23/02/2014 Sportscene


23/02/2014

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 23/02/2014. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

Welcome to Sportscene. It's been a landmark weekend for players, clubs,

:00:56.:01:02.

even countries. And it's always a landmark weekend when we have guests

:01:03.:01:05.

of this calibre joining us. Pat Nevin and the St Mirren striker

:01:06.:01:08.

Steven Thompson in the studio tonight.

:01:09.:01:11.

Before we get to the Premiership action, the draw for the Euro 2016

:01:12.:01:15.

qualifiers was made in France earlier today. Scotland have been

:01:16.:01:19.

drawn in Group D. These are our group rivals standing in our way.

:01:20.:01:26.

Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Poland, Georgia and Gibraltar who

:01:27.:01:29.

are in the tournament for the very first time. This was the reaction of

:01:30.:01:33.

the Scotland manager Gordon Strachan. Excited. I think that's

:01:34.:01:41.

the one thing you can say about this group. All those might be a bit

:01:42.:01:49.

mundane, but this one, you have got one of the best teams ever, the

:01:50.:01:54.

German side, a new nation in the tournament as Gibraltar, and then

:01:55.:01:57.

you have got four other teams who are all possible to get the second

:01:58.:02:05.

place. So that's exciting. Scotland's first fixture, away to

:02:06.:02:08.

Germany, on September seven. What chance to start -- Scotland have? I

:02:09.:02:14.

like it, I think we got a great chance. If we play in our potential,

:02:15.:02:21.

we can finish second. The games against Ireland and Ireland will be

:02:22.:02:28.

pivotal. The manager of Gibraltar saying he is targeting third-place,

:02:29.:02:32.

which would mean Gibraltar is in the play-off places, what does that say

:02:33.:02:35.

about what he expects from the likes of us? It is a number of things, you

:02:36.:02:38.

think he has got a problem with reality! He probably thinks Germany

:02:39.:02:45.

will be forth! We have done well to get here. Gibraltar, I talked to

:02:46.:02:49.

some people over there, and they say they should be in it now but they

:02:50.:02:57.

have no chance. The likes of Poland, they have got very good players, but

:02:58.:03:02.

I think they are past their best. Ireland I think will be the team, if

:03:03.:03:07.

we can get a home win and a draw away, we have chance. Quietly

:03:08.:03:12.

confident? Absolutely. On with the action. We start at Firhill and

:03:13.:03:16.

despite being at the tail end of February, Partick Thistle were still

:03:17.:03:19.

to win a league match at home this season. High-flying Aberdeen were

:03:20.:03:22.

the visitors this weekend. Surely not? Commentary comes from John

:03:23.:03:23.

Barnes. Partick Thistle may have lost in a

:03:24.:03:34.

seven goal lead to Motherwell last week but he starts with the same

:03:35.:03:40.

starting A-level. Two changes to the Aberdeen line-up -- starting with

:03:41.:03:42.

the same 11. Looking for Adam Rooney. He is taken

:03:43.:03:57.

down, the referee says yes. Penalty to Aberdeen. A yellow card for Paul

:03:58.:04:04.

Gallico, the official feeling he is impeded by the goalkeeper. -- Paul

:04:05.:04:12.

Gallacher. He makes a great save! Rooney with the follow-up! And

:04:13.:04:17.

again, Gallacher is alert to the situation. A terrific double save by

:04:18.:04:19.

the keeper. Another collision between Rooney and

:04:20.:04:34.

Gallacher. The goalkeeper is incensed. The striker looks for a

:04:35.:04:36.

penalty. That is a good delivery, Rooney with

:04:37.:04:50.

the header. And Gallacher with the save. It is becoming a contest

:04:51.:04:56.

between those two. And the goalkeeper is winning.

:04:57.:05:01.

13 home games without a league win for his side.

:05:02.:05:12.

A header from an Anderson, but Partick Thistle get it away.

:05:13.:05:21.

Desperate defending from the home side. But they stood firm.

:05:22.:05:32.

A good effort, and an excellent stop. And Thistle just can't put it

:05:33.:05:39.

away. Kallum Higginbotham, teasing as

:05:40.:05:52.

ever. He has done well to get the crossing. Conrad Balatoni! And

:05:53.:06:00.

Partick Thistle have the lead, just before the hour mark. Lovely first

:06:01.:06:08.

touch by the big centre-half and an excellent finish to put his side in

:06:09.:06:09.

front. Thistle taking a boost from that

:06:10.:06:21.

goal. Good delivery, Lyle Taylor, and it

:06:22.:06:35.

is 2-0 Partick Thistle! Terrific striker's play there. Getting in

:06:36.:06:41.

front of his marker, Russell Anderson. And turning it home for

:06:42.:06:43.

his fourth goal for Thistle. The referee says Callum Paterson --

:06:44.:06:58.

Kallum Higginbotham fouled the Aberdeen player. The free kick, in

:06:59.:07:05.

towards Rooney, and a header for Adam Rooney puts Aberdeen back in

:07:06.:07:11.

the game. Eventually the striker has beaten Paul Gallacher and it is his

:07:12.:07:13.

fourth goal in five games. Good control. Excellent strike there

:07:14.:07:33.

from Taylor. It's his second of the afternoon. Partick Thistle's third.

:07:34.:07:37.

And now, surely, they are on course for their first home league victory

:07:38.:07:47.

of the season. Taylor's this goal, his second double since signing. --

:07:48.:07:49.

fifth goal. He has clashed, chance for the

:07:50.:08:03.

Patrick! And Jamie Lange field is there to get his total that one, to

:08:04.:08:06.

steer it wide. It has been a good alpha --

:08:07.:08:27.

afternoon so far for Paul Gallacher, and Partick Thistle. I thought with

:08:28.:08:35.

the second penalty, it was penalty every day of the week. I am bemused

:08:36.:08:40.

as why that has not been given. Paul Gallacher came out to Adam Rooney

:08:41.:08:44.

without touching the ball, the clear goal-scoring opportunity, the last

:08:45.:08:48.

man, he has already been booked for the first challenge. That was a big

:08:49.:08:51.

decision. I think we don't get the first penalty, I think we would have

:08:52.:08:55.

got that one. It was not just a good result, it was a fantastic

:08:56.:09:00.

performance from Partick Thistle, a thoroughly deserved victory finally?

:09:01.:09:06.

Yes, finally, definitely the second half performance, the first half we

:09:07.:09:09.

were poor and we did not show belief. The second half was much

:09:10.:09:12.

more like us, we put in a good performance and wish but in belief.

:09:13.:09:20.

How much of a needed a player like Lyle Taylor? They have needed a

:09:21.:09:28.

goal-scorer. Watch this, I love this. His positioning there, I think

:09:29.:09:34.

Anderson gets close, there are four positions between him, he gets the

:09:35.:09:37.

timing income he is magnificent. Funny, this is the best touch of the

:09:38.:09:42.

weekend. I like his first touch, but what he does now is even better. He

:09:43.:09:47.

draws Russell in, slows down after he takes the touch, his first touch

:09:48.:09:52.

is a great pass. His first touch is perfect but watch where he slows

:09:53.:09:56.

down. And then he has passed him with a change of pace in the finish.

:09:57.:10:01.

There is great elegance about the way he plays. He will be gutted by

:10:02.:10:05.

two of the best tackles of the week, that is great, this is better. You

:10:06.:10:14.

kind of should not laugh. But that is magnificent. He has made a huge

:10:15.:10:20.

difference and he is growing into it as well. We all know that Partick

:10:21.:10:24.

Thistle, they have played well this season but they have collapsed so

:10:25.:10:25.

many times. Was this a penalty in the first

:10:26.:10:42.

half? If the keeper dives like that, you have to make sure you get some

:10:43.:10:45.

ball. He comes flying out, it is hard to tell whether he touches

:10:46.:10:50.

him. He said he did not touch him. He would want him to be taking --

:10:51.:10:57.

taking the penalty. It is a blitz double save especially for a man of

:10:58.:11:03.

his age. When he gets down, to render safe, getting back up for the

:11:04.:11:07.

second. Was this a penalty? McInnis thought it was. I thought it was, he

:11:08.:11:15.

does not get the ball, and Derek is right, he runs straight into Rooney.

:11:16.:11:20.

At much pace, it is hard to say. Rooney gets a touch there, it was

:11:21.:11:25.

not deliberate. It may well be that Derek is right, had the first

:11:26.:11:29.

penalty not been given, they would have got that one. But at match

:11:30.:11:33.

pace, it is tough, the referee cannot give it unless he is 100%

:11:34.:11:37.

what will the result do for Partick Thistle, in terms of the confidence?

:11:38.:11:45.

It is a massive bounce for them, to get the monkey off their backs, a

:11:46.:11:48.

first home victory. Derek says after the match, they did not play well in

:11:49.:11:53.

the first half but the confidence they got in the goal, going to

:11:54.:11:56.

happen is up, you could see the belief in the players getting off

:11:57.:12:02.

that bottom spot. So a huge win for Partick Thistle. How would that

:12:03.:12:05.

effect the race to avoid the play-off place? Two other sides in

:12:06.:12:08.

the mix came face to face. Ross County and St Mirren. It would be

:12:09.:12:12.

tasty for all sorts of reasons. Commentary from Rob Maclean.

:12:13.:12:16.

Filip Kiss, unknown, has made a quick impact and he is back after

:12:17.:12:28.

suspension. -- he is on loan. One change in the St Mirren team.

:12:29.:12:40.

Kenny McLean lining up the shot. And that was a good one. It was moving

:12:41.:12:47.

in the air from the field. And it had to be watched carefully by Mark

:12:48.:12:53.

Brown. Both Derek Adams and Danny Lennon keen to avoid the second

:12:54.:12:54.

bottom spot. Did well to get that game, it is

:12:55.:13:11.

another opportunity. It is the man on loan from Blackburn, Yann

:13:12.:13:17.

Songo'o. In this queue on the header. -- and this queue on the

:13:18.:13:20.

header. Saved by Marian Kello, and he was

:13:21.:13:31.

concerned there for a moment where that was going to end up. A powerful

:13:32.:13:40.

hit from Jordan Slew, spitting up to the top of the net.

:13:41.:13:49.

Ingo 's Goodwin, and down goes Kiss, holding his head. And the Ross

:13:50.:13:58.

County fans did not like that challenge and that is why.

:13:59.:14:05.

Was there a target at the shirts? No free kick. And you ran our claim's

:14:06.:14:22.

header is in! It is the Frenchman's first goal in five games. --

:14:23.:14:27.

Arquin's header was in. He has made a very positive first impression.

:14:28.:14:37.

Michael Tidser was the supplier, and the looping header over the top of

:14:38.:14:44.

Marian Kello. Jordan Slew is powerful, pacey and away from Darren

:14:45.:14:48.

McGregor. A great ball in, it is Arquin! Saved by Marian Kello,

:14:49.:14:53.

played by Goodwin. Well, he took a touch, and he is now wishing he had

:14:54.:14:58.

taken the first time. It was a great chance for a second goal.

:14:59.:15:07.

Lovely ball, powering away. It is saved, it is Arquin again. Cannot

:15:08.:15:22.

believe he has not added to that opening goal. This was the big

:15:23.:15:28.

chance and he fluffed his lines. Danny Lennon is happy to be only one

:15:29.:15:33.

goal down. Gregg Wylde's corner kick. John McGinn lining up the

:15:34.:15:42.

shot, it is a beauty! I think Brian McLean was thinking he was playing

:15:43.:15:48.

John McGinn onto his weak side. No weakness here. That is a powerful

:15:49.:15:58.

strike with his right foot, from the young John McGinn. Mark Brown was

:15:59.:16:00.

not stopping this. It is 1-1. Jim Goodwin on Melvin De Leeuw.

:16:01.:16:19.

Derek Adams was on the pitch. An argument breaks out with his

:16:20.:16:23.

opposite number. That looks like a painful clash of heads. The referee

:16:24.:16:30.

has some sorting out to do here, and you can tell he is indicating that

:16:31.:16:35.

both managers should head for the stand.

:16:36.:16:48.

Arquin brushes aside Jim Goodwin. Real opportunity here. It is Melvin

:16:49.:17:01.

De Leeuw. 2-1. It is a great goal for Ross County. Jim Goodwin

:17:02.:17:09.

outmuscled. When the chance came his way, this was a really cool and

:17:10.:17:15.

Cameron: Nicole -- cool and clinical finish. It was a difficult one to

:17:16.:17:21.

take. I felt we came out of the traps well. Then we lost our way,

:17:22.:17:28.

and Ross County came in, I felt a 30 minute we lost that. I thought we

:17:29.:17:35.

were brilliant from start to finish, we passed the ball really well. The

:17:36.:17:40.

amount of chances we created over 90 minutes was outstanding and we

:17:41.:17:43.

should have scored a lot more goals. Over the 90 minutes, a terrific

:17:44.:17:48.

display from the players. We will talk about those incidents shortly

:17:49.:17:52.

but it was a great victory for Ross County. How instrumental work Arquin

:17:53.:18:03.

and Melvin De Leeuw. Superb. He gets turned a little bit too easily but

:18:04.:18:08.

they are showing the pace and power from the start. They are willing to

:18:09.:18:12.

look for each other all the time and linkup. Here is both of them, moving

:18:13.:18:20.

into the middle. He goes straight for the goal every time he gets a

:18:21.:18:28.

chance, and I have to say, Arquin all through the game is going. He

:18:29.:18:32.

has not touched the ball but he is already looking for his mate. He has

:18:33.:18:37.

gone by, great pace, another loop, and a fourth look. Arquin should

:18:38.:18:41.

actually score at that point but that really impressed me, when you

:18:42.:18:45.

get strikers wanting to linkup. They look like a partnership. It is

:18:46.:18:50.

brilliant when you get that relationship with the striker. The

:18:51.:18:56.

one that sticks in my mind was Michael Chop write-down at Cardiff.

:18:57.:19:03.

You get a telepathic understanding. You can see his pace and composure,

:19:04.:19:10.

he lays this on a plate. Were Ross County deserved winners? If you look

:19:11.:19:14.

at the chant is the created, it was definitely more than us. We have to

:19:15.:19:18.

talk about Jim Goodwin not for the first time this season. Any doubt in

:19:19.:19:23.

your mind about this elbow being intentional? Intentional, only he

:19:24.:19:29.

will know if it is intentional or not. In simple terms, you do not

:19:30.:19:36.

lead with your arm. To be fair, it is very difficult. It does not look

:19:37.:19:42.

good for Jim. I can see that he is protecting his face from getting

:19:43.:19:47.

hit. I am not going to defend him but I think his arm is up to protect

:19:48.:19:53.

his face. In this instance, his arm is not up and it is a very nasty

:19:54.:19:58.

head knock. He has a very nasty lump on his head. Years not using his

:19:59.:20:07.

elbow. I think Derek Adams exacerbated the situation. That is a

:20:08.:20:11.

nastier clash of heads. Is he not protecting his own player? He is not

:20:12.:20:18.

being rash, he has gone up for a header and got a head knock. I would

:20:19.:20:22.

say it was definitely header and got a head knock. I would

:20:23.:20:24.

say it was rash but not deliberate. Any player who tries to go for

:20:25.:20:31.

another player... He's not doing that, so I don't think it is

:20:32.:20:36.

deliberate, but he is rash, he is not controlled, and that is what has

:20:37.:20:42.

upset Derek Adams. In the end, it is quite simple. Only a complete fool

:20:43.:20:44.

would go on headbutt somebody in the head. I cannot give him any excuse

:20:45.:20:52.

for the first one. The major focus before the lunchtime kick-off

:20:53.:20:55.

between Hearts and Celtic was on Fraser Forster. Would he break Bobby

:20:56.:21:07.

Clark's record? Hearts are unbeaten in four games and Gary Locke can

:21:08.:21:12.

bring back Kevin McCarthy from suspension. Also back is Callum

:21:13.:21:21.

Paterson. Emilio Izaguirre has not made it for Celtic but Charlie

:21:22.:21:24.

Mulgrew is back into the fray for Celtic.

:21:25.:21:29.

15th league win in a row, Fraser Forster looking for a 13th clean

:21:30.:21:37.

sheet in a row as that ball comes in towards Leigh Griffiths. To get off

:21:38.:21:44.

the mark for Celtic. He is not popular around here.

:21:45.:21:53.

Decent delivery in, Fraser Forster spills it and grabs it from Callum

:21:54.:21:58.

Paterson at the second attempt. Westbrook to beat the record of

:21:59.:22:01.

Bobby Clark. -- desperate. They will get the corner here, as

:22:02.:22:26.

Anthony Stokes drove for goal, Hearts clinging on. They were 5-0

:22:27.:22:30.

down last time Celtic were here at this point. Fraser Forster has that

:22:31.:22:35.

Scottish record, he has beaten Bobby Clark.

:22:36.:22:44.

Leigh Griffiths. Given the treatment from the stands, as he would have

:22:45.:22:55.

expected, I'm sure. Kris Commons has a dig. He got a hat-trick in the

:22:56.:23:07.

fourth round as Celtic won 7-0. Neil Lennon will be quite happy sitting

:23:08.:23:08.

in his seat right now. Jamie MacDonald is there to deny

:23:09.:23:23.

Anthony Stokes. He has been brilliant for Hearts this season,

:23:24.:23:27.

Jamie MacDonald. No frills from Efe Ambrose. Jamie

:23:28.:23:33.

Hamill loses out to Anthony Stokes. Good play from Leigh Griffiths. The

:23:34.:23:54.

man in the Heart of Midlothian fans love to hate is back to want them.

:23:55.:24:01.

This time in green and white hoops, his first for the club and it is

:24:02.:24:06.

classic Leigh Griffiths, twisting and turning Danny Wilson inside out.

:24:07.:24:21.

Hearts are unbeaten in four coming into this one, the second-best run

:24:22.:24:24.

in the league. Scott Brown gave Sam Nicholson a

:24:25.:24:33.

little shove. Jamie MacDonald touch that onto the

:24:34.:24:53.

bar. Another great save, that came off Dylan MacGowan before it reached

:24:54.:25:00.

Jamie MacDonald's hand. It is missed by Fraser Forster, but it does not

:25:01.:25:04.

fall kindly for Danny Wilson who was waiting on the line.

:25:05.:25:10.

Fraser Forster completely missed that. Rightly praised but that was a

:25:11.:25:13.

real error. Teemu Pukki will finish it here. He

:25:14.:25:38.

does. It is just a fifth of the season for Teemu Pukki. Scored on

:25:39.:25:40.

his debut here. The school end at Tynecastle is

:25:41.:25:52.

profitable for him again. I thought we had good control of the game,

:25:53.:25:57.

good composure in midfield and particularly the back four, and I'm

:25:58.:26:02.

very proud, we have broken a record today, 43 years in the making, and

:26:03.:26:07.

it is very difficult so it has been a great day for the club. I think we

:26:08.:26:12.

have got to look at the positives, the last time Celtic played us here

:26:13.:26:15.

there was no contest, you have seen how far some of the young players

:26:16.:26:19.

have come, for a long spells we matched the best team in the

:26:20.:26:22.

country, so there is lots to be positive around. I am delighted,

:26:23.:26:27.

firstly it was about getting the point and keeping that run going.

:26:28.:26:32.

The clean sheet is a real bonus and we are delighted to have kept it.

:26:33.:26:35.

Massive credit to everyone throughout the club, everyone has

:26:36.:26:40.

played a part. We have defended and attacked as a team. Massive credit

:26:41.:26:46.

goes to the goalkeeping coach. Landmark weekend for Fraser

:26:47.:26:49.

Forster, he breaks Bobby Clark's record. It is now 1215 minutes. He

:26:50.:26:57.

will now be looking for Edwin van decide's record. How big an

:26:58.:27:04.

achievement is it? It is fantastic. People will snake at it and say it

:27:05.:27:09.

is easy to compare to what has gone past, you can only do what is

:27:10.:27:14.

possible, and nothing has gone by him. I think he should be England's

:27:15.:27:23.

number one goalkeeper. It was a landmark weekend for a Leigh

:27:24.:27:31.

Griffiths, getting his first goal. Bernie and -- Hibernian will tell

:27:32.:27:33.

you that he was a one-man forward line. Celtic fans will enjoy this.

:27:34.:27:40.

There are three defenders and a goalkeeper. Maybe the defender

:27:41.:27:43.

should go and help but to be honest, you should not score from there. It

:27:44.:27:49.

was written in the stars for him to score at Tynecastle. You know that

:27:50.:27:54.

he had wanted it on his left foot, he got it and whenever he hits it

:27:55.:28:00.

with his left boot he always gets it on target across the keeper. It will

:28:01.:28:07.

be the first of many for Celtic. It has been difficult for Teemu Pukki.

:28:08.:28:11.

He got one yesterday, a goal, but was there any controversy in the

:28:12.:28:17.

build-up? Gary Locke was a bit disappointed. At this point Hearts

:28:18.:28:23.

were chasing, they were only 90 minutes -- one goal down. I have to

:28:24.:28:32.

mention him. This sums it up. Was this a file? No. You've got to be

:28:33.:28:39.

strong. A lot of the time people are going down as soon as they feel

:28:40.:28:46.

anything. I don't think he has done anything wrong other than being a

:28:47.:28:50.

strong forward. I don't think they've got any complaints about

:28:51.:28:53.

that. Having said that, I think they did well. Nice finish from Teemu

:28:54.:29:00.

Pukki. There has been a lot of paper talk about Neil Lennon potentially

:29:01.:29:06.

moving at some point, he has been at Celtic for almost four years.

:29:07.:29:09.

Norwich City have been mentioned. How credible is this? It is credible

:29:10.:29:15.

because he is a very good manager and he has done well in Europe.

:29:16.:29:18.

There will be teams down in England looking at him. It would be a shame

:29:19.:29:23.

if he goes because he is doing a great job and I think he will

:29:24.:29:26.

continue to do a great job at only one man will make a decision like

:29:27.:29:31.

that, it is Neil Lennon. I hope he stays. St Johnstone are fighting to

:29:32.:29:36.

stay in the top six of the Premiership. They welcomed Inverness

:29:37.:29:41.

yesterday. They have Fraser right back in central defence.

:29:42.:29:48.

St Johnstone have been a bogey team for Inverness in recent years. They

:29:49.:29:55.

have only one victory in recent years.

:29:56.:30:04.

Inverness Caley Thistle would ask the first half, Gary -- Garry Warren

:30:05.:30:14.

going close a flavour of things to come. Next to try his luck, the more

:30:15.:30:19.

regular source of call -- goals, Billy McKay, denied by Alan Mannus.

:30:20.:30:28.

With just past the post. -- it whistled just past the post. Despite

:30:29.:30:33.

the good start from Inverness, say Johnson almost took the lead with

:30:34.:30:42.

Nigel Hasselbaink. Stevie May, so often the scorer of goals for

:30:43.:30:47.

Saints, can also act as playmaker. Nigel Hasselbaink again denied, made

:30:48.:30:56.

gently -- Made gently suggesting he might have cut it back. Done at the

:30:57.:31:00.

other end, he Caley Thistle players were doing their best to conjure up

:31:01.:31:04.

a clear chance for Billy McKay. Again, Alan Mannus on hand to stop

:31:05.:31:10.

it. And then, just before half-time, the highest of up and unders caused

:31:11.:31:15.

chaos in the Saints defence and there was Garry Warren to nod

:31:16.:31:19.

Inverness Caley Thistle into the lead. And the big defender, with his

:31:20.:31:30.

third goal of the campaign. So 1-0 Caley Thistle in half-time. In the

:31:31.:31:36.

second half, on came the striker, famous for listing -- and missing a

:31:37.:31:43.

chance against Norway, possibly overshadowed by this mess from Nigel

:31:44.:31:49.

Hasselbaink from six yards. Stevie May then opted to try his luck for

:31:50.:31:57.

36 yards, at least his effort was on target. Credits to Nigel

:31:58.:32:05.

Hasselbaink, despite his mess, he kept trying but it was not his or St

:32:06.:32:11.

Johnstone stage. I think The Times, we could have been -- the first

:32:12.:32:14.

half, we could have been a couple of goals up. We are just delighted to

:32:15.:32:21.

come to a tough venue, St is a team trying very hard to get in the top

:32:22.:32:24.

six and pick up some points. The second half was a lot better, more

:32:25.:32:30.

pressure, we controlled huge part of the games. I do not think we had a

:32:31.:32:38.

save to make. Garry Warren is suggesting that Inverness Caley

:32:39.:32:44.

Thistle are not out of the race completely from second spot, do you

:32:45.:32:47.

buy that? Yellow macro I agree with that. Two games in hand, and if you

:32:48.:32:52.

-- if they win that, it takes them to the same point as Motherwell have

:32:53.:32:58.

got. They are marry well organised, great team spirit, they have got a

:32:59.:33:04.

great pairing and you have got Billy Mackay upfront. Still to come,

:33:05.:33:11.

Motherwell sample of Friday night out in Dundee up against United.

:33:12.:33:17.

Next to two sides scrambling around the lower half of mid-table,

:33:18.:33:24.

Kilmarnock and Hibs. Kilmarnock at home, just the one defeat in their

:33:25.:33:28.

last six games at Rugby Park. A familiar look to the side at the

:33:29.:33:30.

moment. Mark O'Hara came in for Jackson

:33:31.:33:34.

Irvine. Plenty of exciting youngsters in the Killie side as

:33:35.:33:37.

well including Rory Mckenzie, Robbie Muirhead and Craig Slater. Plenty of

:33:38.:33:41.

exciting young talent in the Hibs starting eleven as well including

:33:42.:33:44.

Sam Stanton who'd scored in both the last two games. Alex Harris also

:33:45.:33:47.

found a place in the starting eleven as Terry Butcher went with the same

:33:48.:33:51.

side that beat Ross County last weekend. Brian Mclaughlin has the

:33:52.:33:52.

story of the match. Kilmarnock had not collected all

:33:53.:34:02.

three points at home to Hibernian since August 2011 but they were

:34:03.:34:06.

given a perfect start after 20 minutes. Rory McKenzie latching onto

:34:07.:34:11.

Kris Boyd's pass, a neat finish by the 20 old. His third of the

:34:12.:34:17.

campaign. Boyd with an inch perfect pass. Giving the youngster and ideal

:34:18.:34:21.

opportunity to score. Hibernian were keen to get back on

:34:22.:34:35.

level terms quickly. Sam Stanton said Danny handling, his effort was

:34:36.:34:45.

easily saved. And when the Kilmarnock defence failed their

:34:46.:34:51.

lines, that gave Danny Haynes an opportunity to shoot the goal, but

:34:52.:34:55.

his effort was wide of target. 11 minutes into the second half, Danny

:34:56.:35:01.

Haynes was defined -- was to find the back of the net. Sam Stanton

:35:02.:35:05.

with the cross, a terrific header by Danny Haynes. Hibernian were back on

:35:06.:35:12.

level terms. Samson had no chance with the header. Sam Stanton had

:35:13.:35:22.

scored two free kicks in his last two games. On this occasion, just

:35:23.:35:23.

over. Tom Taiwo scored a winner last week

:35:24.:35:35.

against Ross County but there was no way through against Craig Samson.

:35:36.:35:42.

And it is not too often you can criticise Kris Boyd for his ball

:35:43.:35:45.

control inside the box. On this occasion, though, it deserted him.

:35:46.:35:50.

One final chance for Hibernian, a mix-up in the home defence gave

:35:51.:35:55.

Danny Haynes a chance. A vital block by the captain manual is Carly,

:35:56.:36:05.

leaving -- Manuel Pascali, leaving a point apiece. We are disappointed

:36:06.:36:07.

not to get three points. We have got to be making sure we winning our

:36:08.:36:12.

home games. We have an opportunity over the next few weeks to build on

:36:13.:36:22.

second-half, we delighted again. Sam Stanton and Tom Taiwo were

:36:23.:36:26.

excellent. We got the goal, I thought we were going to be the win

:36:27.:36:30.

but we could not get the second goal.

:36:31.:36:34.

You are a keen Hibernian watch, do you see them overhauling St

:36:35.:36:39.

Johnstone in terms of the final equation of the top six? It could

:36:40.:36:44.

come down to a couple of layers, doesn't Stevie May keep on scoring?

:36:45.:36:49.

But for Hibs, it is the youngsters. Can Harris come back as good as the

:36:50.:36:58.

has? But Sam Stanton, he has been stunning, every single game he

:36:59.:37:04.

plays, people talk about him. Even Terry mentioned him. If the Hibs

:37:05.:37:07.

youngsters keep on improving the way they are just now, they have got a

:37:08.:37:10.

really good chance of overhauling them. Stephen, you have got

:37:11.:37:14.

Kilmarnock next weekend, a massive much in terms of the play-off

:37:15.:37:20.

scramble. Absolutely, they are only three points ahead of us. If we can

:37:21.:37:24.

win on Saturday and go to equal points with them, it will be a huge

:37:25.:37:28.

boost for us and Saturday is a must win for them. -- for us.

:37:29.:37:34.

The Friday night game was at Tannadice as two top end of the

:37:35.:37:37.

Premiership sides, Dundee United and Motherwell, got the weekend off to a

:37:38.:37:40.

flying start. Commentary from Paul Mitchell.

:37:41.:37:46.

Gavin Gunning is recalled for Dundee and a starting berth for Ryan Dow.

:37:47.:37:57.

An unchanged side named by Stuart McCall for Motherwell.

:37:58.:38:14.

Can it get there? It was John Rankin who hit the shot. May have grazed

:38:15.:38:27.

against the midfielder. John Rankin sliding in and Nielsen was

:38:28.:38:28.

struggling there. United having the better of things

:38:29.:38:40.

so far. Hutchinson, he has made a mess. Here is a chance for Ryan Dow!

:38:41.:38:47.

And he takes it. 1-0 to United, 20 minutes played. And a first league

:38:48.:38:52.

goal for the season for Ryan Dow. It was a mistake by Sean Hutchinson,

:38:53.:38:57.

presented with a chance. And the young man who has been off the bench

:38:58.:39:01.

in the last three games starting tonight. It shows why he should be

:39:02.:39:03.

playing. Iain Vigurs products it across and

:39:04.:39:17.

dieting -- Dundee United go clear. They keep their lead thanks to the

:39:18.:39:24.

goalkeeper, great first touch from Iain Vigurs, the second was good,

:39:25.:39:29.

strong hands from the keeper. That is Gavin Gunning and that is to have

:39:30.:39:38.

there! Nadir Ciftci flicked it on and a simple tap in for Gavin

:39:39.:39:43.

Gunning. He felt he was being held but simple touch from the defender.

:39:44.:39:49.

That was a poor pass back, it has bounced away from Iain Vigurs, it is

:39:50.:39:56.

Gavin Gunning coming across. They want a penalty and they are not

:39:57.:40:00.

getting one. They have got a really strong case here. Gunning surely

:40:01.:40:10.

fouled Iain Vigurs, came across him, did not play the ball, no

:40:11.:40:11.

penalty given. Deflected and in! It is the second

:40:12.:40:23.

of the evening for Gavin Gunning. The defection came off James

:40:24.:40:27.

McFadden. They had not scored this season coming into tonight. He is

:40:28.:40:32.

celebrating twice, this hits McFadden and takes it away from

:40:33.:40:36.

Gunnar Nielsen. Dundee United to three ahead with 47 minutes played.

:40:37.:40:38.

A tough night so far. It is over, Motherwell want hand

:40:39.:40:49.

ball, it is a penalty. It has been given by Bobby Madden. And Nadir

:40:50.:40:57.

Ciftci is about to be booked. Well, McFadden played it in, it is a clear

:40:58.:41:01.

handball from Nadir Ciftci. A good spot from the referee. John Sutton

:41:02.:41:06.

to bring Motherwell back in the match, they are there, they have a

:41:07.:41:12.

lifeline from the spot. And John Sutton takes it, the booing rings

:41:13.:41:17.

around Tannadice but when the United fans see it they will know it is a

:41:18.:41:23.

stickler. It is a fixture that has been dominated by the away side in

:41:24.:41:27.

recent times, United are looking for a fourth, Armstrong. It was

:41:28.:41:33.

initially Armstrong that had the chance. It is good goalkeeping for

:41:34.:41:38.

Gunnar Nielsen. Gavin Gunning was wrestling, was

:41:39.:41:55.

there a suspicion of handball? It was not spotted. In the end it was

:41:56.:42:00.

not given. I thought we passed well, we caused problems. I thought we

:42:01.:42:08.

could have scored a few more goals. Getting the third goal after

:42:09.:42:12.

half-time settled us down. They got a lift with the penalty, and it

:42:13.:42:17.

became a bit frantic. And not very pretty at times. But we got there in

:42:18.:42:22.

the end. It would be easy to crumble after losing the third goal straight

:42:23.:42:26.

after half-time of the deflected free kick but we showed a lot of

:42:27.:42:29.

spirit and got a good second half. We know we did not well play in the

:42:30.:42:34.

first half. We cannot afford to give a side like United 2-goal start.

:42:35.:42:39.

That is what we want, a fantastic game jam packed full of juicy

:42:40.:42:45.

incidents. Was this a foul and should they have stopped the play?

:42:46.:42:50.

There is an argument that some would say something about that. I figured

:42:51.:42:54.

was just a bit of strife in the midfield. It was composed finish.

:42:55.:43:00.

You'll agree this is poor marking. Hutchinson should be goal side. What

:43:01.:43:08.

I like about this if he gets in self outside the goal. He makes this goal

:43:09.:43:16.

bigger. A foul as well. Gunning plays like a centre forward there,

:43:17.:43:21.

getting the second ball, sniffing around the penalty side. This is not

:43:22.:43:29.

good side of him. Is this a penalty? I think so, he is not going for the

:43:30.:43:33.

ball. It is an wipe-out from the NFL! And what is handball

:43:34.:43:40.

International? I think Gavin Gunning has gone to head the ball got it

:43:41.:43:43.

wrong. I do not dig it is intentional. You have given

:43:44.:43:46.

penalties given for that. Can you see Dundee United finishing second?

:43:47.:43:56.

I don't know, it reminds me about December when they were playing in

:43:57.:43:59.

credible football. It has been a strange weekend in a way. Aberdeen

:44:00.:44:03.

and Motherwell have been going great guns, then suddenly both teams lose

:44:04.:44:08.

and Inverness and Dundee United look a bit more revitalised. I am not

:44:09.:44:12.

complete the shocked. I look at the teams sometimes and there is not

:44:13.:44:17.

much training. -- there is not much between them. Before we go away from

:44:18.:44:23.

Dundee United, they were the better side. We have gone to 70 incidents,

:44:24.:44:27.

they played well. There was one particular thing, if Arsenal had

:44:28.:44:32.

done it in a Premier League game, we would be coming over it. They were

:44:33.:44:36.

back to their best. It was a fantastic performance and a great

:44:37.:44:39.

game to watch. And after all that the Scottish Premiership table looks

:44:40.:44:41.

like this. Celtic now 24 points clear at the

:44:42.:44:48.

top of the table. 12 games to go. Can they do it unbeaten? Dundee

:44:49.:44:55.

United and Caley Thistle move to within six points of Motherwell.

:44:56.:45:00.

Inverness with two games in hand on United. Hibs now level on points

:45:01.:45:05.

with St Johnstone. St Mirren now second bottom in that play-off place

:45:06.:45:09.

as a result of that defeat to Ross County and Partick Thistle's

:45:10.:45:15.

landmark victory. Hearts 18 points adrift.

:45:16.:45:21.

Thanks to Steven and Pat. The last major tournament Scotland qualified

:45:22.:45:27.

for was held in France. So too is Euro 2016. In Gordon we trust. From

:45:28.:45:32.

all of us here at Sportscene, goodnight.

:45:33.:45:35.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS