Neil’s not kiddin’ as Hearts babes shine
Dens boss lays into his flops
CRAIG LEVEIN decided Christmas really is all about the kids as Hearts recorded successive league wins for only the second time this season.
The Jambos cemented their place in the top six and dumped Dundee back into the relegation zone with a hard-fought win at Tynecastle.
Goals in each half from Esmael Goncalves and Christophe Berra handed the Jambos revenge after their 2-1 defeat at Dens Park earlier in the campaign.
Teenager Anthony McDonald had a role in each goal on a fine debut and he was joined in the midfield for most of the match by another 16-year-old, Harry Cochrane.
They teamed up in the middle of the park with Lewis Moore, still just 19, and such was the youthful outlook of the Jambos at this festive period it would have come as no surprise had they hauled Macaulay Culkin off the bench for a game while his folks were out of town.
Dundee didn’t begin to look lively until the second half but Jambos keeper Jon McLaughlin wasn’t asked to make a save as they dropped to 11th in the table on the back of this defeat and Friday night’s loss against Aberdeen.
McDonald, who became the ninth youngest debutant in the club’s history just behind Gary Mackay, is a left-footer the Jambos like to play on the right.
And the youngster might have enjoyed a moment to remember after only 10 minutes.
McDonald broke forward and was screaming to be played in on the right by Arnaud Djoum but the midfielder elected to go it alone and shot well over from 22 yards.
It was a rare opportunity in the early stages of a game, played in awful conditions, in which Hearts controlled the bulk of possession without hugely troubling the Dundee defence.
Connor Randall broke forward from his full-back berth for the Jambos after 17 minutes but his effort also flew over the top as both sets of fans burrowed deeper into their chairs against the chilling wind and driving rain.
Striker Cole Stockton, still without a goal for Hearts following his summer switch from Tranmere, was on the end of a decent chance midway through the first half.
He was picked out in the box by Prince Buaben and rolled marker Kerr Waddell but keeper Elliott Parish stuck out his right foot to divert his low shot for a corner.
But Hearts grabbed the lead their possession play deserved on the half hour – and kid McDonald would have been well pleased with his role in the opener. He seized on a slack pass in the middle of the park by Paul McGowan and drove at the Dundee defence, clipping a pass over Waddell for Goncalves to use his strength to knock a low shot into the corner of the net from 12 yards.
Hearts suffered a blow after a rattling 50-50 in midfield between Djoum and Mark O’Hara and the Cameroon star limped off for the fourth match in a row, replaced by another Gorgie kid, Cochrane.
Sadly, the action was proving as underwhelming as a pair of socks for Christmas.
Dundee were a little more lively as the interval approached without ever troubling Jambos keeper McLaughlin – although Sofien Moussa fluffed an effort from six yards on the stroke of half-time.
A change of shape brought a change in energy and tempo for Dundee at the start of the second half as they took off Jack Hendry and replaced him with Cammy Kerr in a flat back four. Scott Allan began to grow more influential in the middle of the park and Roarie Deacon was unlucky not to equalise two minutes after the restart but his low shot fluttered the side net.
Hearts were forced on to the back foot for the first time but still looked dangerous on the counter.
Stockton found the net in the 53rd minute off a pass from the right wing by Randall – but he had strayed a yard offside.
Hearts missed a glorious chance to put the game out of sight midway through the second half when Ross Callachan, who had been on the pitch only a couple of minutes, shot straight at Parish when sent racing clear of goal
by Stockton. The game swung back and forth, without ever really gripping Tynecastle with great excitement, before Hearts finally put it to bed 13 minutes from time.
McDonald was involved again, swinging over a corner from the left the visitors failed abysmally to clear as the ball looped into the air and dropped to Berra at the back post.
He was standing in splendid isolation and took a moment to regain his composure after his initial surprise as he worked the ball from chest to feet and buried his effort behind Parish from an acute angle.