Heart of Midlothian 1
Dundee 1
League (Premiership)

Match Report

Dundee returned from their trip to the capital with a hard fought point from a 1-1 draw with Hearts. The Jam Tarts had the better of the first half and were worth their lead through an Arnaud Djoum goal. Dundee fought back strongly after the break and Rory Loy won a point with an equaliser midway through the half. Even though the Dark Blues lost both centre backs, James McPake and Julen Etxbeguren, late in the game the reshaped defence held steady to earn a deserved point.

Dundee made four changes from the home draw against Partick Thistle. James McPake, Julen Etxabeguren and Kevin Thomson all returned from injury. Kane Hemmings started in the place of the injured Rhys Healey. Hearts made three changes; Oshinawa, Pallardo and King replaced McGhee, Gomis and Juanma.

Backed by a noisy home support Hearts started strongly, putting the Dark Blues under pressure. Scott Bain was soon called into action, saving well from Osman Low after a fast break by Sam Nicholson. Kevin Holt nearly got into trouble on the edge of his penalty area, but recovered well to block Billy King's shot.

After a frantic opening Dundee gradually managed to calm the game down, winning the ball and holding it to take the sting out of Hearts' attacks. The breather didn't last long enough and by the middle of the first half the Jam Tarts were tearing back at the Dee.

Hearts took the lead after 24 minutes with a well worked move down the right. Buaben switched play into space on the wing where full back Callum Paterson fired over a perfect cross for the inrushing Arnaud DJOUM to head powerfully past Scott Bain from 10 yards.

The Dark Blues managed only one shot on target in the first half, shortly after the goal. Kane Hemmings effort was deflected into the gloves of Neil Alexander following neat play by Rory Loy and Greg Stewart.

Djoum nearly added a second goal when his low shot took a huge deflection off Etxbeguren and seemed certain to loop under the bar. However, Scott Bain brought the away fans to their feet with a superb recovery to touch the ball to safety.

Hearts had plenty of pressure in the remainder of the half, but the Dark Blues defence was impressively solid and well organised.

In the first half the Dark Blues had been tight and hard working without offering much threat. That changed right from the start of the second half as Dundee started to turn the screw on the Hearts' defence. The unmarked McPake narrowly failed to connect with a Stewart free kick that ended up sailing past the post.

Dundee were now winning the ball well and pushing Hearts back. The Jam Tarts had a spell of sustained pressure, with a series of corners. However, their only serious shot was an ambitious dipping 35 yard free kick that Bain had to turn over the bar.

Hearts charge soon petered out. As the home side's performance became flat Dundee grew stronger. The Dark Blues had never been out of the match and seized the chance to get back on terms when the Hearts' defence lost concentration. Stewart's through pass found Rory Loy in space on the left wing with the home defence appealing in vain for offside. LOY ran on, cut inside and whipped a great finish round Alexander and inside the far post; the first goal Hearts had conceded since the start of October following four clean sheets.

Hearts were never able to regain control or build momentum for a late charge at Dundee. The Dundee defence handled the Jam Tarts increasingly desperate attacks confidently.

James McPake had been unwell during the week and with 20 minutes to go he had to leave the field. Thomas Konrad replaced him, but the change made no visible difference to a solid defence.

Greg Stewart's intelligent and skillful play was a constant danger to Hearts. A twisting run ended with him being downed right on the edge of the penalty area. Kane Hemmings shot narrowly wide from the free kick.

Any concern at the sight of Julen Etxabeguren limping off with a knock after 82 minutes proved to be misplaced. Kosta Gadzhalov came on, and again the defence didn't miss a beat. Hearts struggled to turn possession into danger in the closing stages, and the Dark Blues always looked capable of making the opening for a winner.

In the end a draw was a fair result and Dundee were certainly the happier with the point. The Dundee team were hard working, organised and totally committed. After largely nullifying a good Hearts side they dug out a very good draw at one of the most difficult venues in Scotland. Doing so in spite of massive disruption to the defence reflects great credit on the whole team.

Match report written by James Christie - Official Dundee website