Hearts v St. Mirren: Match Report

It was third versus sixth in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday afternoon as Hearts took on St. Mirren at Tynecastle. Heading into the match, the two sides were in dire need of a victory with both winning just once in their last six games. 

Team News

In the Hearts camp, there was four changes from the side which delivered a substandard performance at Fir Park last week. Andy Halliday, Gary MacKay-Steven, Liam Boyce and Craig Halkett came in for Alex Cochrane, Ben Woodburn, Josh Ginnelly and the suspended Taylor Moore. The return of club top scorer Liam Boyce to the starting eleven provided Hearts with a colossal boost going into the match. A much altered side yet one which remained strong for Robbie Neilson. 

Contrastingly for the visitors, there was just the one change from their last match. Jim Goodwin replaced the injured Conor McCarthy with former Motherwell man Charles Dunne who started for the first time since the 29th of August. Key player Jamie McGrath remained in the starting eleven after scoring his first goal since an injury lay off last week against Livingston. 

The Match 

It was a game of two halves. The first, a dull, lethargic affair with little chances for either side. In contrast, the second was rather lively and full of action.

Early on, it was Hearts who took control of the match, building up play in their own half. However, the first real opening came to St. Mirren striker Eamonn Brophy after some good interplay down the right from the Buddies. The one time Scotland cap took the shot on the spin but it was way off target. 

Soon after, it was Brophy who threatened once more, taking the shot on from a tight angle to force a save from Craig Gordon to win a corner. Said corner led to a nervy moment in the Hearts penalty area as Charles Dunne’s snapshot called Gordon into action once again. 

As the half went on, the home support begun to become slightly restless. Epitomising this was a series of St. Mirren corners which almost led to an own goal from Michael Smith; Joe Shaugnessy thundered the ball across the face with his weaker left foot and Smith diverted it towards his own goal however his keeper bailed him out with a big stop. 

I mentioned how the first half was made up of little opportunities. The biggest one came in stoppage time when Michael Smith carried the ball forward and played through his fellow countryman Liam Boyce. The Northern Irishman chopped back inside on his favoured right foot however his shot was one which lacked drive or power. Moments later, Alan Muir blew for half time with slight warbling’s of boos ringing around Tynecastle. 

There were no alterations for either side at the break although St. Mirren did replace the injured Scott Tanser with Kyle McAllister on the thirty fourth minute. 

The second half commenced with a huge save from Jak Alnwick to deny Gary MacKay-Steven. Barrie McKay set the thirty one year old up after pressing high up the park to win the ball back superbly. This set the tone for the second forty five minutes which came with virtuous opportunities for the two teams. 

St. Mirren’s maiden chance of the half fell to their talisman Jamie McGrath. He was laid off by a lovely back heel on the edge of the box however his powerful strike was palmed away by Craig Gordon. The visitors were awarded a corner as a result of this which made for perilous viewing for Jambos fans. 

A scramble in the six yard box meant Liam Boyce had to carry out some defensive duties. He prevented St. Mirren from taking the lead by blocking the ball on the line.  Gordon cleared up the park however Hearts’ attempted break out was denied by St. Mirren who immediately won it back. Substitute Kyle McAllister took the shot on from quite a distance and forced Craig Gordon into an impressive acrobatic save. 

After some sustained St. Mirren pressure, it was then Hearts’ turn to get forward and threaten the opposition goal and they certainly did so. 

Barrie McKay attempted to bend an effort into the far corner from the left of the eighteen yard box although it was blocked and fell to fellow attacker Gary MacKay-Steven. The Scot fired the ball home into the bottom left corner with his left foot. The deadlock was broken on the hour mark. 

In fairness to St. Mirren, it was certainly not a lead which Hearts deserved but it outlines the importance of taking your chances when presented. 

After the opener, Hearts started to take control of the match and there was little to talk about from a St. Mirren point of view after they went behind. 

With just over fifteen minutes to go, Hearts were awarded a free kick from around twenty five yards from goal. There were absolutely no doubts over who would take the set piece and Stephen Kingsley lined up the shot. The twenty seven year old bent a beautiful left footed effort into the top right corner to give Jak Alnwick no chance. A sublime effort which almost wrapped up all three points for the Jam Tarts. 

After going two goals up, it was a case of seeing out the match to seal victory and that is exactly what Hearts done. St. Mirren did come forward and force the home side into their own half yet couldn’t manufacture any significant chances. 

With the Paisley Saints throwing many men forward, it gave Hearts a chance to break on several occasions. Barrie McKay almost made it three after he pierced through the lines but his effort was saved by Alnwick in the St. Mirren goal. 

Deep into stoppage time, the afternoon got even worse for St. Mirren. Their captain, Joe Shaugnessy, was dismissed for a second bookable offence after bringing down combative midfielder Cammy Devlin on the edge of the box. After the resultant free kick was fired over the bar by Stephen Kingsley, the referee sounded the final whistle for full time and Hearts walked away with only their second win in seven. 

Up until Hearts took the lead on the hour, it was a fairly even match up. Both sides were presented with chances of note yet were unable to take them. Once the eventual victors took the lead, the pendulum swung in their favour and it was rather difficult for St. Mirren to find a way back into the match after this point. 

What they said 

Beni Baningime had to be stretchered off late on after a collision with Kristian Dennis in the Hearts final third. What initially looked a bad injury may actually turn out to be not that disastrous. Robbie Neilson said “I think he’ll be be alright, he’s up and walking”. “I think he’ll be fine for Thursday”, the forty one year old added. 

St. Mirren manager Jim Goodwin thought his side were hard done by. The Irishman told BBC Scotland “I think for anybody that was here they'll agree that 2-0 probably isn't a fair reflection of our performance” 

Man of the Match - Craig Gordon 

Hearts’ captain proved his worth once again to his side after making a plethora of crucial saves in the match. The Scotland No. 1 was everything you would want your keeper to be and helped his side to a clean sheet. 

Hearts now sit second in the Scottish Premiership however should Celtic avoid defeat to Aberdeen on Sunday, they will leapfrog the Jambos. St. Mirren dropped into the bottom half as a result of their defeat and will look to bounce back when they take on Ross County at the SMISA Stadium on Wednesday. 

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