THE BOBBLE HAS BURST
Champions lose their sparkle on a bumpy pitch
ROBBIE NEILSON admitted last night’s dreary draw at Cappielow was one to forget as the Jambos trudged their way towards the top flight.
The champions were clapped on to the park but the Hearts gaffer wasn’t giving the surface a round of applause afterwards as he bemoaned its bobbly and bumpy nature that saw a few of his players caught out.
The Tynecastle men seem desperate to put their season in the Championship in the rear view as a dogged Morton continue to fight and scrap to keep it in their sights.
Either way, it wasn’t a classic and possibly one of the few exceptions fans can be grateful for missing out on live.
Neilson said: “It’ll be a struggle to sit through the highlights of that one. It was a difficult surface to play football on. Every time you passed the ball just bobbled all over the place.
“It was difficult to get any real quality and we knew that coming down here.
“But we have Inverness at Tynecastle and then Dundee so they will be two good surfaces.
“We have already won the league and Morton are fighting for their lives.”
Attention now turns to Saturday on what is supposed to trophy day against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Fans want the Gorgie boys to “leave it on the stand” in protest at being sent to the second tier in the first place almost a year ago and Neilson is happy to leave the call entirely up to his squad who are set to discuss it amongst themselves before the Highlanders’ visit.
He said: “I keep getting asked about it and I’ll keep giving the same answer. The players have done the hard yards so it will be up to them. “
It was so nearly the perfect start for Morton when Brian Mclean beat Shay Logan in the air to win a flick on and Kalvin
Orsi was so unlucky to see his volley rattle the post in the first minute A clever run in behind by Aaron McEneff gave Hearts their first sight of goal but the midfielder got way too much on his volley and it flew over Aidan McAdam’s cross bar.
Mclean then had a snapshot from inside the box through a ruck of bodies but it was straight into Craig Gordon’s hands.
The Scotland keeper enjoyed some good luck when Armand Gnanduillet’s clearance smacked off a Ton player right into Gordon’s grateful hands.
Hearts started brighter after the break and were close to the lead when Andy Halliday’s cut back was met by Henderson.
Markus Fjortjoft cleared off the line and McAdam kept out Armand Gnanduillet’s rebound.
From the resulting corner, Peter Haring headed goalward but McAdam turned it round a post.
There was a severe lack of chances from then until the closing stages with the cloest coming when Gnanduillet’s low shot was deflected up and over the bar.