Delighted that even ahead of the game we had a chance to go seven points clear – McInnes

Following their stalemate against Motherwell, Derek McInnes called for “perspective” on his side’s positive start to the Scottish Premiership season. Speaking with the media at full-time, the Hearts boss remains content with their opening fourteen league matches. “Delighted, even ahead of the game, we had a chance to go seven points clear, even saying that as a Hearts manager, that nearly into December, a chance to go seven points clear, there has to be some sort of perspective.” “These boys are human. They work hard to care for the club, to try and get results. So there’s no real criticism for me. There are certain things I thought we could have done better today, and there’s a bit of frustration towards that, but we’re doing a lot right, we’ve got a good thing going here at the club.” “It’s important we try and win a game of football on Wednesday. If we can do that, then we get into next weekend’s game in a decent place and a good position.” The manager revealed that he had urged his side to carry more “belief” after a goalless first period. “I thought we had some good moments (in the second half). We pressed well. I thought that in the first half, we tried to fill the midfield. We were really strong with our work. I thought we tried to stop Motherwell getting any sort of rhythm. The keepers didn’t really have a lot to do. I know that the goal was chopped off, but rightly, it was offside.” “I thought we were really good when we did switch to play and moved the ball that but quicker and strikers linked to play, I thought we arrived outside the box with a good few opportunities, and we weren’t on point enough with that.” Hearts remain top of the Scottish Premiership, the 0-0 draw moves them five points clear of Celtic, who have two games in hand. “I thought we’re good enough for a point. I don’t think we’re good enough to get three points, and that’s disappointing. It’s the last couple of games now where we’re an attacking threat, which has loads of plaudits, loads of praise, and rightly so, both individually and as a team” “I think in that sense, a point on the road at Motherwell in isolation, a clean sheet isn’t the worst result as long as you win your home games. But in the context of not winning at Aberdeen, drawing against Dundee United, I think it just feels a bit more disappointment as a consequence.” Hearts are still without central player Beni Baningime, who has missed three consecutive games with a hamstring injury. The Hearts manager referenced the “control” that the midfielder brings. “He can pass, as we know. He looks after the ball. He is very defensive-minded as well. He can snuff out attacks. So you get a bit of both as a central midfield player. You get good ball retention, good experience. Can play in tight areas and protect the back lot.” The Tynecastle outfit return to league action on Wednesday against Kilmarnock, before a top of the table clash with Celtic the following Sunday.

Dundee 3-1 St Mirren: Dundee claim vital win over St Mirren

Dundee ran out 3-1 winners over St Mirren on Saturday afternoon to end a run of four defeats in the Scottish Premiership. An own goal from Alex Gogic and goals from Drey Wright and Joe Westley gave Dundee a much-needed victory and lifted them up to ninth in the Premiership table. It was the visitors, St Mirren, who started the brighter of the two sides and looked a constant threat from set pieces in the early stages. They began to create a few half chances inside the Dundee box; however, Luke Graham did well defensively to clear any danger. Dundee’s first chance of the match came on the 15th minute mark when Drey Wright’s delivery into the box was met by Joe Westley; however, the Dundee winger was unable to get a proper connection onto the ball to trouble Shamal George, as he comfortably collected. Following this, St Mirren carved out two chances of their own in quick succession. The first coming when Marcus Fraser looked destined to head beyond Dundee goalkeeper Jon McCracken until a Dundee body got back in time to clear the ball over the bar. The second coming when Conor McMenamin whipped a powerful ball across the face of the goal for Dan Nlundulu, whose effort sailed narrowly wide of goal. St Mirren had the lead on the 25th minute. Slack passing from Dundee defender Clark Robertson within his own half allowed Mikael Mandron to drive forward with the ball and rifle an effort from distance past McCracken to give his side a deserved lead. Dundee wasted no time in responding to going behind as they had an equaliser within minutes, with an Alex Gogic own goal putting them on level terms. Hearts loanee Yan Dhanda let fly from range; Gogic attempted to put a leg out in hope of blocking the shot; however, all it did was take the ball past the helpless Shamal George. It was an end-to-end affair now with both teams showing a real desire to get forward. Dundee came from behind to lead with five minutes remaining, as Drey Wright’s thunderstrike from the corner of the box went in off the post. Shamal George looked to get a touch to it; however, he couldn’t keep it out as Dundee went into the break ahead. The tempo of the game appeared to slow down in the second half; however, Dundee pushed to add to their advantage early on, when Tony Yogane beat his man with a neat piece of skill before crossing high into the Dundee box for Cameron Congreve, whose headed attempt sailed wide of goal. Moments later, Jayden Richardson’s strike for St Mirren from 20 yards out flew just over the crossbar. Richardson was quickly involved up the other end as his clearance was blocked, leaving Simon Murray with freedom to strike, but his effort was tame and went comfortably into the hands of Shamal George. From that point onwards, St Mirren had Dundee pinned back into their own half for much of the second 45, with Dundee unable to get a proper foothold on the game. Frustrations began to grow for St Mirren as they looked to their bench with twenty minutes to go, making a double change with Roland Idowu and Jonay Ayunga coming onto the park, with Conor McMenamin and Mikael Mandron making way. St Mirren continued to pile pressure onto the Dundee backline, but despite Saints controlling possession, Jon McCracken remained untested. With four minutes of additional time to go, Dundee netted a third to all but secure a vital three points for Steven Pressley’s men. Joe Westley’s curling strike from outside the box completed what was a much-improved performance from the Dees.

Dundee v St Mirren Preview

Dundee welcome Stephen Robinson’s St Mirren to Dens Park on Saturday afternoon, with both teams in desperate need of three points. A single point separates these two sides in the Scottish Premiership table, with Dundee sitting in 11th place and St Mirren positioned in ninth. Dundee come into this afternoon’s encounter on the back of a 2-0 away defeat to Hibernian last weekend. Goals from Kieron Bowie and Jamie McGrath meant that Dundee would fall to a fourth consecutive defeat and have also failed to find the back of the net in their last three matches. Victories have been hard to come by for Steven Pressley’s men so far this campaign, having only registered two wins from thirteen matches, both of those coming at Dens Park against Livingston and Celtic respectively. A tough run of games awaits the Dees in the next few weeks, with away trips to Celtic and Livingston and a home match against Aberdeen awaiting Steven Pressley’s side. The visitors, St Mirren, have had their own struggles as of late too, with their last victory coming at the end of September, which was against Dundee, their opponents today. The Buddies are winless in their last six league games, losing five of those, and find themselves two points off the bottom of the table, with only two wins picked up this campaign; however, they have played a game less than Kilmarnock, Dundee and Livingston, who are all below them in the table. Despite their disappointing league form, Stephen Robinson’s men convincingly defeated Motherwell 4-1 at Hampden Park at the start of November to book their place in December’s Scottish League Cup final against Celtic. The Paisley outfit also came into one on the back of a defeat, as they fell to a frustrating 1-0 defeat at home to champions Celtic last time out after a stunning strike in stoppage time from Callum McGregor ensured Celtic claimed all three points. Previous encounter The last meeting between these came earlier this season, back in September. St Mirren were narrow 1-0 winners that day; a first-half strike from Killian Phillips was the difference between the two sides in a tight encounter. Team news Dundee manager Steven Pressley will have a full squad to pick from for today’s match, with no fresh injury concerns. For St Mirren, they will be missing their captain, as Mark O’Hara misses out with a foot injury. Second choice goalkeeper Ryan Mullen is also unavailable.

Linlithgow Rose 1-3 Queen’s Park: visitors avoid early scare to progress in scottish cup

Linlithgow Rose 1-3 Queen’s Park McMullan (15′)   Murray (26′) Savoury (57′) Fowler (68′) Queen’s Park secured passage to the 4th round of the Scottish Cup after coming from behind to defeat Linlithgow Rose at Prestonfield. The lowland league side took an unlikely lead on the 15 minute mark. Connor McMullan side-footed Cammy Thomson’s low cross in the bottom corner. The visitors responded ten minutes later from a corner. Aidan Connolly’s left footed cross was met by the towering Euan Murray to haul Sean Crighton’s side level. Queen’s Park seized control in the second period, thanks to two goals. Grant Savoury bundled home Louis Longridge’s strike, before Josh Fowler’s close range header. Linlithgow Rose: Binnie, Watson, Greene, Skinner, Thomson, Maguire, Berry, McMullan, Kennedy, Stenhouse, Rae Queens Park: Ferrie, Pignatiello, Murray, Shiels, Fieldson, Longridge, MacGregor, Connolly, Savoury, Drozd, Fowler

Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic: Ruthless Celts Stun Dutch Giants

Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic Ueda (11′)                  Hyun-Jun (31′) Hatate (43′) Celtic shook De Kuip to record a crucial Europa League victory, in a potential send-off for interim manager Martin O’Neill. Feyenoord opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Sem Steijn gathered a Luciano Valente pass on the edge of Celtic’s box. The home captain showed composure, squaring the ball to Ayase Ueda, who finished low into the bottom left corner. The away side responded moments after the half-hour mark, with an efficient team move. Luke McCowan clipped a clever pass into the path of the onrushing Reo Hatate. The Japanese midfielder lofted the ball to the back post for Yang Hyun-Jun to volley home. Hatate put Celtic in dreamland on the stroke of halftime. Daizen Maeda pressured Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther, who rushed his clearance into Hatate’s path. The midfielder’s first-time strike nestled in the centre of the goal to give Martin O’Neill’s side an unlikely lead. Feyenoord threatened in the second half, but it was the visitors who scored next. The ball broke to Benjamin Nygren in the box after Celtic pressure, and the Swedish attacker finished high off the crossbar. The goal sent the visiting support into frenzy, and rounded off a superb away victory. The win lifted Celtic into 17th place in the Europa League standings. They return to Premiership action at Easter Road on Sunday. Feyenoord: Wellenreuther, Lotomba (van Persie 81′) Ahmedhodzic, Watanabe, Smal (Nieuwkoop 62′) Valente (Timber 76′) Steijn, Targhalline, Moussa, Ueda, Sauer (Diarra 62′) Celtic: Schmeichel, Donovan (Ralston 84′) Trusty, Scales, Tierney (Murray 70′) McGregor, Engels, Hatate (Bernardo 83′) Yang (Tounekti 71′) McCowan (Nygren 63′) Maeda

“We didn’t deserve to get back into the game” – Gray after Motherwell 2-0 Hibs

Hibernian suffered defeat to Motherwell on Tuesday evening, and David Gray believes his side “got what we deserved”. The 2-0 loss halted the Leith side’s three-game unbeaten league run, and former captain Gray offered a brutal assessment of his team’s performance after the match. “I thought we were not very unlike us. Started the game slowly, really poor in possession, a lot of unforced errors, a lot of misplaced passes, and then everything that could have went against us did, in that period as well, found herself 2-0 down, down to 10 men, and it was a really difficult task from there” “We’ve been really poor; there wasn’t an individual that was a collective performance from us, which I’ve not seen for a while. We’ll need to look at that.” Goals from Tawanda Maswanhise and Elijah Just had the home side in control, but the misery was compounded in the 34th minute after Grant Hanley’s red card. The Scottish international clipped the heels of Maswanhise, with the striker bearing down on goal, referee Duncan Nicolson had no choice but to dismiss the defender. “No complaints about the red card because of the letter of the law. Now, if he’s on side, and he’s brought down, and you’re the last man, that’s a red card that’s outside the box. It’s an accidental trip. I think so, that is a red card. “We signed up to VAR, and the technology, we can argue about that, whether we think it’s good enough. It is a factual decision that we’ve all signed up to. So I’m not going to argue about the offside.” Gray offered some consolation to his players for their efforts in the second period, but ultimately their slow start had cost them the game. “I think they did show character; they did show effort. They didn’t just roll over. I think that’s clear, especially because of the way we quickly found ourselves 2-0 down, down to ten men, the way Motherwell were playing on the front foot. It would have been easy to do that and feel sorry for yourself. I don’t think they did. “I can’t fault the players for effort, for going right to the very end, but we certainly didn’t deserve to get back into the game, didn’t do enough to get back into the game. Hibernian return to home league action against Celtic this weekend, and the manager believes his side can bounce back for the huge fixture. “There’s nothing else for it. I think one thing we won’t do is just move on quickly. I know the Celtic games on Sunday, but at this moment in time, we’ll be in tomorrow, we’ll reflect on why we started the game the way we did and look at that. “We’ve got enough time to get the players recovered and ready for their opportunity to try and put tonight’s result and performance right.”

“You’re judged on scoring goals” – Bowie after Hibernian 2-0 Dundee

After scoring his 4th league goal of the season against Dundee, Kieron Bowie referenced the “added incentive” of joining Steve Clarke’s Scotland World Cup squad. Speaking with the media after Hibernian’s 2-0 win over Dundee, Bowie referenced the importance of getting back to “basics” after a brief stint out of David Gray’s starting eleven: “When we played Livingston, I came out of the team, and he was just sort of reinforcing that it wasn’t performance-based. It was just a freshening up. “Since then, I’ve been back in the team, just trying to do the basics again, really like the start of the season, just trying to get back into that groove of things and being confident myself and taking shots more than I’m passing it, and thankfully, it paid off today.” The Hibs’ number 9 opened the scoring against Dundee. After taking a clever touch, he drilled a low strike past the helpless Jon McCracken on the half-hour mark. “Early on I felt like I couldn’t score. I missed from a yard out, which was almost impossible, but it happened, and it’s just about bouncing back after that. Just sort of got to laugh it off. “You’re judged on scoring goals, but the gaffer has obviously said that I’m doing everything that he wants me to do, and that’s obviously on my mind; that’s a positive. I want to keep scoring as many goals as I can, and hopefully I can continue to keep doing that” Bowie, like the entire nation, had watched Scotland’s monumental victory over Denmark to qualify for the World Cup next year. The young striker was upbeat despite missing out on the squad. “He (Steve Clarke) phoned me the night before just to let me know, so there wasn’t a surprise which was good. I’ve just got to get on with it and keep doing what I’m doing for the next one, so I can be in it, obviously, to watch the game. It was amazing for everybody. But yeah, you want to be there, like I said, and hopefully I can be in the next one.” It was unbelievable to watch it. Obviously, you want to be there to experience it. But unfortunately, that has not happened this time. It’s just an added incentive, we’ve got an amazing squad, good forwards, and it’ll be tough to get back in there, but I just need to keep doing here, and hopefully it’s just an added bonus.” Hibernian return to Scottish Premiership action on Tuesday evening against Motherwell at Fir Park, before hosting Celtic next Sunday.

Man Utd 0-1 Everton: Toffees Grab Priceless Victory Despite Bizarre Red Card

Manchester United 0-1 Everton Dewsbury-Hall (29′) Ten-man Everton secured their first victory at Old Trafford since 2013 after a stunning first-half strike by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, condemning Manchester United to a dismal defeat. The game started unusually, with Everton reduced to 10 men in the opening 15 minutes. Miscommunication in the box between Michael Keane and Idrissa Gueye allowed Bruno Fernandes to unleash a dangerous shot on goal. Gueye was furious at his teammate for not clearing the ball, and after storming towards him, he appeared to slap the defender. Referee Tony Harrington quickly reached for his red card; the Senegalese midfielder had to be ushered towards the tunnel by Jordan Pickford. The home crowd found amusement in the incident, but it gave David Moyes’ side an unnecessary setback. Despite the deficit, Everton struck first through Dewsbury-Hall. Joe Garner split the United midfield with a clever pass, allowing the midfielder to turn and drive past several red jerseys. After tussling his way to the edge of the box, he delivered a curling, right-foot strike past the helpless Senne Lammens to confirm an unlikely lead. The Red Devils knocked on the door for the entire second half, going close on several occasions. Bryan Mbuemo linked with Joshua Zirkzee on the hour mark, but Pickford parried his strike from the edge of the box. Mason Mount found Fernandes in the box after a clipped Matthijs De Ligt pass 10 minutes later, but the Man Utd captain blazed over with the outside of his right foot. Pickford produced an outstanding save in the 80th minute to maintain Everton’s slender lead. Luke Shaw stood up a cross for Zirkzee to attack in the six-yard box; his header looked destined to nestle in the bottom right corner, if not for Pickford’s outstretched hand. The visitors were defending valiantly, but Pickford’s experience as England’s number one goalkeeper paid dividends for the Merseyside team, who secured a clean sheet and three points. Victory for Moyes’ side moved them above rivals, Liverpool, into 11th spot, as they secured back-to-back victories in the league. Rubin Amorim’s side remains in 10th, and is now three games without a win. Manchester United: Lammens Yoro De Ligt Shaw Mazraoui (Mount 46′) Casemiro (Mainoo 58′) Fernandes Dorgu (Dalot 58′) Amad Mbeumo Zirkzee Everton: Pickford Garner Tarkowski Keane Mykolenko Coleman (O’Brien 10′) Gueye Ndiaye (Beto 81′) Dewsbury-Hall (Alcaraz 88′) Grealish (McNeil 87′)  Barry (Iroegbunam 81′)  

Dundee Utd 0-3 Falkirk: Bairns Terrific at Tannadice to Stay in Top 6

Dundee United 0-3 Falkirk Miller (3’) Kucherenko OG (22’)  Graham (63’) In the return from the international break, Dundee Utd hosted Falkirk at The CalForth Construction Arena with only 2 points separating the sides. It was the away side who started with no time to waste, following a fast counter where the ball fell to Calvin Miller, whose shot was parried by Yevhenii Kucherenko in the Utd net; however Miller was able to tap in the rebound to give Falkirk the lead after only 3 minutes played. Falkirk would continue to dominate, and 20 minutes later their second goal would come. Calvin Miller’s in swinging corner was dealt with horribly by the home side as Kucherenko punched the goal into his own net to double The Bairns lead. Dundee Utd would start to show signs of life as Krisztian Kereztes’ effort would fall into the hands of former Dundee keeper Scott Bain, and Amar Fateh’s header would rattle off of the crossbar to give the Dundee side their best chance of the half thus far. Referee Nick Walsh would blow for the halftime whistle as jeers rung around Tannadice giving manager Jim Goodwin much to think about as he prepared his side for a second half comeback. Into the second half Kristijan Trapanovski and Ryan Strain would enter proceedings as former Dundee Utd striker Brian Graham was issued a yellow card for his offence on Keresztes, Walsh was called over to the VAR monitor but decided against brandishing the red card. An hour into the game and Falkirk would once again gain control of the match, as good passing play from back-to-front led to an excellent pass from Calvin Miller to find Graham on the edge of the box, who cleverly rounded Kucherenko and passed the ball into the back of the net for Falkirk’s third goal of the match. This was Graham’s fourth goal of the season in all competitions since joining Falkirk in the summer. Former United captain Ryan Edwards was subbed on for Falkirk to make his debut at his old stomping ground. Falkirk would expertly see out the final 15 minutes of play to secure an important 3 points and rebound from their disappointing draw to Livingston before the break. This win keeps Falkirk in fifth place, 1 point above Motherwell and only 2 points behind Hibernian and Rangers are above them. They next face a trip to Ibrox next Sunday with the opportunity to move above an inconsistent Rangers with victory. After an abject display, Dundee United find themselves out of the top 6 in seventh place, 4 points adrift of Motherwell and 3 points ahead of eighth-placed Aberdeen. They prepare for a trip to Rugby Park as they play Kilmarnock next Saturday evening. Dundee United: Kucherenko; Iovu, Esselink, Keresztes; Stephenson, Sevelj, Sibbald, Ferry; Dolcek, Sapsford, Amar Fatah. Subs: Strain, Trapanovski, Möller, Watters Falkirk: Bain; Adams, Henderson, Allan, Lissah; Tait, Spencer; Wilson, Williams, Miller; Graham. Subs: Cartwright, Edwards, Agyeman, Ross, Oliver Attendance: 9,736

Hibernian 2-0 Dundee: Hibees Record Routine Victory over tame Dundee

Hibernian 2-0 Dundee Bowie (4′) McGrath (59′) Hibs consolidated third place in the Scottish Premiership, scoring a goal in each half to down Dundee in the capital. The home side had the first opening in the 4th minute. Martin Boyle cushioned an inswinging Nicky Cadden cross into the path of Kieron Bowie, but the striker couldn’t connect from close range. Hibs almost walked the ball into the net on the 10-minute mark. McGrath collected Boyle’s cute pass in the 6-yard box, but the Irishman’s shot lacked power, and John McCracken collected it easily. Bowie headed over Mulligan’s cross from close range in the 17th minute as David Gray’s side continued to press. The big striker had started the season with such confidence, including a 40-yard screamer against Partizan Belgrade, but would have been extremely disappointed with this effort Steven Pressley’s side have won just one of their last six league matches, and struggled to create opportunities. Yan Dhanda’s corner kick dropped to Simon Murray in the 23rd minute, but the Dundee captain’s side-footed effort was easily cleared by the Hibs defence. Gray’s side chipped away at the visiting defence. Daniel Barlaser connected sweetly on the edge of the box, but his shot was tipped wide by McCracken. The strikeforce of Boyle and Bowie combined on Dundee’s left moments later, the latter laid off to the onrushing Mulligan, who registered another tame shot on goal. Their dominance paid off on the half-hour mark, thanks to Bowie. Cadden’s low cross was collected by the striker, after shifting the ball to his left foot, he drilled a low strike under McCracken. The goal warranted the home side’s play and was Bowie’s fourth league goal of the season. Their attacking talent continued to grow as the half drew to a close. Chris Cadden’s reverse pass was driven towards goal by the electric Boyle, but his strike could only find the sidenetting. Dundee spent the remainder of the half pinned in their 18-yard box, surviving wave after wave of Hibs attacks. Tony Yogane burst into life moments into the second half. After beating Rocky Bushiri, he cut across the face of the defender and went down in the box. Despite the collision, Steven McLean quickly waved off the Dundee penalty shouts. Hibs wrestled back control of the game. Cadden’s lofted cross was inches away from connecting with Boyle’s head as they searched for a second. Bowie laid off McGrath on the edge of the box after a slack Dundee pass. The midfielder bent a right-footed strike from 25 yards, which ricocheted off the crossbar. The second goal arrived on the hour mark. Mulligan’s powerful run allowed Bowie to cushion a pass into the path of the onrushing McGrath, who drilled home from 8 yards with his right foot. Dundee produced their best chance in the 64th minute. Cameron Congreve’s marauding run and cross from the right was volleyed towards goal by Yogane. But Raphael Sallinger produced a brilliant save, racing across his line to parry away. Hibs raced forward from the resultant turnover. McGrath produced brilliant skill, beating several navy jerseys with quick feet, but the desperate Dees’ defence blocked his shot. The visitors looked destined to pull a goal back with ten minutes remaining. Congreve’s tantalising, inswinging freekick was headed towards goal by Clark Robertson at the backpost, but Sallinger was again on hand to produce a stunning close-range save, and maintain the clean sheet. Despite their chances, the visitors were unable to register a goal and remain in the bottom two of the Scottish Premiership. Hibs remain in third, and victory confirmed their second home win of the season. Hibernian: Sallinger 9 Bushiri 7 Hanley 7 Iredale 7 C Cadden 7 Barlaser 8 Mulligan 9 McGrath 9 N Cadden 8 Boyle 7 Bowie 7 Substitutes: Klidje 6 Obita 6 Levitt 6 Youan 6 Megwa 5 Dundee: McCracken 5 Wright 5 C Robertson 5 Graham 5 Samuels 4 Digby 5 Hamilton 5 Congreve 6 Dhanda 6 Yogane 6 Murray 5 Substitutes: Astley 5 Jones 5 Reilly 5 Attendance: 17,714