:00:07. > :00:21.Good evening and welcome to Sportscene. It is amber
:00:22. > :00:34.unbelievable! And the shot is an absolute beauty. Is this a bit of
:00:35. > :00:45.history? It is, and it is there. What a finish. Good evening and
:00:46. > :00:50.welcome to Sportscene. After two weeks off we are back, refreshed and
:00:51. > :00:55.ready for more of the Premiership and Championship coming up in the
:00:56. > :01:11.company of an old friend and the man making his Sportscene debut.
:01:12. > :01:23.John Hughes reporting for BBC Scotland. How did you feel when you
:01:24. > :01:29.got sent off? My name is on the cup. Hello, you beauty. John Hughes makes
:01:30. > :01:37.his first Sportscene start and Pat Nevin brings the experience. We
:01:38. > :01:43.start the night at Tannadice. 15 points between the sides, when they
:01:44. > :01:52.last met in September it was just three.
:01:53. > :01:57.The ten men have come from behind. Maclean in loads of space behind the
:01:58. > :02:06.back post. It is a wonderful run by Scott Brown. It is five. Much to
:02:07. > :02:24.ponder. Great finish by Jonny Hayes.
:02:25. > :02:35.Tommy Wright makes four changes to the team that beat Kilmarnock. A
:02:36. > :02:39.minute's silence observed at Tannadice and around the country in
:02:40. > :03:02.memory of the victims of last week's terror attacks in Paris.
:03:03. > :03:09.He pounce ago and that is not too far away. He has been encouraged to
:03:10. > :03:27.get forward in this new system, Ryan McGowan. Down the line. Up against
:03:28. > :03:33.Davidson. Back to McGowan and nice playback to McGowan and it is
:03:34. > :03:40.Mackay. 1-Nell, Dundee United. That is a superb opener. Much more like
:03:41. > :03:46.it. He will be pleased with that. It was lovely build-up play. McGowan
:03:47. > :03:53.getting down the right-hand side and Mackay got across his man to head
:03:54. > :03:57.home and put Dundee United 1-0 up. Dave Mackay is over the ball and he
:03:58. > :04:03.left it over the war and back off the inside of the post. So close to
:04:04. > :04:09.an equaliser. A beautiful effort, very unlucky. Tommy Wright's team
:04:10. > :04:14.have been second best up to this point.
:04:15. > :04:26.Chris Cain gets St Johnstone back level. It was a powerful header. He
:04:27. > :04:35.was allowed a free run at it if truth be told. He was meant to be
:04:36. > :04:44.marking him? It comes out to a O'Halloran. Going down the line and
:04:45. > :04:51.that is nice play. How does he miss that? Back off the post and it is
:04:52. > :04:58.in. Eventually Murray Davidson brought it home from close range.
:04:59. > :05:04.Shaughnessy passed up an open goal. It came off the post and I am not
:05:05. > :05:08.sure how much David knew about the finish, but he managed to force it
:05:09. > :05:17.over the line. St Johnstone have turned this game on its head.
:05:18. > :05:26.McGowan goes down and the challenge of Liam Caddis. It is not a penalty
:05:27. > :05:33.kick. I think Ryan McGowan is going to be booked. Let's have another
:05:34. > :05:44.look. Very difficult to tell whether there was any contact or not. He
:05:45. > :05:50.took his time. What is the decision. This time there is a penalty at the
:05:51. > :05:55.other end. No doubt from Craig Thomson. Rankin is claiming it was
:05:56. > :06:01.outside the box. Very clumsy play and there is no doubt about that
:06:02. > :06:08.one. Stephen Maclean for his 10th of the season. It is not to be. He
:06:09. > :06:12.blazed that one over. A very poor short indeed. He could have put his
:06:13. > :06:22.side in touch of victory, but that is a shocker. Scott Fraser to
:06:23. > :06:30.deliver. It will come back to Fraser for another go at it. It is clear
:06:31. > :06:39.again. And that was a thick effort and that is a good save as well.
:06:40. > :06:47.Spittal must have thought he got an equaliser. I was happy with the way
:06:48. > :06:52.we played today, our passing game was crisp and accurate. We had good
:06:53. > :06:58.movement and they put in a good show. We should never have lost that
:06:59. > :07:08.match. We should have won it, but sometimes football is cruel. It is
:07:09. > :07:12.not unrealistic for us and it was a great result today. In terms of
:07:13. > :07:18.performance it is as good as I have seen them this season. We had to be
:07:19. > :07:20.on our metal today and we proved in the second half what a good side we
:07:21. > :07:33.are because we controlled St Johnstone either form team in the
:07:34. > :07:37.Premier League. Could St Johnstone finish second in the table? It is
:07:38. > :07:42.not beyond the bounds of possibility. Motherwell and
:07:43. > :07:48.Inverness have had good seasons. Teams can do it if they go on a good
:07:49. > :07:53.run. But they do not often say we can get that far because they manage
:07:54. > :07:56.expectations. But I think they have looked at the side and they have
:07:57. > :08:02.thought, I will see how far we can push them. How difficult I pay to
:08:03. > :08:08.play? Very difficult because they can be physical, they can pass it,
:08:09. > :08:12.they have got goals in the team. A O'Halloran is a danger and Maclean
:08:13. > :08:18.scores goals. Commons often comes up with goals. They all seem to be
:08:19. > :08:21.chipping in. Davidson has got a knack of getting in the box and
:08:22. > :08:26.getting goals, so they are a good team. They have a great spirit as
:08:27. > :08:30.well because the amount of times they have come from behind this
:08:31. > :08:38.season is impressive. That is impressive. They will get a real
:08:39. > :08:42.burst of confidence if they go ahead, but St Johnstone have got a
:08:43. > :08:47.never say die attitude. They will come from behind because they can
:08:48. > :08:56.get goals from all over the pitch. They can get it from deep areas.
:08:57. > :09:01.Billy Mackay is not marking him. It was a great desire from cane. You do
:09:02. > :09:12.not let your important strikers Mark players as well. When I kept Mackay
:09:13. > :09:17.I kept him as far away as possible. This is the spirit we are talking
:09:18. > :09:18.about. There are six players in the box and they are all desperate to
:09:19. > :09:33.get in. It is the midfielders They keep it alive. Not once, but
:09:34. > :09:43.the second phase keeps it alive and Murray Davidson is in bed tapping it
:09:44. > :09:45.in. Dundee United had the 3-4 one formation and they changed it and
:09:46. > :09:53.they tried to get the wing-backs up the field. Ryan McGowan got up the
:09:54. > :09:58.field. Was it a dive or a penalty? For me there was a touch and that is
:09:59. > :10:04.a penalty. That is enough to be a penalty. The referee might not be
:10:05. > :10:08.looking at what we are looking at. He does not get the ball and he gets
:10:09. > :10:13.a bit of the player, technically it is a penalty. But because he is
:10:14. > :10:18.halfway down there looking at the referee, that is a sign. You think
:10:19. > :10:25.the referee thinks he is playing for it? If you are honest, he did play
:10:26. > :10:32.for it, but he is entitled to do it. There was enough of a touch. If you
:10:33. > :10:40.get the ball away and you take a hit, it is a penalty kick. It is
:10:41. > :10:47.just player mentality. Dundee United were at Hamilton. Hamilton were
:10:48. > :10:48.wearing a special strip in memory of the victims in the recent Paris
:10:49. > :11:07.attacks. Grant Gillespie is back after
:11:08. > :11:14.suspension. Aberdeen are without injured skipper Ryan Jack. Flood is
:11:15. > :11:19.in the holding midfield position. Niall McGinn is back in the starting
:11:20. > :11:24.line-up. Gillespie on the move, but he sends it straight to as Taylor. A
:11:25. > :11:31.mistake by the Aberdeen defender and he has played that to Dougie Imrie.
:11:32. > :11:35.Danny Ward makes the save. What was ashen Taylor and thinking here as he
:11:36. > :11:43.set up Dougie Imrie inside the first minute. The shop was pretty much
:11:44. > :11:54.straight at the Aberdeen keeper. That is Greg Docherty. That was a
:11:55. > :12:01.good hit by Gillespie. He is not renowned for his goals, but he got
:12:02. > :12:09.good contact. A good ball from local. Niall McGinn is trying to set
:12:10. > :12:15.something up. It drops perfectly for Kenny Maclean. It is great finish,
:12:16. > :12:26.his first goal since the end of August. Number six for the season.
:12:27. > :12:32.Having survived a couple of early scares, Aberdeen are ahead in
:12:33. > :12:41.spectacular style. Now Greg Docherty, the 19-year-old. A
:12:42. > :12:48.homebred youngster. And Wallace with a header that goes just wide of
:12:49. > :13:05.target. A nice ball in from the Latvian full-back. Kenny Maclean, a
:13:06. > :13:12.brilliant effort. Matched by the save from Michael McGovern. Great
:13:13. > :13:19.goalkeeping. A free kick taken short. Rooney tries to get there and
:13:20. > :13:21.he is claiming for a penalty. He reckons he was being held by Sidi
:13:22. > :13:37.Gordon. Looking for a free kick against the
:13:38. > :13:49.challenge of Logan. I think Logan got his body in the way.
:13:50. > :14:02.Hamilton have their Italian substitute on. Gramoz Kurtaj's shot
:14:03. > :14:09.is saved, but Dougie Imrie will tap in the rebound. The flag stays down.
:14:10. > :14:15.It was a tight call. No offside and Dougie Imrie scores again. It is
:14:16. > :14:28.number five of the campaign and it is the goal which levels things up.
:14:29. > :14:39.Handball against Shay Logan. Where was that? It was outside. Look at
:14:40. > :14:40.the reaction of Gramoz Kurtaj. He is convinced Hamilton should have had a
:14:41. > :15:03.penalty. It was a tight call. It was back off the crossbar, but
:15:04. > :15:22.very nearly ended up going in. A good save from McGovern. You do
:15:23. > :15:30.not want Kenny Maclean to take a pot shot from just about anywhere.
:15:31. > :15:36.Hesitation at the back and what a mix-up that was between Taylor and
:15:37. > :15:41.Reynolds and Ward. The last action of the match, a corner kick from
:15:42. > :15:49.Gramoz Kurtaj. He was surprised it came his way. I thought we were the
:15:50. > :15:54.better team first half and second half, but being down 1-0 and coming
:15:55. > :15:59.back again we are pleased and we will take the point and move on. We
:16:00. > :16:04.shut up shop and see the game out when we get in front and today we
:16:05. > :16:09.put unnecessary pressure on ourselves to do that. We have to
:16:10. > :16:14.play a bit more smartly and a bit more clever.
:16:15. > :16:23.You never bought into the Aberdeen title challenge, is that fair to
:16:24. > :16:26.say? It was great, they had a fantastic start and credit to Derek
:16:27. > :16:33.and recruited well and he has a good team at Aberdeen. Celtic, they are
:16:34. > :16:41.out front by far. Best team. Abbott is seen -- Aberdeen hit a sticky
:16:42. > :16:46.patch but last week they beat Dundee. Difficult place to go,
:16:47. > :16:50.Hamilton. Will they acknowledge Celtic are much further ahead and
:16:51. > :16:56.that is why it is hard to keep things going? I expect Aberdeen to
:16:57. > :17:04.finish Selt -- second. We need that, it is great. Aberdeen are great team
:17:05. > :17:09.and a great squad but they have hit a lip but will soon get back to
:17:10. > :17:12.winning ways. Hamilton played well but you have identified a weakness
:17:13. > :17:18.in a key position that cost them. A string for Aberdeen and a weakness
:17:19. > :17:25.for them. He gets in a good position and he should not let this get away.
:17:26. > :17:31.Good position and he lets me again get away. He has lost ten yards. And
:17:32. > :17:37.it was a goal. Rate finish by Maclean. You should learn from that.
:17:38. > :17:44.-- great. Maclean again. He has another five yards and he has not
:17:45. > :17:49.done anything. They have got to learn from those positions and he
:17:50. > :17:52.was not learning. Aberdeen were not taking enough advantage. Closed down
:17:53. > :18:02.again. You watch begin when he has to
:18:03. > :18:07.follow, he is away saying, you are not going to do that to me. It is a
:18:08. > :18:11.small technical thing as a defender at you should never get wrong and he
:18:12. > :18:15.needs to get that right. Aberdeen never took enough advantage.
:18:16. > :18:24.Five goals in eight games for Imrie. Fantastic.
:18:25. > :18:32.He has found a quote that suits him and that is a poacher's all and it
:18:33. > :18:38.is great to see somebody scoring a goal who has black boots for a
:18:39. > :18:41.change! He is on and it is an easy goal but he gets important goals for
:18:42. > :18:46.Hamilton. In terms of this incident, was it a
:18:47. > :18:51.handball, was it a penalty? Handball, yes. We can agree with
:18:52. > :19:00.that. Derek McInnes was not so sure. Handball. Hands in a natural
:19:01. > :19:03.position. From this angle, his foot is on the line. He is leaning
:19:04. > :19:09.backwards. His hand is definitely in the box. If the referee sees it and
:19:10. > :19:11.he can see it and he has a good angle, he gives a penalty. Tricky
:19:12. > :19:12.for the referee. With Dundee United losing to
:19:13. > :19:15.St Johnstone, could Partick Thistle widen the gap between themselves
:19:16. > :19:17.and the Tangerines? John Hughes' Inverness side
:19:18. > :19:30.the visitors at Firhill. Just as they had done a couple of
:19:31. > :19:35.weeks ago against Motherwell, TRANSLATION: Began on the front
:19:36. > :19:42.foot, Miles Storey putting the Highlanders in front in the sixth
:19:43. > :19:49.minute. -- Caledonian Thistle. His sixth goal of the season. Always a
:19:50. > :19:52.danger, Stephen Norle lost his markers and he fired a shot just
:19:53. > :19:58.wide as Partick Thistle tried to claim a response to the solid
:19:59. > :20:09.Inverness start. Next, this cross caused chaos. Kris Doolan denied by
:20:10. > :20:12.Owain Fon Williams. Things have picked up at Partick Thistle of late
:20:13. > :20:18.and just before half-time, they were level. Kris Doolan with the goal,
:20:19. > :20:29.his third in the campaign which set up nicely for the second half. From
:20:30. > :20:32.a corner, the ball arrived at the Partick Thistle defender Lindsey who
:20:33. > :20:37.did well to find space. A little less well with the shot. The home
:20:38. > :20:43.side kept pressing. The list this time denied by Williams and he had
:20:44. > :20:50.to make sure Robbie Muirhead's efforts stayed out. Some on orthodox
:20:51. > :20:54.skill followed from this player who should have cut back rather than
:20:55. > :21:01.shoot. But as Ryan Stevenson would probably say, if you don't shoot,
:21:02. > :21:09.you don't score. It was not really a shot, but it was the winner. Audrey
:21:10. > :21:14.points for Partick Thistle. -- all three.
:21:15. > :21:19.We have been on the wrong end of late goals in the Premier League the
:21:20. > :21:24.last couple of seasons and we have lost bad ones. As soon as I picked
:21:25. > :21:30.the ball up, it was on my weaker foot. You get taught and coach to
:21:31. > :21:37.put the ball into the back post and look really enough, the finish was
:21:38. > :21:40.that bad it was able to creep in -- quickly. Delighted to get off the
:21:41. > :21:44.mark. Great for Ryan Stevenson and not
:21:45. > :21:48.yourself, you were not pleased. It is disappointing having put so much
:21:49. > :21:52.into the game. For the first 30 minutes, we were at it and we were
:21:53. > :21:59.good and we were at the front -- on the front foot. I do not know if it
:22:00. > :22:04.was the wide strip but we were like Real Madrid. We seems to stop
:22:05. > :22:08.playing and that was the problem. We need to be consistent for 90 minutes
:22:09. > :22:12.and keep it going. We are a good team and I feel for the boys. It is
:22:13. > :22:16.hard to be critical. I feel for them, they are a wonderful bunch.
:22:17. > :22:19.What about your position, at you were linked with Dundee United and
:22:20. > :22:25.talks have been going on with the club? Are you staying with
:22:26. > :22:29.Inverness? I am very content, it is hard to speak on television in case
:22:30. > :22:34.you put your head on the block. Negotiations are ongoing and if I
:22:35. > :22:39.stay at Inverness, I will be content. You never know what will
:22:40. > :22:43.happen. Hopefully, we can get something sorted out and keep moving
:22:44. > :22:45.the club forward. You are not so content with this. This is Ryan
:22:46. > :22:54.Stevenson's. Sorry! You are not expecting a goal at this
:22:55. > :22:57.point? No, it was the last minute of the game and we have to be better at
:22:58. > :23:02.that and we have to prevent the cross and we have two head it. And I
:23:03. > :23:07.am looking for my goalkeeper to do better. Maybe take a gamble on the
:23:08. > :23:11.flight of the ball. It will goal to lose and is disappointing. I feel
:23:12. > :23:15.for the players because we put a lot into the game. I felt we were the
:23:16. > :23:20.better team for a large part of the game first and second half. But I am
:23:21. > :23:22.honest enough to say Partick Thistle had the better chances. A good word
:23:23. > :23:27.for Partick Thistle. -- a good game. Thursday's visit
:23:28. > :23:29.of Ajax could be a pivotal night Yesterday,
:23:30. > :23:33.his side warmed up with the visit of Kilmarnock, who had already taken
:23:34. > :23:42.points off Celtic this season. Ronnie Deila welcomes back his
:23:43. > :23:51.captain Scott Brown who returns to the Celtic engine room. The, let
:23:52. > :23:58.captain also appears again. Not on Ollie has been missing since August
:23:59. > :24:04.but he returns today. They look to bounce back from back-to-back
:24:05. > :24:09.defeats. Kilmarnock with just that solitary victory at Celtic Park
:24:10. > :24:16.since 1955. That came three years ago. That is Griffiths. He would put
:24:17. > :24:25.a lot of money on Leigh Griffiths growing here. As soon as that
:24:26. > :24:33.control let him loose. Kilmarnock have defended well. This is a rare
:24:34. > :24:41.foray forwards. That is McGuinness. He is having the best spell in his
:24:42. > :24:51.career and that is unlucky. The brake of the ball. It is Griffiths.
:24:52. > :25:01.Easy for Jamie MacDonald. With this is normally so lethal with the left
:25:02. > :25:04.foot. -- replicas. Taken right out of the game, that is a free kick
:25:05. > :25:12.despite the protestations of Robinson. He claims he got enough of
:25:13. > :25:24.the ball here. He spun him. Bobby Madden was convinced. He is unlucky,
:25:25. > :25:31.good save, McDonald. He has scored so many goals from free kicks in
:25:32. > :25:38.this area, Griffiths. Brown. He goes down. It was the challenge. Bobby
:25:39. > :25:45.Madden has already annoyed the Celtic supporters today and he turns
:25:46. > :25:52.a line are. -- a blind eye. Still no way through. Tick. It is lifted in.
:25:53. > :25:55.This is Gary Mackay-Steven. Was he fouled? The referee does not think
:25:56. > :26:13.so and the Celtic supporters disagree. Gary Mackay-Steven pushed
:26:14. > :26:23.away from O'Hara. Brown. That is Griffiths. And still, it will not go
:26:24. > :26:27.in for Celtic. They dropped points -- they dropped points to Kilmarnock
:26:28. > :26:38.earlier in the season, it is history about to repeat itself? That is Gary
:26:39. > :26:39.Mackay-Steven. Ambitious. That was comfortable from McDonald's that
:26:40. > :26:59.time. Stephen Smith. Can Celtic pinch it
:27:00. > :27:04.back eventually? " time, they have given it away and it is Kielty. That
:27:05. > :27:08.would have been quite something if he had beaten Craig Gordon from
:27:09. > :27:15.there, a similar area to wear Danny Swanson scored for St Johnstone last
:27:16. > :27:22.season. That goal proved to be the only goal in the match in Celtic's
:27:23. > :27:27.last home defeat. Good and taking no chances. That was certainly going
:27:28. > :27:31.wide. -- Gordon. A Kilmarnock corner. The last minutes of the game
:27:32. > :27:40.and Kilmarnock, they are threatening.
:27:41. > :27:54.Back to Brown. McDonald with perhaps his finest save of the game in the
:27:55. > :28:00.last minute. Stoppage time and Celtic still pounding this
:28:01. > :28:05.Kilmarnock rearguard that is refusing to block all. It is a free
:28:06. > :28:14.kick here. Celtic in a hurry to take it. Gary Mackay-Steven fouled. Last
:28:15. > :28:20.chance saloon for the champions. It is headed towards goal and it comes
:28:21. > :28:29.back off the bar. That looks to be the final chance. Very frustrating.
:28:30. > :28:37.We controlled the game for 90 minutes. A lack of quality and we
:28:38. > :28:43.should have scored. But in the end, we had not enough quality. Celtic
:28:44. > :28:48.have loads of possession. We knew they would have we defended
:28:49. > :28:51.resolutely and we defended as a team. When we got the ball forward
:28:52. > :28:54.quickly, I knew we had players who could cause them problems and
:28:55. > :28:57.towards the end of the game, we had a couple of chances and could
:28:58. > :29:02.possibly have scored. A good result for Kilmarnock and it
:29:03. > :29:06.will scoreline for Celtic. How surprised were you they could not
:29:07. > :29:12.find a way through? -- a poor scoreline. They hit the woodwork in
:29:13. > :29:21.the last five minutes. The header. It is typical Celtic. They had 65%
:29:22. > :29:25.possession. Credit to Kilmarnock. You go to Parkhead and you have to
:29:26. > :29:30.be resolute and you have to make sure you keep your player is solid.
:29:31. > :29:37.That is the way the game plan went. Ronnie Deila has a Plan A and when
:29:38. > :29:43.that does not work, how good is the second plan? They have a couple.
:29:44. > :29:47.They are playing a team getting a mass of players behind the ball. The
:29:48. > :29:51.plan was to run at pace at players in the box and sometimes you get
:29:52. > :29:56.penalties but against a massed defence, if you run at pace, you
:29:57. > :30:01.sometimes get penalties. Celtic almost got a couple but look at the
:30:02. > :30:07.defending. Two players, are we having a shot? No. Can I have a
:30:08. > :30:13.shot? No. That is good organised defending and it is hard to break
:30:14. > :30:19.down. Plan B might have to be power. The same against Hearts. A lot of
:30:20. > :30:24.bodies in the box, often ten. There are other options but it is hard to
:30:25. > :30:29.break that down. Is that how you have to play at Celtic? You are
:30:30. > :30:35.always on the front foot. The way to break that down is to get it wide
:30:36. > :30:43.and get crosses in. Putting crosses in, we mentioned the big guy... You
:30:44. > :30:48.put crosses into who? Griffiths has scored had as of late but that is
:30:49. > :30:54.the problem. Better result this weekend for Ajax. Three points clear
:30:55. > :31:00.at the top of the Dutch league. Do you think Celtic will qualify? They
:31:01. > :31:05.have to win their two games. Do you think they well? I put my head on
:31:06. > :31:10.the block, Celtic will beat Ajax. It is a special night and they have to
:31:11. > :31:14.come up trumps. They play great football, a play in the right
:31:15. > :31:20.manner. The problem is they have two suspensions. And Kris Commons is
:31:21. > :31:25.struggling injury. In a word, will they qualify as to mark no, it is
:31:26. > :31:33.going to be hard for them. -- qualify?
:31:34. > :31:34.Hearts began the weekend second in the table.
:31:35. > :31:36.Could they muster some kind of title challenge?
:31:37. > :31:40.The visit of Dundee never a good omen for such matters, as fans who
:31:41. > :32:02.Who could have seen Hearts playing on the last day for the
:32:03. > :32:07.Championship? There is a goal. It is so agonising for Hearts. Will this
:32:08. > :32:18.Championship disappear from their very eyes? They are looking slightly
:32:19. > :32:28.ragged. It is a great chance. A brilliant goal. And Hearts look in
:32:29. > :32:35.abject misery, while the Dundee supporters are celebrating. As
:32:36. > :32:45.Hearts look to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches, this is the
:32:46. > :32:46.team they fielded. Dundee make four changes from the 1-1 draw with
:32:47. > :33:10.Partick this. This allows Dundee to come forward
:33:11. > :33:15.on the counterattack. Rory Loy is halted and Sam Nicholson picks up in
:33:16. > :33:24.midfield. A good run from Nicholson. This could be promising for Hearts.
:33:25. > :33:39.It was comfortable in the end for Scott Bain.
:33:40. > :33:45.That was a good cross and there is Arnaud Djoum completely unmarked.
:33:46. > :33:53.Hearts have the opening goal and what a good goal it was. Beautifully
:33:54. > :33:58.crafted. Pinpoint cross from Paterson and there is Arnaud Djoum.
:33:59. > :34:15.What a good acquisition he is turning out to be for Hearts.
:34:16. > :34:31.Another break for Arnaud Djoum. Bain tips it over the bar, not taking any
:34:32. > :34:34.chances. Craig Levine, the Hearts director of football, must be
:34:35. > :34:38.delighted by their performance on their return to the Premiership. Sam
:34:39. > :34:45.Nicholson lines one up from distance. Bain again feeling the
:34:46. > :34:49.need to get his fingertips to it. Might have been drifting over from
:34:50. > :35:01.Nicholson who has been so impressive this season for Hearts. Nielsen is
:35:02. > :35:08.thinking about a change. Dundee come forward with Greg Stewart. Rory Loy
:35:09. > :35:14.has beaten the offside trap. He curled it beyond Neil Alexander.
:35:15. > :35:22.Hearts claim for offside, but it is not forthcoming. Dundee are level.
:35:23. > :35:27.It is Rory Loy's seventh goal of the season. It is a lovely finish from
:35:28. > :35:35.Rory Loy. You can see he is clearly onside. The player in the middle
:35:36. > :35:44.played him on. It was a fine finish. The former Hearts midfielder Paul
:35:45. > :35:49.Hartley will be delighted with that. It is a chance for Kevin Thomson.
:35:50. > :35:57.But the whistle has gone for offside on this occasion. It might have been
:35:58. > :35:59.rubbing salt in the wounds if the former Hibs man had sealed the win
:36:00. > :36:14.here. Patterson on to his left foot and a
:36:15. > :36:28.good strike, but straight towards Scott Bain. The first 20 minutes we
:36:29. > :36:33.dominated. And then we went to pot really and we never performed and we
:36:34. > :36:38.started going through the motions. I spoke to them at half-time, and it
:36:39. > :36:43.picked up a little bit, but if you want to push up the league, we must
:36:44. > :36:47.do better than that. Teams have come here and got turned over properly,
:36:48. > :36:54.but we have shown there is more about us. We are hard to defeat. We
:36:55. > :36:55.have had four defeats and a lot of draws in between, but we are a
:36:56. > :37:04.proper team with great we would crave a great title
:37:05. > :37:09.challenge in Scotland. Can either of you see Hearts doing anything like
:37:10. > :37:15.that? We would love to see it, but Celtic are so strong. If Celtic get
:37:16. > :37:20.to in the Europa League and have a long run, it gives the team is an
:37:21. > :37:25.opportunity because Celtic will be stretched. If Celtic go out, I
:37:26. > :37:28.cannot see it happen. I am impressed with Hearts and their recruitment
:37:29. > :37:32.has been great and they have brought in a lot of young players, so I am
:37:33. > :37:42.impressed with the strikers they have got. I thought that penalty was
:37:43. > :37:47.harsh. I think it is fantastic to have done what they have done. To
:37:48. > :37:54.come back in the first year in the SPL Bay have been a revelation. They
:37:55. > :37:59.have got Arnaud Djoum, a former Belgian 20 -- under 20
:38:00. > :38:06.international. He is a big, powerful lad. You are not a mug if you are
:38:07. > :38:13.capped for Belgium. Especially in that position. Yes, and this goal
:38:14. > :38:20.shows his appetite to get into the box. It is a wonderful header. No
:38:21. > :38:26.goalkeeper will save that. I like the fact he gets between the posts.
:38:27. > :38:32.If there is a Rick O'Shea, if it comes to you, you have got a chance.
:38:33. > :38:39.He is another good find and there must be a temptation to keep him
:38:40. > :38:44.longer. Another one who will add another option and they have got
:38:45. > :38:48.lots of options. Dundee are struggling for form. They are
:38:49. > :38:54.hovering around mid-table, either a top six or bottom six. They are
:38:55. > :39:01.looking to get into the top six and push on. The big players for them
:39:02. > :39:06.like Thomson and Mark Paik, they have been injured. They bring a
:39:07. > :39:12.whole lot of experience to the team. That is a good result. Hearts is a
:39:13. > :39:13.very intimidating arena to play football. Any result at Tynecastle
:39:14. > :39:17.is a good result. With three defeats in a row,
:39:18. > :39:20.the Ross County push for Europe had Would they be suitably refreshed
:39:21. > :39:36.for a second push Ross County's last outing had been a
:39:37. > :39:42.heavy defeat by Celtic and they looked keen to make amends early on.
:39:43. > :39:46.Liam Boyce had the ball in the net, but the whistle had already
:39:47. > :39:52.sounded. But the County fans had only a minute to wait to celebrate
:39:53. > :39:56.for real. Tony Dingwall's initial shot was blocked, but then he put it
:39:57. > :39:57.out to Woods and his cross was acrobatically turned into the net by
:39:58. > :40:07.Craig Curran. It was his fourth goal of the season
:40:08. > :40:13.and the most spectacular. A good start from Jim McIntyre's side, but
:40:14. > :40:17.Motherwell came close to a level. Nigel Ainsworth broke free and he
:40:18. > :40:24.chose to go for goal even though there were options in the middle. It
:40:25. > :40:29.was tipped around the post. Candy's narrowly was extended midway through
:40:30. > :40:37.the second half. Dingwall played a 1-2 with Mark Woods before keeping a
:40:38. > :40:42.cool head to tap into the empty net. Two goals in two games for Dingwall.
:40:43. > :40:49.But Motherwell's defending left a lot to be desired. It will not be
:40:50. > :40:53.lost on their manager Mark McGhee. The home side were not done yet and
:40:54. > :40:59.in the final minute when Liam Boyce invited a clumsy challenge from
:41:00. > :41:01.Kennedy, the striker welcome to the opportunity to end the goal-scoring
:41:02. > :41:06.drought that extends back to October. The Northern Ireland
:41:07. > :41:10.international dusted himself down and slotted in his 12th goal of the
:41:11. > :41:16.season to complete a good day's work for County. We were delighted with
:41:17. > :41:22.the goals and I was delighted for Liam Boyce who has not scored for a
:41:23. > :41:28.while. It was fantastic strength to get the penalty. I thought Curran's
:41:29. > :41:33.finish was excellent. He gives us so much energy, but he has got good
:41:34. > :41:38.quality. I thought we were disappointed in all areas of the
:41:39. > :41:43.field and the game. They just had more energy, they were more
:41:44. > :41:49.aggressive, they were better in every area of the pits. Mark McGhee
:41:50. > :41:56.said he was sick as he watched the Republic of Ireland qualify for Euro
:41:57. > :42:02.2016 at Scotland's expense. You guys were both wincing at some of this
:42:03. > :42:07.today. Let's have a look at it. I was not wincing at the first goal.
:42:08. > :42:12.It was a great finish. They should have got closer to Curran, but it is
:42:13. > :42:21.a great hit. No keeper will save it. But this... Nobody follows him and
:42:22. > :42:26.they are playing on, two. Nobody chases him and everybody is static.
:42:27. > :42:32.Mark will be going mad at that. What is going on? It is poor defending
:42:33. > :42:39.and it is something they will have to sort out. McManus was suspended.
:42:40. > :42:43.It is a good goal for young Dingwall. The last time he scored
:42:44. > :42:51.against Celtic, he is a local kid from Dingwall and it is great to see
:42:52. > :42:56.that. They are doing really well to have 21 points at this moment in
:42:57. > :42:57.time. They will not want what happened last season to repeat
:42:58. > :43:06.itself. They have to get their happened last season to repeat
:43:07. > :43:11.injured players back. They have got to get Keith Lasley and Stephen
:43:12. > :43:17.Hamill back because these guys are experienced. They have to get back
:43:18. > :43:21.After all that, the Premiership table looks like this.
:43:22. > :43:23.It's a case of status quo at the top.
:43:24. > :43:26.Celtic, Hearts and Aberdeen all letting each other off the hook.
:43:27. > :43:28.Hamilton's point today means they're back in the top six,
:43:29. > :43:32.Partick Thistle out of the play-off place, at Motherwell's expense.
:43:33. > :43:36.Dundee United now six points adrift at the bottom.
:43:37. > :43:41.Rangers had lost their last match on the road, the 2-1 defeat to Hibs
:43:42. > :43:43.Yesterday, they were away to struggling Livingston.
:43:44. > :44:17.Livingston make one change to the team.
:44:18. > :44:28.In from Mackay. That was Ben Gordon and all he could do was set up Jason
:44:29. > :44:33.hold for the opening goal. Livingston's first mistake of the
:44:34. > :44:47.match is punished. It is the Rangers midfielder whose scorers.
:44:48. > :45:00.The shot is blocked by Rob Kiernan and there are claims for a penalty
:45:01. > :45:06.for handball against Ciaran on. Holt is finding room and Barry Mackay is
:45:07. > :45:11.within a fraction of making it 2-0. A great effort, it was curling and
:45:12. > :45:23.it was dating and it came back off the base of the post. Winding up for
:45:24. > :45:28.the long throw. There is Jordan White, what a chance, right on
:45:29. > :45:43.half-time for Livingston to level things up. Good running from Ben
:45:44. > :46:01.Gordon. Optimistic with the shot. And it is 1-1. A great strike,
:46:02. > :46:07.rifled in past were -- Fotheringham. They are back on level terms.
:46:08. > :46:18.James Tavernier. Andy Halliday. A good shot and a good save by the on
:46:19. > :46:28.loan Dundee United goalkeeper Mark McCallum. Gedion Zelalem. Good work
:46:29. > :46:33.from Mackay. Miller. And another good stop by the Livingston keeper.
:46:34. > :46:39.A reflex save this time from McCallum. Rangers throwing
:46:40. > :46:49.everything at winning this game. Why corn. Deflected. -- why corn. And
:46:50. > :46:50.over. And maybe you are wondering whether he should have hit this
:46:51. > :47:03.earlier. Still 1-1. Jordan wide. whether he should have hit this
:47:04. > :47:14.Glenn, down inside the box. No penalty says the referee. Looking a
:47:15. > :47:23.bit agitated, the Rangers manager. He wants the win. In from James
:47:24. > :47:30.Tavernier. Cleared as far as Kenny Miller. And Jackson was in front of
:47:31. > :47:47.the keeper who got his head in the way of this effort from Miller.
:47:48. > :47:50.Holt. Gedion Zelalem. Flinging himself to the ground, never a
:47:51. > :47:58.chance of a penalty and every chance of a yellow card. Tactically, the
:47:59. > :48:02.players were fantastic today and that was a good thing. We are
:48:03. > :48:08.playing well against the good teams and I said we would get points from
:48:09. > :48:10.them and I expected to get something today. Disappointed at the end, I
:48:11. > :48:15.thought we might get the penalty and we nearly got into the back post but
:48:16. > :48:18.I am sure Rangers but think they should have won. Got the goal,
:48:19. > :48:22.started well, should good quality in the first half and should have got
:48:23. > :48:28.the second. Second half, players got an early goal and we got sloppy. A
:48:29. > :48:31.bit loose in possession. We created chances, but not enough clear-cut
:48:32. > :48:37.chances and real quality in that area of the pitch. Great result for
:48:38. > :48:41.Livingston and you were impressed with the way they handled Rangers. I
:48:42. > :48:47.was impressed with one part. They had a game plan, a defensive game
:48:48. > :48:52.plan, not to engage until they go deep. They are not going to tackle
:48:53. > :48:56.until they get in that area. They do not dive in, the ball is played out
:48:57. > :49:03.wide. They play in front, they do not dive. Played back once again. He
:49:04. > :49:11.runs it out, not engaging. You have to get through. When they play into
:49:12. > :49:15.that area, 3 of them really close, I thought it was really clever and
:49:16. > :49:19.they did it a lot through the game. I am not going to go there.
:49:20. > :49:23.Especially against James Tavernier who goes past you so do not give him
:49:24. > :49:31.the opportunity. It is like a basketball defence. It is not they
:49:32. > :49:34.are scared to go and chase. They are not worried about it, that is the
:49:35. > :49:40.game plan. I liked the way they did it. The ball is played wide. It is
:49:41. > :49:45.difficult to ask players to do that because it is against their nature.
:49:46. > :49:49.I was very impressed with that tactic. Is that the shape of things
:49:50. > :49:54.to come and work Rangers need to expect in the season? Certainly. You
:49:55. > :50:01.need a player to unlock the draw. Somebody with magic. The game is,
:50:02. > :50:06.Livi against Rangers, keep yourself in the game even if you lose a
:50:07. > :50:10.goal. You always have a chance. Rangers needed the second goal and
:50:11. > :50:12.they never did that and they got punished, Livi got an equaliser.
:50:13. > :50:13.Interesting times. The big question -
:50:14. > :50:28.could their rivals There really is no stopping Jason
:50:29. > :50:34.Cummings right now. He scored his 14th goal of the season and he took
:50:35. > :50:42.the time out to hug a van as Hibs took a 1-0 lead at Alloa. -- fun.
:50:43. > :50:49.That is how it stayed. Hibs level on points at this end of the
:50:50. > :50:53.Championship table with Celtic, at Alloa bottom and they finished this
:50:54. > :51:04.game with ten men. Doody Hill seeing red. -- Doody Hill.
:51:05. > :51:16.Next up, a tightly contested Renfrewshire derby. St Mirren headed
:51:17. > :51:21.in front to get the long-suffering players that Friday feeling at last.
:51:22. > :51:25.But there is always suffering involved with St Mirren at the
:51:26. > :51:31.moment. With time ticking, Martin rallied for a final fling at the
:51:32. > :51:37.home defence. -- Morton. When Jamie Lange field to halt the shot, Alec
:51:38. > :51:50.Samuel pounced to earn Morton a valuable point.
:51:51. > :51:57.Falkirk continued to ride on the coat-tails of Hibs and Rangers, Will
:51:58. > :52:01.Holmes giving them the leader and Queen of the self putting a spring
:52:02. > :52:07.in the step of the supporters. -- Queen of the South. But they are no
:52:08. > :52:18.pushover. Falkirk found that to their cost when David McCracken
:52:19. > 3:24:26pushed over Derek Lyle in the box. He regained his senses enough to
3:24:27 > 3:24:26pushed over Derek Lyle in the box. make it 1-1 from the penalty spot.
3:24:27 > 3:24:26The second half, another Falkirk Corner and another Falkirk goal.
3:24:27 > 3:24:26Eventually, Lee Miller making it 2-1. But within a minute of that, it
3:24:27 > 3:24:26was back to 2-2. Iain Russell with the goal as this confrontation ended
3:24:27 > 3:24:26all square. A lot of great action in the Championship. And exciting at
3:24:27 > 3:24:26the top. Hibs level on points with Rangers 137. Although they have
3:24:27 > 3:24:26played one more game. -- on 37. Do you think, John, do you think Hibs
3:24:27 > 3:24:26will win the Championship? It is all to play for and all credit.
3:24:27 > 3:24:26They were eight points back and they have called it back. They rotate the
3:24:27 > 3:24:26squad. That is what Rangers do. The positions they will look to add to
3:24:27 > 3:24:26its upfront. I think they just need a bit and Rangers, they are capable
3:24:27 > 3:24:26of doing that and I think they might go on to win it. How do you feel,
3:24:27 > 3:24:26Pat? What do Hibs need to strengthen? I am not sure. They have
3:24:27 > 3:24:26a lot of goal-scorers all over the park. Five or six. They have got a
3:24:27 > 3:24:26really good chance. They have to believe in themselves and it is
3:24:27 > 3:24:26whether they do that until the end of the season. We will have to see.
3:24:27 > 3:24:26Hibs play in the Championship and they are on it wreaked road and also
3:24:27 > 3:24:26beating SPL teams -- a great run. Alan Stubbs is doing a great job.
3:24:27 > 3:24:26This is a real treat, the new Scotland kit for the 2018 campaign.
3:24:27 > 3:24:26Model home and away. Reaction from you, John Hughes? I like two of the
3:24:27 > 3:24:26models! I am all for it, anything with a bit of colour. The pink one
3:24:27 > 3:24:26is my shade. Thank you. Yogi's about to hit the bike,
3:24:27 > 3:24:26back up the A9. From all of us on the Sportscene
3:24:27 > 3:24:27team, goodnight.