Neilson’s joy as Watt gets off the mark
TONY WATT’S sights have been lowered on European draw week these last three years. Yet as memories of Celtic-Barcelona games are stirred by the onset of another two clashes, Watt celebrated his winner and first strike for Hearts with all the elation of a goal against the Champions League’s finest.
All that had been missing from Watt’s embryonic Hearts career was a goal, according to manager Robbie Neilson. At Firhill, the 22-year-old duly obliged, augmenting another hard-grafting performance by settling an absorbing contest in injury time.
The goal was as much a nightmare for goalkeeper Tomas Cerny as it was dream stuff for Watt. The Czech keeper was cleaned out by two of his own defenders as he boldly came to punch a cross from Don Cowie. A Thistle clearance then came spinning off Perry Kitchen’s chest to fall kindly for Watt.
The striker, from the right side of the area, drilled home through the hands of Cerny with the aid of a slight deflection.
‘That was the reason I kept him on,’ said Neilson, whose side followed up their destruction of Inverness by edging this tough away test. ‘A player of that calibre, you keep him on the pitch to try and get you something.
‘The movement, the take and the hit for the goal — top drawer. We were desperate for him to get a goal and you saw his quality out there.’
If that has given Hearts a hint of the prowess of their new striker and the promise of more goals to come, one homegrown asset is likely to have said his farewells with his contribution to the result. Callum Paterson’s 16th-minute header from a corner will be his last for the club if Wigan Athletic make their third bid for the Scotland defender one that meets the Tynecastle board’s valuation.
A fee of around £1 million would be persuasive and see Paterson depart before the transfer deadline and during international week. There was an air of acceptance in Neilson and skipper Don Cowie discussing the issue last night.
‘If that is it, then it’s a great way for him to go out,’ said Cowie, a former Wigan player. ‘I’ve played with Callum for six months and he’s an outstanding talent.
‘There’s no surprise to me that there’s a lot of interest in him. If it’s not this transfer window, then it’s only a matter of time before he leaves.
‘He’s destined for big things. He’s in the Scotland squad again, so that shows where he’s at right now. We’re delighted to have him in the team and, hopefully, come September 1 we’ve still got him. If not, we have Liam Smith who can step in. He has great potential, too, a ready-made replacement for him.’
Defeat was harsh on the hosts. Neilson could have had few complaints had Thistle edged this enjoyable end-to-end encounter. Last year, Hearts won by an aggregate of 7-0 in three meetings. This season, Thistle will be pressing to sneak up and join them in the top six for a fourth fixture.
The boundless drive of Chris Erskine was a constant menace to a Hearts back line that had two strikers pressed up against them in Kris Doolan and Ade Azeez for the bulk of the game.
That duo paired up from the start for the first time and Alan Archibald might fancy giving visitors to the west end of Glasgow more of the same.
However, he will wish for more clinical finishing from the chances created and was last night left to rue soft defending for Paterson’s opener.
Liam Lindsay is a work in progress but surely his height alone should have been sufficient to look after Paterson homing in on Sam Nicholson’s floated corner. Instead, the more experienced Hearts man’s run and jump caught out Lindsay.
‘We have got to get closer to Paterson,’ complained Archibald. ‘I thought Liam was picking him up. He’s our best header of the ball but he’s got to get tight to him. He made up for it with a good header for the equaliser, though.’
That arrived on 55 minutes, Lindsay nodding home off the underside of the crossbar from an Erskine corner. Jamie Walker, on in a double substitution with Bjorn Johnsen, was then denied by Cerny. Johnsen drew his best chance high and wide.
It was Hearts who enjoyed the late break of play to plunder those points and profit from having Watt’s class.
Yet, Thistle can look forward to moving up the division despite backto-back defeats to Aberdeen and last season’s third-placed team. PARTICK TH (4-4-2): Cerny; Gordon, Devine, Lindsay, Booth; Erskine, Osman, Edwards, Lawless; Doolan (Pogba 77), Azeez (Amoo 69). Subs (not used): Scully, Elliott, Wilson, McDaid, Syme. Booked: Edwards, Osman. HEARTS (4-4-2): Hamilton; Paterson, Souttar, Rossi, Rherras; Djoum, Cowie, Kitchen, Nicholson (Walker 58); Watt (Smith 90), Sammon (Johnsen 58). Subs (not used): Noring, Ozturk, Buaben, Muirhead. Booked: None. Referee: Willie Collum. Attendance: 4,919.