Sunday Mail (UK)

It could be Doon and out now for Robbie

Queens pile on the misery

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Hearts...............................2 QOS.................................. 3

Robbie Neilson is holding on to his job by his finger nails after fans called for his head BEFORE his Hearts side flopped to another defeat.

Furious fans protested outside Tynecastle before kick-off following the humiliatin­g Scottish Cup defeat by Brora Rangers on Tuesday.

Defeat to Queens yesterday – and the manner of it – only cranked up the heat on Neilson, despite Hearts being 13 points clear at the top of the Championsh­ip with just five games to go.

Andy hopes that Neilson’s side would

Ross Pilcher

bounce back in style from what many described as the worst result in Hearts history, were shattered after just 90 seconds when Mihai Popescu gifted Connor Shields the first of his double.

Popescu and Armand Gnanduille­t looked to have partly spared Hearts’ blushes by drawing them level, only for Andy Irving’s late own goal to leave Neilson on the brink. The Tynecastle gaffer said: “I’m hugely disappoint­ed. We spoke about getting a reaction to Tuesday and after a minute we make an individual error and we’re a goal down. Then we lose another poor goal.

“To the players’ credit they fought back but when we’re trying to win the game we lose another goal because of another individual error.”

Neilson insists he feels the fans’ pain. He said: “We understand their frustratio­n as there’s nobody more frustrated than me after Tuesday and again today.”

They will have to cut out blunders like

when Popescu, under no pressure, gave the ball straight to Shields who gratefully shot past Ross Stewart.

The Doonhamers striker then beat the offside trap and brilliantl­y chipped keeper

Stewart for his and Queens’ second. Popescu partly made amends when he headed past keeper Rohan Ferguson.

Gnanduille­t swept home sub Euan Henderson’s cross to level after the break, only for Irving to turn a harmless Shields cross into his own net. Gnanduille­t thought he had levelled in stoppage time but the linesman ruled the ball had gone out before Jamie Walker crossed for the striker to head home, much to the annoyance of Neilson (left). He said: “I’ve watched it again and he can’t see it so he’s just guessed. Jamie was adamant it was still in and I’ve seen the video and it was.”

 ??  ?? NOT SO ANDY Irving can’t believe it (top) after turning ball into his own net
NOT SO ANDY Irving can’t believe it (top) after turning ball into his own net
 ??  ?? DOON ‘N GLOOM Armand levels, right, then Queens party y
DOON ‘N GLOOM Armand levels, right, then Queens party y

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