Hearts Hold Aberdeen in Dramatic Tynecastle Clash
A resilient Hearts side fought their way to a 1-1 draw against Aberdeen, extending the Dons’ winless streak at Tynecastle to seven years. Despite contrasting domestic campaigns, some Aberdeen fans travelled to Edinburgh without high hopes – a sentiment that proved justified as their Tynecastle hoodoo continued. Early Drama and Dons Breakthrough Hearts began the match with purpose, dominating early exchanges and energising the home crowd. However, the atmosphere quickly soured as injuries to Stephen Kingsley and Frankie Kent disrupted the defensive line. With the makeshift back four unsettled, Aberdeen struck. Leighton Clarkson latched onto Shayden Morris’ cross, volleying it past Craig Gordon to give the visitors the lead, much to the delight of the away fans. Hearts Fight Back Facing increased pressure after Hibernian’s emphatic win over Motherwell the day before, Hearts showed determination. Musa Drammeh, making his first start for the club, made a pivotal impact. Blair Spittal’s cross found Drammeh, whose header deflected off Nicky Devlin and into the net. The goal lifted the Tynecastle faithful and set up a tense finale. A Tale of Missed Opportunities Aberdeen had chances to reclaim the lead, with Clarkson nearly doubling his tally before half-time, only to be denied by a superb save from Gordon. The second half saw Hearts’ Jorge Grant twice come close to sealing victory. First, his goal-bound effort was heroically blocked by Devlin, and later, his volley was spectacularly saved by substitute keeper Ross Doohan. Controversy and Defensive Struggles VAR took centre stage when Jack Milne’s reckless challenge on Beni Baningime escaped punishment, leaving Hearts fans furious. Aberdeen, fielding a backline that had never played together, showed signs of vulnerability but managed to hold firm. Jimmy Thelin’s decision to rotate heavily during this congested period brought mixed results, with the Dons lacking their usual cohesion. Manager Reactions Hearts boss Neil Critchley praised his side’s spirit despite the setbacks: “We started well, but the injuries disrupted us. To respond with hunger, passion, and desire after going behind shows the character of this team. A point was the least we deserved.” Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin focused on the positives: “The fight was there, and the players worked for each other. We need to find our rhythm again, but I’m confident in this group’s quality.” What’s Next? The result leaves Aberdeen four points behind league leaders Celtic, with questions lingering over their ability to sustain a title challenge. Hearts, meanwhile, remain at the foot of the table, two points adrift of Hibernian. With fixtures piling up and defensive injuries mounting, Neil Critchley faces a daunting task in steering his side to safety. For all the endeavour and drama, both teams will likely feel this was a missed opportunity. Tynecastle, however, remains a fortress that Aberdeen just can’t seem to conquer. Attendance: 18, 810 Line-ups: Hearts: C. Gordon, S. Kingsley (C.Halkett 30′), K. Rowles, F. Kent (A. Forrester 35′), D. Oyegoke, B. Banigime, C. Devlin, A. Forrest (J. Grant 80′), B. Spittal, M. Drammeh (K. Vargas 80′), L. Shankland Subsitutes: M. Boateng, L. Boyce, Z. Clark, Y. Dhanda, A. Forrester, J. Grant, C. Halkett, K. Vargas, J. Wilson Aberdeen: D. Mitov (R. Doohan 46′), J. McGarry (J. Milne 59′), G. Molloy, A. MacDonald, N. Devlin, S. Heltne Nilsen, A. Palaversa (G. Shinnie 59′), J. McGrath, L. Clarkson, S. Morris (T. Keskinen 80′), E. Sokler (Duk 75′) Substitutes: V. Besuijen, R. Doohan, Duk, T. Keskinen, J. Milne, K. Nisbet, D. Polvara, S. Rubezic, G. Shinnie Referee: Kevin Clancy
Dundee United: The Jackie McNamara Years
A New Era January 2013 spelled the end for silver kissing Dundee United manager, Peter Houston, and his successful time with the Tannadice club. Following a 1-1 draw with Ross County, the club in which he lifted his only major trophy as a manger against in 2010, his time with the Terrors was over. Then Partick Thistle manager, Jackie McNamara, left his role in the Firhill dugout to take the reigns at Dundee United, and what followed was the most exciting 2 and ½ years the United faithful have seen since the Jim Mclean years. Nowadays, a home Scottish Cup clash with Rangers wouldn’t be top of any managers list for the first match in their new dugout, but back in February 2013, Jackie McNamara wouldn’t have dreamed for a better first test. Still revelling from their liquidation the previous year, 3rd Division Rangers were a far cry from their former selves. A relatively strong United side were expected to brush aside the Ibrox club and it only took 13 seconds for the Terrors to go ahead through Johnny Russell. A subsequent 3-0 win and an exhilarating attacking performance gave McNamara the perfect start. The following 3 months saw United fail to maintain any sort of momentum and struggled to put a run of wins together. However, in what is arguably the most underrated moment in McNamara’s tenure, United managed to secure top 6 in the final minutes of matchday 33 against Aberdeen. An unlikely hero emerged from the Tayside shadows that day in Rory Boulding, and for anyone that was there, they will remember it feeling like an eternity before he got the ball out of his feet to slot it past Jamie Langfield. It was to be the first of 3 top 6 finishes for McNamara. A thrilling 4-3 defeat against Neil Lennons Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final meant top 6 is all it would be for United in 2013. Out with the old, in with the young The Dundee United side of 2013/14 is sometimes remembered as a group of baby-faced teenagers whose IDs would always require a second look from bouncers at Fat Sams. To be honest, this isn’t a million miles from the truth. Out with Sean Dillon, Marc Wilson, and John Rankin, there wasn’t a whole lot of Scottish topflight experience at Tannadice. Experienced players in Jon Daly, Johnny Russell, Barry Douglas, and Willo Flood all departed the club, with McNamara putting his faith in younger talents. Barry Douglas was perhaps the hardest of the lot to replace but I think his replacement done alright for himself. United huffed and puffed in the early part of the season, with a 4-0 win over St Johnstone being the highlight. However, there were some positive signs. Following a narrow defeat at Pittodrie, United’s spark that had been threatening to catch fire, finally exploded into life. United won 6 of the next 7 league fixtures, scoring 4 goals on 5 separate occasions. Defences had absolutely no answer to the fearless, free flowing Dundee United attack. It looked as though this electric, mystifying cocktail of youthful tangerine footballers were about the score at will every week. United then failed to win their next 7 SPL fixtures. However, a run of 8 wins in 9 followed, including a 5-0 away win against Inverness in the Scottish Cup quarter final. Jackie McNamara, who himself was a rookie in managerial terms, struggled to get any sort of consistency out of his young group of players. Despite scoring the 2nd most amount of league goals in the 2013/14 season, United’s leaky defence was a recuring issue. The obvious talents of John Souttar and Andy Robertson was clear for all to see but it was too easy for teams to pernitrate the tangerine defence. McNamara’s men did not keep a single clean sheet in the league from Boxing Day until the end of the season. Despite the leaky defence and inconsistent league results, the fans fell in love with this team. It was a concoction of exhilarating attacking football and a fearlessness that only the youth possess. It meant that, even when United lost, which happened plenty during 2013/14, the fans were still entertained. They couldn’t wait and come back next week to watch the show. You can’t win anything with kids Dundee United’s inconsistency in the league was quickly forgotten about in April 2013 as they found themselves in a Scottish Cup semi-final at a neutral Ibrox, against home side Rangers. 30,000 Rangers fans found themselves on the end of a tangerine takeover both on and off the park at their own turf. Despite a lacklustre performance against League 1 Rangers, McNamara’s side were just too much for Rangers to handle, winning 3-1. The match is most famously remembered for Nadir Ciftci’s early celebration before he had even put the ball in the back of the net. United were in the final; their first since 2010. It’s impossible to talk about Dundee United’s 2013/14 season without mentioning St Johnstone. The Saints beat United 3 times in the league, keeping a clean sheet in all of those victories. This was an impressive stat against this United attack. So, when Stevie May scored the late winner against Aberdeen the day after United progressed to the final, not many at Tannadice were too overjoyed about the prospect of facing them again. A New Firm derby is what most Arabs wanted; it would’ve been a spectacle; a 50/50 final. But final against a dogged Tommy Wright team? No thanks. As a 13-year-old boy at Parkhead surrounded by 27,000 fellow Arabs, the atmosphere at the 2014 Scottish Cup final could not have been more sombre. It was as though the defeat was inevitable. There was no way the Scottish Cup was coming back to Tannadice that day. It was impossible. Every football fan knows that feeling. It’s an unexplainable feeling of an imminent defeat and there’s no chance the football gods are letting you win