Switch turns jeers to cheers for Jambos
HEARTS’ boss Robbie Neilson made an unpopular decision that paid off – and then praised the players who put graft before glory.
Neilson has never been a man to look for adulation from the supporters.
He was an uncompromising grafter as a player and is just as single-minded in the dug-out.
His call to replace Tony Watt with Robbie Muirhead not long after the break was met with jeers by the home fans.
Neilson, however, had spotted an area to exploit on the right-side of the Dundee defence.
Tom Hateley had been rampaging forward for much of the match but hadn’t been severely tested defensively.
Muirhead was deployed on the wing, forcing the visitors to bring an extra man back– the move eventually led to Hateley’s substitution.
It was Muirhead’s delightfully floated free kick that Callum Patterson powered home with his head to break the deadlock.
The Hearts manager was able to smile when asked about the fans’ unhappiness at his substitution.
He said: “You have to make decisions. I felt we lost a foothold in the game.
“We needed more balance with the way Dundee were playing and, thankfully, it worked.
“Robbie Muirhead came on and gave us the energy balance to get the result.
“If I make the decision and we end up getting beaten 2-0 then I would have had to take the flak.”
Another substitute, Bjorn Johnsen, got his first goal in maroon shirt when he prodded home a Walker cross from close range.
Neilson handed much of the credit to his tireless workers.
He went on: “Conor Sammon, Tony Watt, Arnaud Djoum and Don Cowie do all the hard work to tire out the opposition and then you bring the subs on and they steal the glory.”
Hitting the net was a boost for Callum Paterson after a tough week away with the Scotland squad.
He said: “I think I scored 11 times when I played up front in my second season.
“Beating that has to be a realistic target now that I’ve got five and we’re not even halfway through the season.”
Dundee’s ongoing problem is scoring goals – they have only eight in the league – but they came agonisingly close before their hosts went ahead.
They hit the woodwork four times.
Hateley shaved the bar with a free-kick and a shot, a Gadzhalov header crashed back off the same place and Teijsse hit the post twice.
Mark O’Hara had a glorious chance near the end but headed wide from a corner when he should have hit the target.
Things would look a lot brighter for Paul Hartley’s men if they could be more precise with their finishing.
The Dens Park manager refused to be downhearted by seeing his team slump to the bottom of the Premiership.
They haven’t won since the opening day of the season against Ross County.
He said: “We’ve been struggling in terms of creating chances recently but couldn’t do any more this time apart from put the ball in the net. “I felt it was a really terrific performance. “We were up against a really strong team and hit the woodwork four times. It shows were doing something right.
“We won’t want to be where we are in the table, but if the players keep performing like that things will turn around.”