Dons grab advantage in race for second place
Mcinnes’ men score first win over Hearts this season as capital side succumb barely a whimper
Aberdeen seized the initiative in the battle for second place in the Scottish Premiership last night with a routine victory over listless Hearts.
First-half goals by Anthony O’connor and Gary Mackaysteven proved enough to take Derek Mcinnes’ team three points clear of Rangers, who visit Celtic tomorrow, and six clear of in-form Hibs, who visit Pittodrie next weekend. For sixth-placed Hearts, it was an eighth away game in succession without victory. Summer can’t come quickly enough for Craig Levein’s team.
Aberdeen manager Derek Mcinnes made three changes to the side that won at Kilmarnock last weekend, with Mark Reynolds, Greg Stewart and Ryan Christie making way for Niall Mcginn, Mackay-steven and Sam Cosgrove.
Hearts made two changes to the team that had performed meekly in defeat at Ibrox last Sunday as teenage pair Lewis Moore and Euan Henderson replaced Marcus Godinho and Danny Amankwaa.
The Dons, seeking their first win over Hearts this season after failing to score in the three previous meetings, were first to threaten when Graeme Shinnie, playing at left-back instead of in his usual central-midfield berth, saw a powerful strike from 25 yards out beaten away by Jon Mclaughlin, pictured, in the fourth minute.
With most of the game played in the midfield area and neither side able to generate any rhythm, it was notable that O’connor, who had criticised the Aberdeen support on social media following the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Motherwell a fortnight ago, was being jeered by a section of the home crowd whenever he touched the ball.
The Irishman soon put an end to this sense of mild awkwardness with a match altering intervention in the 21st minute. Mcginn swung over a corner from the right, Cosgrove headed it down and O’connor pounced to fire past Mclaughlin from six yards out.
The goal served to knock the stuffing out of Hearts, and the hosts almost doubled their lead two minutes later when Cosgrove’s header from a Stevie May free kick was well saved by Mclaughlin. Another dangerous setpiece delivery by May on the half hour caused more problems in the visitors’ penalty area, but Shay Logan was unable to get enough on his backpost header to direct it on target.
Hearts, who had taken Aberdeen apart at Tynecastle only three weeks earlier, were again afflicted by the travel sickness that has plagued their season, Levein’s team unable to impose themselves and chronically lacking a threat in the final third.
For the 460 supporters who journeyed north, grim away performances such as this have become painfully familiar. Given their renowned difficulty whenever they venture outside Gorgie, nobody of a Hearts persuasion would have fancied them to get back into the game after Mackaysteven ran on to a through ball from Kenny Mclean and calmly slotted Aberdeen’s second goal beyond the exposed Mclaughlin from just inside the box in the 36th minute.
Thereafter the hosts were able to manage the game in an effective manner and rarely looked like letting the limp visitors back into it. Mackaysteven fizzed a powerful longrange shot just past early in the second half, a Cosgrove header was tipped away by M cl a ugh lin and dominic ball rasped a shot just over as the Dons hunted a third.
Long before the end, the Hearts fans were mocking their own team with disparaging songs. They were almost given some reason for hope in the 78th minute when Kyle Lafferty fired just wide from a Michael Smith cutback in their first clear chance of the night. The same player then fired a half volley well wide after getting in behind.
Substitute Adam Rooney’s late header was pushed away by Mclaughlin, but it mattered little as Aberdeen climbed back into second place with three matches to play and optimism tentatively restored following their recent Scottish Cup disappointment.