Hearts grinding towards the title
AS charges towards the finishing line go, this is not quite football’s equivalent of Best Mate galloping to a third Gold Cup. More like a tortoise working his way ever closer to a bit of decomposing cabbage.
Hearts are getting there. Slowly. Often painfully. On this occasion, looking like they might collapse into a heap on the final stretch after getting into a good position.
How they will fare in the Premiership with a squad of players that looks far better on paper than on grass is a different conversation, but at least this victory was an improvement of sorts on a recent run of three straight draws and puts them 15 points clear at the top.
Goals from Andy Halliday and Armand Gnanduillet built up a deserved advantage before a serious wobble allowed ex-Hibs striker Jason Cummings to score from the spot.
Hearts would probably have won by more were it not for the woodwork and the most atrocious of misses from Gary MackaySteven. But their inherent frailty was exposed badly towards the end with them hanging on by their fingernails and requiring captain Craig Gordon to pull off a number of crucial saves before seeing Cummings squander a great chance at the death.
To add to a chaotic conclusion, substitute Peter Haring was sent off just minutes after coming on for a needless foul on Declan McDaid in time added-on, sparking angry words between rival managers Robbie Neilson and James McPake.
‘I’ve seen it back, but it was from a hard angle,’ said Dundee boss McPake afterwards. ‘Robbie was already shouting it will be rescinded, so he can clearly see into the future, which is fine. Clearly, it wasn’t a sending-off.
‘When we got the goal back, it looked like there was only one team going to score and I think they have their goalkeeper to thank for giving them all three points.’
For all the chances the match delivered in the end, we were halfway through the first 45 before anything remotely threatening with Halliday putting in a crosscum-shot from out left that smacked off the outside of the far upright.
Liam Boyce could then have won a penalty when Liam Fontaine appeared to handle before Lee Ashcroft denied Gnanduillet on the goal-line after he had attempted to get on the end of a drilled ball in from Michael Smith.
Halliday got the opener moments later when heading home from close-range after connecting with a good cross from Gnanduillet.
With three minutes left of the first half, though, Dundee offered a warning. A clearance from Mihai Popescu made its way to Paul McGowan and his hitch-kicked effort crashed off the bar. Paul McMullan moved onto the rebound and headed wide.
Mackay-Steven missed an even bigger sitter eight minutes after the break when being set up seven yards from an open goal by Gnanduillet — and somehow scuffing the ball into Dundee goalkeeper Jack Hamilton’s hands.
Boyce then smacked the bar before Gnanduillet finally gave Hearts breathing space. He moved onto a fine diagonal pass from Mackay-Steven and, after seeing his first shot saved by Hamilton, flicked in the rebound.
Hearts should have closed the game out from there, but they clearly aren’t capable. Popescu scythed down Cummings to give away a clear penalty and the striker got up to send Gordon the wrong way from the spot.
From there, anything could have happened. Former Tynecastle forward Osman Sow came on for
Dundee and headed wide before having an effort smothered at his feet by Gordon and it required some fine work from the Scotland goalkeeper to keep the visitors out six minutes from the end.
First of all, he got down low to save from Sow and recovered in time to be in the right place again for sub Jonathan Afolabi’s shot.
Cummings did have another clear sight of goal at the end, though, when putting a header wide from close range after being picked out by Jordan Marshall.
‘If you don’t score when you are dominant, it is always going to be like that,’ said Neilson. ‘You give away the penalty and start getting a bit edgy, which is understandable when you are going for a title.
‘I thought (Haring’s sending-off) was a yellow right away. We’ll make a decision on whether we appeal.’