error by Levein. Paddy Connolly blocked his clearance upfield and latched on to the rebound, but his chip, through beating Smith floated wide of the near post. Hearts retaliated almost immediately with substitute Gary Mackay clipping the top of the bar with a dipping 30 yard shot. Alan Main then pulled off his second miraculous save of the half . Somehow he turned Crabbe's shot over the bar when a goal seemed inevitable. However even Alan had to admit defeat in the 39th minute. Colquhoun's cross landed at the feet of Scott Crabbe who hammered the ball high into the roof of the net.

We opened the second half with Maurice Malpas firing in a shot which Smith saved. Hearts to a certain extend had sat on their laurels and when John Robertson scored from the spot after Crabbe had been brought down, it was their first shot on goal after the break. Three minutes later Levein was short with his back header and Paddy Connolly stole in, rounded Smith and slipped the ball into the empty net. Freddy Van Der Hoorn then failed to find a way through the Hearts defence when he found himself in front of goal. However, we did pull another goal back with nine minutes left when John O'Neill was brought down by McKinlay and Mixu Paatelainen knocked in the resultant penalty. Despite that rally we were unable to grab an equaliser and so our dismal record at Tynecastle continued.