Dundee Utd 2
Hearts 1
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

The final home match of the season provided us with two welcome points to end a run of three successive away single goal defeats. Hero of this valuable victory was two goal Hamish French who took his personal tally for the season to six goals. Apart from the obvious pleasure derived from the result there was also the bonus of seeing what must be one of the youngest midfielders ever to be fielded in a Premier match perform so well. Gary Bollan was starting a Premier match for the first time and he was joined by 'veterans' Ray McKinnon and Billy McKinlay. Exchanges were fairly even in the early stages, and it was Hearts who first came closest to opening the scoring. Eamonn Bannon's free-kick was knocked down by Levein to Robertson whose first time return gave Levein a shooting opportunity and grazed the top of the cross-bar. Towards half-time we gained momentum and eventually broke the deadlock with seven minutes remaining. John Clark hit a pass through the Tynecastle rearguard which found Hamish French who shrugged off the challenges of both Sandison and Levein before squeezing the ball past Walker and into the far corner.

A rare moment of slackness in the United defence allowed the visitors in for a somewhat undeserved equaliser fifteen minutes from the end. An Eamonn Bannon corner landed in the heart of the box where it reached the unmarked Scott Crabbe who turned and shot past Alan Main. Equality lasted a mere five minutes and once again Hamish French was the man who breached Hearts' defence. Sandison failed to cut out a Ray McKinnon cross and the ball conveniently landed at the feet of Hamish French who coolly slotted the ball past Walker. Indeed, we may well have added to that lead because only a superb point-blank save by Walker from O'Neill stopped us getting a third. This victory put Europe within easy reach but events were to prove differently even with two avenues still open.