Remember Locomotiv Liepzig

After last Saturdays ground out victory against Motherwell and then a comfortable CIS cup win at Alloa on Thursday ( completely revamped team as you would expect. Last year we tried this against Livingston and took our first defeat of the season - blemish on the perfect record. This time it worked with a hat trick for the under utilised Makela ). Combined with Aberdeen's good form so far this season. I for one and i am sure most of the Hearts support could be forgiven for having no idea what to expect out of this game.

For me i think i was quietly confident .. without showing too much at all i felt we were through the worst of our dip and was pretty sure that we would fair better against a team who were themselves, confident and possitive and looking for the win, all beit on their patch. An evenly matched game would help Hearts, help them to find themselves and find a win that they could use as a platform to move forward with a renewed look about themselves. It is true that since the Athens game at Murrayfield Hearts have been on the back foot, on the ropes even for a couple of the punches. Looks likely that there maybe another hammer blow on Thursday when/if we fail to score the necessary - at least - 2 without return against Sparta Prague to take it to penalties. I think we are much more mentally prepared for that blow now tho given that we have won the last 3 domestic games and are now installed in 2nd place with points to spare.

It has been a train wreck of a European campaign so far but you just never know. We are in one of those positions where we have nothing to lose now and everyone expects us to bow out and well the most dangerous animal is one who is cornered blah blah blah.

Remember Locomotiv Liepsig

Sorry i am getting carried away with Thursdays blog yet to be written, back to earth.

The team was pretty predictable, changed ofcourse but pretty predictable.
Neilson was replaced by Ibrahim Tall, i will be intrigued as to who starts at the right back berth on Thursday in Prague - i have been pretty much convinced for ages now that Neilson will lose his first team place this season. Thursday will just about nail it for me.
If Robbie starts -> he is Valdas's #1 at right back and Tall was in today to protect him
If Tall starts -> it is the beginning of the end for Robbie as first choice right back
Assuming Tall doesn't get injured between now and then ofcourse, which is about a 70% likelyhood.
Tall had a decent game today, he did dive in a couple of times when he should have stayed on his feet but on the whole he was OK.
Zaliukas and Hartley in midfield with the usual suspects of McCann and Miko on the flanks, an interesting Bednar and Panilla up front.

So to the game, a stinking day in Aberdeen and a dissapointing crowd for what i thought would be a cracking game. Aberdeen could leapfrog Hearts into 2nd place if they won this one so they had loads to play for as well as Hearts.
The game was pretty scrappy as the players tried to get to grips with the conditions, Aberdeen looked like the home team, taking a grip of the midfield, holding territorial advantage and so had the lions share of the opening period. They played some decent stuff in the space in front of hearts 18 yard box, decent stuff just out of range to be truly dangerous. They did have a couple of chances and Gordon was once again called upon to make a few saves, in general tho i did not feel that Hearts were about to collapse under fire. For a period of 10 minutes or so Hearts did wake up in the first half to pose a few problems of their own for the Aberdeen defence.
The Setanta commentary had it all wrong tho, don't know what game they were watching. Aberdeen were not completely dominant in this first half, for sure they had the better of it but dominance is over the mark. Aberdeen did play some good stuff and i was enjoying the game.

Half time thoughts were;
We were struggling.
Bednar and Panilla have no partnership, maybe down to Panilla shooting from 30 yards everytime he gets a sniff.
Zaliukas strikes me as one of those guys that probably works like a trojan and never gets any credit for it.
Hearts do not attack with conviction, when Miko gets the ball wide and plays a ball down to Bednar for instance, last year he would have torn inside expecting the ball back to feet to send him straight through on goal. This year the same pass made to Bednar is met with Miko unsure of what will happen so he does not make the same run and it all just seems to stall before we get to the knife edge. It's confidence!

The second half was a complete change to the first, Hearts came out the better team and continued to enforce their superiority for the whole of the half.
Much as the goal was coming, i guess it had to be a bit ugly to start it all. It was a good ball in by Hartley, a free kick on the left chipped over to the back post where Pressley and Berra were hovering. I think Pressley got the telling touch but it came off Berra's face and into the net.

Aberdeen 0
HMFC 1

Hearts were playing with a swagger and a confidence again, we were only one up against what seemed like a decent Aberdeen side but Hearts played with a confidence that would betray the last 6 weeks or so.
If the first goal that started this win was ugly the second was a supermodel.
I said at half time that Bednar and Panilla don't have a partnership, well this goal was finished by a pairing you would have thought had played together for years.
All close to the right touchline, all one touch between Miko, Hartley and Chesny ( on for McCann ), the ball was swept in low to the front post where Bednar could have gone for goal at the near post, a difficult chance but do-able, instead he flicked the ball onto the penalty spot for the open Panilla who swept the ball into the far corner. A cracking sweeping move that would have graced any game.

Aberdeen 0
HMFC 2

The game still had 20 minutes to go, Aberdeen did not look like a beaten side but they didn't look as tho they could do much about their plight either. They got caught by the classic breakaway goal which Miko finished with unfamiliar ( to him anyraods ) quality.

Aberdeen 0
HMFC 3

Aberdeen scored themselves almost immediately after this with a good rush through the middle. All seemed a bit too little too late even after Panilla was ordered off for his second bookable ( throwing the ball away - good grief )

Aberdeen 1
HMFC 3

That was it a great result to an entertaining and affirming match.
If last weeks grind against Motherwell was an important game for the ongoing recuperation of Hearts then this one was like discovery of a cure ( i hope so anyroads )

So to Thursday in Prague, i have only one thing to say


HOOO On The Jambos