WATT YOU ON ABOUT?
Neilson’s brave call to take off Tony proves Hearts fans wrong
Robbie Neilson proved the Tynecastle boo-boys wrong when his unpopular substitution broke the stalemate for a frustrated Hearts.
The Jambos were struggling to break down a well-organised Dundee side who hit the woodwork four times as they started to earn a foothold in this game. So when Neilson hooked fans’ favourite Tony Watt to pitch 20- year- old Robbie Muirhead into the fray, the flak poured down from the stands. Fortunately for Neilson his switch proved a masterstroke as Muirhead set up Callum Paterson’s opener to put the home side in the driving seat with a 68th-minute header. Another sub, Bjorn Johnsen, then repaid his manager’s faith by notching his first goal for the club in the 89th minute to propel Hearts back into third while also silencing Neilson’s critics. The gaffer said: “You have to make decisions. We lost a foothold with the way things were going. “Robbie came on and gave us energy and balance to get the result. “Everyone has their opinions and you have to accept it, that’s football. But I’m the one who has to make decisions and stand by them.” Hearts threw plenty at their guests in the first half and Paterson was giving his all, bursting his way beyond Danny Williams to test keeper Scott Bain. Dundee struggled to force their way out of their own half. But when they did, Yordi Teijsse forced Alim Ozturk to concede a rash foul on the edge of the box which earned the Jambos defender a booking before Tom Hateley cracked a free crack at goal which dipped on to the top of the bar.
Just before the break Dundee keeper Bain came to his side’s rescue in a frantic two-minute spell.
Sprawling to his left to claw Arnaud Djoum’s low piledriver around the post limited the damage to a corner that Paterson rose to meet to force Bain to produce another excellent save.
Hearts’ failure to take their chances was nearly punished five minutes into the second half when Faissal El Bakhtaoui’s low stinger was turned out for a corner by Jack Hamilton. Then from the set-piece Kostadin Gadzhalov rose to bullet a header off the bar.
Hearts had lost their momentum, prompting Neilson to make his big change to a chorus of boos which would only intensify as Dundee hit the woodwork another two times in the space of six minutes with Teijsse rattling both uprights.
Unlucky at one end, fortunate at the other as Gadzhalov’s miscued clearance came spinning off his right boot and hit his hand – but ref Kevin Clancy showed mercy. However, in 68 minutes the breakthrough came as Paul McGowan’s booking for a foul on Igor Rossi handed the home side a free-kick which was delivered by Muirhead on a silver platter for Paterson to nod home.
Four minutes from time Dundee’s Mark O’Hara put a free header wide and Johnsen then sealed it from Jamie Walker’s cutback.