Heart of Midlothian 2 - 0 Aberdeen

McNaughton tried to hit back quickly, but his wild effort only caused problems for the fans sitting in row Z. Seconds later Brellier came out second best in a challenge with Severin, delaying the match for several minutes after the Dons midfielder sportingly put the ball out of play. Webster mopped up a good move in the 27th minute after Nicholson and Severin linked well as the Dons looked to get back on terms. Considine was forced to sweep the ball clear on the half hour mark following an error from Nicholson as the home side kept up the pressure and almost added a second when Pressley headed a corner inches wide of the target.

A late challenge on Zander Diamond by Bednar went unpunished and once the game restarted Considine had to react quickly to a poor pass back from McNaughton. In the 35th minute Esson was well off his line to punch the ball clear, but the ball fell to Hartley and he fired the ball wide. Seconds later Hearts threatened again and Anderson needed a last gasp challenge to deny Skacel. Hearts were gaining the upper hand by this stage as their physical presence was causing problems. Aberdeen should have levelled in the 39th minute when Webster made a terrific challenge as Dempsey looked to pull the trigger on a shot that was surely net bound.

Three minutes from the break the physical approach was beginning to take it's toll as Anderson was forced from the field with blood pouring from a head wound. Severin moved back into defence as Anderson stayed off for the remainder of the half. Hearts tried to take advantage of the ten-men Dons when Hartley controlled the ball and drilled it wide of the target in the 44th minute. There was only one minute of injury time added despite several stoppages, but given that the Dons were down to ten men they were probably thankful of the early whistle.

Anderson returned for the second half while Hearts introduced ex-Don Jamie McAllister at the interval. In the 48th minute Aberdeen were denied a penalty from referee McCurry when Nicholson went down in a challenge from Brellier. Two minutes later Lovell's pressure paid off as he won a corner from Pressley. The home defence held firm however as they looked comfortable at set pieces, illustrated in the 52nd minute when Hearts again comfortably mopped up another free kick. A minute later the first yellow card of the match was shown to Jamie McAllister for a rash challenge.

Lovell collected the second yellow in the 57th minute for a trip then the Dons task became more difficult when Anderson was forced to leave the park as his wound opened up again and Scott Muirhead replaced the captain. The Dons were struggling to cope with the physical presence of Hearts now and Jamie Smith went into the book on the hour mark. The resulting set play was scrambled away as the home side looked to increase their lead. They almost achieved this in the 65th minute when a Nicholson mistake allowed them a sniff of goal as they now dominated the midfield.

A minute later a free kick almost paid dividends as Webster just scrambled the ball from Diamond while flattening his own keeper in the process. There was controversy in the 70th minute when Brellier fell over in the box and was denied a penalty from referee McCurry. Two minutes later Aberdeen had some good build up play, but lost possession allowing Hearts to break. Brellier went close then Jankauskas almost added a second as the Dons were forced on to the back foot. The Dons then forced a corner but Diamond's header was cleared and Severin was unable to convert as the ball broke on the edge of the box. At this stage Calderwood replaced Dempsey with John Stewart in a bid to try and carve out the equaliser.

Aberdeen's goal was now under siege as they struggled to create anything at the other end. The last throw of the dice came in the 83rd minute as Foster replaced Considine, but within seconds McAllister smashed the ball off the Dons upright as they struggled on the ropes. Aberdeen finally broke a minute later but the move was halted for the softest free kick of the season against Stewart. The Dons were finally breached for the second time in the 86th minute when a Jankauskas knock down was volleyed into the net by substitute Pospisil from 18 yards to seal the points.

Look out for the highlights on RedTV on Monday.

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Match Stats:

		Hearts	Dons
Goal Attempts		14	5
On Target		7	4
Corners		2	3
Possession		55%	45%

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