:00:43. > :00:50.# I wish it could be Christmas every day.
:00:51. > :00:56.# When the kids start singing and the band begin to play.
:00:57. > :01:02.# I wish it could Christmas every day.
:01:03. > :01:08.# Let the bells ring out for Christmas.
:01:09. > :01:13.Good evening and a Merry Christmas from Sportscene. It is the day after
:01:14. > :01:18.Boxing Day, whatever that is called. We have plenty of surprise packages.
:01:19. > :01:21.In four of the games we have wins for the away side and the only home
:01:22. > :01:28.victory is of the unexpected variety. Billy Dodds and Stuart
:01:29. > :01:33.Lovell are the guests. Some great goals, a few of which were scored in
:01:34. > :01:37.Paisley. Dundee United, looking for their seventh straight win in the
:01:38. > :01:39.row. St Mirren were hoping for better after a 3-0 defeat at
:01:40. > :01:55.Motherwell. Two changes to the St Mirren team.
:01:56. > :02:05.McCausland and McGinn come in. Now ditch if GE -- Nadir Ciftci is back
:02:06. > :02:13.in the Dundee United line-up. Dundee United are six games unbeaten.
:02:14. > :02:18.Stuart Armstrong was stopped by Goodwin and he seems to have taken a
:02:19. > :02:23.blow in the face, the Dundee United midfielder. Goodwin is lucky to get
:02:24. > :02:40.away with that. Jason Naismith! Tenacity from the
:02:41. > :02:48.full-back and it was close. Paul McGowan. A great touch by Steven
:02:49. > :02:58.Thompson! And the opening goal! 12 minutes gone. St Mirren are ahead.
:02:59. > :03:01.It is top scorer Steven Thompson. Angling that shot away from Radoslaw
:03:02. > :03:17.Cierzniak. Stuart Armstrong should have scored!
:03:18. > :03:18.Right in front of goal, he knows it. Either side of the goalkeeper and
:03:19. > :03:32.that was in. In went Goodwin and that is going to
:03:33. > :03:47.be a yellow card for the St Mirren skipper. The booking administered.
:03:48. > :03:48.It puts him in a very difficult position with a yellow already
:03:49. > :04:01.against his name. A lovely touch, twisting away, back
:04:02. > :04:10.for Ciftci and the shot was straight at Marian Kello. Not a chance for
:04:11. > :04:25.United. John McGinn is away and that is a
:04:26. > :04:31.really cool finish. St Mirren are two goals ahead, ten minutes from
:04:32. > :04:34.half-time. Composer inside the penalty box from the youngster --
:04:35. > :04:47.composure. It is 2-0. It is Ciftci... And it is a goal
:04:48. > :05:02.back for Dundee United. A lovely pass to get the ball back
:05:03. > :05:10.to Ciftci. And then it was about making sure he forced it over the
:05:11. > :05:15.line. Dundee United are back in this game.
:05:16. > :05:18.Jim Goodwin is being withdrawn, I think for his own benefit, having
:05:19. > :05:32.been booked already. It is John Randall King lining up
:05:33. > :05:38.the shot. It was a piledriver -- John Rankin. Marian Kello was
:05:39. > :05:54.solidly behind this. Keith Watson, a bad touch, and he is
:05:55. > :06:02.late on Kelly, and it is a red card. Dundee United are reduced to ten
:06:03. > :06:08.men. The ball got away from him. And he was out of control.
:06:09. > :06:17.Lovely turn from McGinn, he is in great form. That is for Naismith, it
:06:18. > :06:25.finds its way through and Jason Naismith scores St Mirren's third
:06:26. > :06:32.goal. Robinson had a great chance to cut this out. Naismith wanted it
:06:33. > :06:42.more. And he toe poked the ball home for a two goal cushion.
:06:43. > :06:46.I think Marian Kello must have seen that late. He got there just in
:06:47. > :06:59.time. Steven Thompson! And that round
:07:00. > :07:05.things off. Two minutes from time. His 10th goal of the season. It is
:07:06. > :07:15.for-1 to St Mirren. Delighted to say we have a crop of
:07:16. > :07:20.youngsters coming through. A couple of them had a great impact. John
:07:21. > :07:28.McGinn scoring the second goal, securing great composure -- showing
:07:29. > :07:33.great composure. Naismith showing great desire to run from one end of
:07:34. > :07:36.the pitched to the other. Jim Goodwin got taken off a minute
:07:37. > :07:40.before half-time, I felt he could have been from the referee. He had a
:07:41. > :07:46.good number of files before he got booked. I wasn't too happy with
:07:47. > :07:50.that. Only one place to start. Every
:07:51. > :07:54.Christmas show needs a pantomime villain. Sportscene has Jim Goodwin
:07:55. > :07:58.this evening. He was substituted just before half-time, should he
:07:59. > :08:07.have been off the pitch before them? I am working there on Sunday so I am
:08:08. > :08:12.fearing before on smash. I can't defend him and I am sure him
:08:13. > :08:18.watching at home, if you start doing things like that, you know you're in
:08:19. > :08:25.trouble. That one could have been a straight red but he shouldn't have
:08:26. > :08:32.got that far. He takes off and he's vindicated because they go on to win
:08:33. > :08:40.the game. He is a nice guy of the bridge, is he a dirty player on the
:08:41. > :08:46.pitch? -- nice guy off the pitch. I believe you judge every challenge on
:08:47. > :08:49.its merits. For me the worst challenge was the one after five
:08:50. > :08:57.minutes. It was blatant and reckless and bury dangerous. It could have
:08:58. > :09:00.done serious damage. The second challenge is a most irrelevant
:09:01. > :09:05.because he should have been sent off within five minutes and it is
:09:06. > :09:08.amazing to think the referee managed to spot a red card challenge by
:09:09. > :09:17.Keith Watson in the second half but he missed that one. We talk a lot
:09:18. > :09:23.about the great youngsters at Dundee United but at St Mirren John McGinn
:09:24. > :09:30.stood out. He is a top player, knee can certainly play, knee has
:09:31. > :09:38.technical ability. -- he can certainly play. He has technical
:09:39. > :09:45.ability. Talking about Dundee United youngsters, you have Naismith coming
:09:46. > :09:49.through, McGinn, Kelly, McLean. They have done unruly well. Great
:09:50. > :09:55.troubling ability and weight of pass. Not the best defending by
:09:56. > :10:01.Dundee United but they have a really good crop of youngsters. Danny
:10:02. > :10:04.Lennon and St Mirren were struggling to three months ago, they have stuck
:10:05. > :10:07.with him, the policy of bringing through young players has paid off.
:10:08. > :10:11.with him, the policy of bringing through young I think the board
:10:12. > :10:21.deserve a lot of credit. Dundee United are on a run of six straight
:10:22. > :10:24.wins. You should point out that this was a blip, a poor result. I am sure
:10:25. > :10:30.they will be back on the winning trail before long. After all the
:10:31. > :10:36.talk of flags and banners, plenty of talk about Celtic going through the
:10:37. > :10:42.league season unbeaten. Despite struggling at times, they have been
:10:43. > :11:00.notorious on the home front. Speculation abounds about his future
:11:01. > :11:11.but some ask is back in the Celtic starting line-up, -- Samaras is
:11:12. > :11:15.back. Scott Brown has been talking about trying to extend Celtic's
:11:16. > :11:17.unbeaten run for the remainder of the season. Kris Commons with the
:11:18. > :11:38.early site. -- van Dijk likes Toomer roared
:11:39. > :11:48.forward, he is still going. Fabulous from the Dutchman. Just superb. He
:11:49. > :11:55.is so comfortable on the ball. Helped by some pretty poor
:11:56. > :12:01.defending. And a lovely finish for his third goal of the season. And a
:12:02. > :12:11.fifth minute lead for the defending champions. He looks so composed as
:12:12. > :12:17.he comes forward. And Celtic, in charge at McDiarmid Park.
:12:18. > :12:31.St Johnstone haven't got going. Brown finds Kris Commons. Stokes is
:12:32. > :12:36.in the middle. It won't count. Brown judged offside. Commons found his
:12:37. > :12:51.run, it was so close. Fisher, a need ball, Stokes has the
:12:52. > :13:02.pace to get there, was he dragged back? A touch too many from
:13:03. > :13:15.summarise. And eventually behind. -- too many from Samaras.
:13:16. > :13:21.Tommy Wright has plenty to ponder, his team are a goal down and not
:13:22. > :13:29.really looking like being able to do much about it. Stokes has got the
:13:30. > :13:37.better of the defender again, he is past the goalkeeper.
:13:38. > :13:44.It was a ferocious effort from Stokes, it could have been so much
:13:45. > :13:49.better for Celtic. The defender, not covering himself in glory. It would
:13:50. > :13:50.not come down early enough. And eventually St Johnstone get back in
:13:51. > :14:42.numbers. He feeds it for Stevie May. He tried
:14:43. > :14:48.to catch out Fraser Forster. Such a tight angle. Would have been better
:14:49. > :15:00.trying to cut it back for a couple of team-mates. Hasselbaink, Davis
:15:01. > :15:16.and once more. He claims he was hauled to the ground.
:15:17. > :15:28.St Johnstone have been brighter in the second half. Van Dijk with a
:15:29. > :15:34.crucial interception. He was rolled by Hasselbaink, he had enough pace
:15:35. > :15:46.to get back and block the effort of Eastern.
:15:47. > :16:03.He powered that at goal, Forster was able to push it away.
:16:04. > :16:07.Terrific save from Mannus, he keeps the deficit at one goal. It is a
:16:08. > :16:17.really good stop. I think we created enough chances to
:16:18. > :16:25.get something out of the game and we are disappointed in the manner of
:16:26. > :16:30.how we conceded. Some of our players have played 35 games already and we
:16:31. > :16:36.are not out of December. The performances have been fantastic. We
:16:37. > :16:42.want to preserve our unbeaten record for as long as we can. It has taken
:16:43. > :16:49.physical and mental strength. A lot of has been made of the Celtic
:16:50. > :16:51.summer signings. The jewel van Dijk looks like the real deal, what a
:16:52. > :17:02.goal yesterday. When he gets there, the defender
:17:03. > :17:10.could do a little better. This guy looks as if he has beaten and
:17:11. > :17:18.experienced central defender, we forget he is only 22. He looks the
:17:19. > :17:24.real deal. He has a great combination of power and composure.
:17:25. > :17:30.A very graceful player considering he is such a big guy. His positional
:17:31. > :17:36.sense is very good and he knows he is the stronger player. This one was
:17:37. > :17:41.good, he senses he has to cover ground quickly and he does well,
:17:42. > :17:52.otherwise Hasselbaink has an opportunity to score. It is
:17:53. > :17:57.excellent awareness and athleticism. Was he denying a clear goal-scoring
:17:58. > :18:02.opportunity in this incident? I don't think he had to do anything.
:18:03. > :18:08.When you are in the penalty area and you lift your hands, why does it
:18:09. > :18:20.have to come up? I had a debate about handball if your hand is up, I
:18:21. > :18:26.think you are taking a chance. I don't understand why he is raising
:18:27. > :18:28.his arm at that level. If he has his arm by the waste to try to ease the
:18:29. > :18:40.player out, we wouldn't be talking about this. -- by his waist. A good
:18:41. > :18:46.goal from van Dijk. A meaty prospect at Pittodrie, two of the sides with
:18:47. > :19:13.real aspirations of finishing second net. -- met.
:19:14. > :19:24.McGinn doing well. He beats him again, a great ball. Johnny Hayes
:19:25. > :19:29.with a header, and it should have been 1-0. He wonders why he is not
:19:30. > :19:55.celebrating. We should have scored. Nile McGinn. The goalkeeper was
:19:56. > :19:58.relieved to see the ball go wide. Lionel Ainsworth scored last time
:19:59. > :20:07.out against St Mirren. He whips the ball across. Leslie away from Flood.
:20:08. > :20:13.Down the throat of Jamie Langfield. Lawson hit it well enough but to
:20:14. > :20:33.straight. A lovely ball inside, Flood plains
:20:34. > :20:42.it through, McGinn goes wide. -- plays it through. A real chance for
:20:43. > :20:46.Aberdeen. A clever ball, Flood's pass looked perfect. The first touch
:20:47. > :21:07.was too heavy. a simple goal and a lovely football
:21:08. > :21:15.from Motherwell, taking advantage of the Aberdeen area. Willo Flood into
:21:16. > :21:23.Jack. Johnny Hayes wasn't sure what to do. If he passes it by you, that
:21:24. > :21:26.is one thing. He didn't come out close enough and it was a simple
:21:27. > :21:43.task to set up Ainsworth. The ball played through, a battle
:21:44. > :21:52.for it. The referee was well-placed to see the players coming together.
:21:53. > :21:54.He didn't think this was a penalty. He got himself up quickly when he
:21:55. > :22:01.realised the spot kick was not coming.
:22:02. > :22:13.A great delivery, headed away. Shaughnessy. Kept it down early
:22:14. > :22:15.well. Aberdeen, continuing to press. It was hit well and it just
:22:16. > :22:34.deflected wide. Barry Robson, a good all in a chance
:22:35. > :22:45.for McGinn, it should have been Number ten. Nine goals this season.
:22:46. > :22:53.Aberdeen continue to be urged forward.
:22:54. > :23:01.It is a horrible finish from Peter Pollitt, good advantage played by
:23:02. > :23:07.Clancy. It is pull with the goal at his mercy.
:23:08. > :23:15.You post match interviews from Pittodrie. -- unfortunately we are
:23:16. > :23:19.not able to bring you post match interviews. How disappointed will
:23:20. > :23:24.they be with the goal that they lost? I would credit the forwards.
:23:25. > :23:32.Willo Flood's header comes off Jackson. Johnny Hayes is left in a
:23:33. > :23:36.difficult situation. The forwards split and leave a big gap so that
:23:37. > :23:44.Johnny Hayes finds it really hard to make up the gap. He delays his pass
:23:45. > :23:53.to the last minute and it is a simple task. He becomes dangerous
:23:54. > :23:57.and that is when Hayes had to go for him. I think you have to credit the
:23:58. > :24:02.Motherwell players. He times the weight of the pass, the timing of
:24:03. > :24:08.the pass was excellent. Johnny Hayes was left in no man's land. You only
:24:09. > :24:14.go to him when it becomes really dangerous. He is ready unlucky. A
:24:15. > :24:18.fantastic three points for Motherwell, it transformed their
:24:19. > :24:24.position in the table. They went from fifth to second. Three wins
:24:25. > :24:31.together and what a difference it has made. Looking at those defeats,
:24:32. > :24:34.with Albion Rovers thrown in, Motherwell fans were calling for the
:24:35. > :24:39.head of Stuart McCall, I could not believe it. What else T1 from
:24:40. > :24:44.Motherwell, with the budget they are on -- what else do you want from
:24:45. > :24:52.Motherwell? Bewildering why the fans want is Stuart McCall out of the
:24:53. > :24:58.door. -- wanted. What did you make of this penalty claim? There is
:24:59. > :25:01.contact and he is trying to ease him out. He is trying to redeem his
:25:02. > :25:10.reputation. Peter Pollitt has suffered from being and sent off for
:25:11. > :25:18.simulation. He is trying like a bear to stay on his feet. He is almost
:25:19. > :25:21.too honest if you can say that. I don't think Motherwell could have
:25:22. > :25:29.any complaints. They could easily have had a penalty. Fraser Kerr is
:25:30. > :25:33.lucky but he has got away with it. It is the season to overindulge and
:25:34. > :25:35.we have a veritable feast of Sportscenes coming up on the next
:25:36. > :25:58.week or so. Next we are in Glasgow and a side
:25:59. > :26:02.who just can't win at home. Partick Thistle have not won in two months,
:26:03. > :26:10.they have not won in the league all season. Their top scorer captained
:26:11. > :26:13.the side. They are up against Inverness, looking to bounce back
:26:14. > :26:18.after a seven goal thriller ended in defeat to Aberdeen last weekend. The
:26:19. > :26:21.result saw them lose their grip on second place in the Premiership.
:26:22. > :26:28.Richie Foran missed out, Graeme Shinnie took the armband.
:26:29. > :26:34.The problem for Partick Thistle is not making chances but taking them.
:26:35. > :26:37.With the likes of Calum Higginbotham, there is plenty of
:26:38. > :26:44.inventive forward play, just a lack of goals. Dean Brill with a good
:26:45. > :26:48.save. There has also been the odd defensive lapse. Conrad Balatoni
:26:49. > :26:54.with a careless backpass, always a danger when Billy Mackay is on the
:26:55. > :26:59.scene. The goalkeeper did enough to deny the top scorer in the
:27:00. > :27:03.Premiership. We focused on Partick Thistle passing up chances last week
:27:04. > :27:08.and they almost turned it into an art form with this one. Chris
:27:09. > :27:16.Doolan, the only player to score for Partick from open play in two
:27:17. > :27:18.months, missed this chance. In the second half it was more of the same.
:27:19. > :27:27.Lawless with the off target header. second half it was more of the same.
:27:28. > :27:29.Lawless with the off At times it almost seemed like the Inverness
:27:30. > :27:38.goal had a force field protecting it. This shot glanced off the
:27:39. > :27:47.crossbar. And the Partick Thistle frustration was clear to see. Graeme
:27:48. > :27:52.Shinnie captained Caledonian Thistle. The curse of the missed
:27:53. > :28:12.chances appeared to be catching. The only problem to missed chances
:28:13. > :28:23.is to keep trying. -- the only solution. Ross Forbes has never been
:28:24. > :28:32.right -- afraid of a shot at goal. Zero to zero is how the match ended.
:28:33. > :28:44.We need to be a little more adventurous in the final third. It
:28:45. > :28:48.is my job to help them along. First and foremost, it is keeping a clean
:28:49. > :28:54.sheet and a solid shape, which we did today. If you do that, you are
:28:55. > :29:00.not going to lose. We had chances last week similar to today, which we
:29:01. > :29:07.need to start taking. It has happened too often. You were there
:29:08. > :29:11.yesterday. I am sure it is not funny to Partick Thistle, but some of the
:29:12. > :29:18.misses yesterday, it was almost comedy level, the fact that the ball
:29:19. > :29:23.would not go in. They must be sick of us analysing it and the same
:29:24. > :29:29.thing is happening. For how good Chris Dillon is in the air, he has
:29:30. > :29:36.to score there. That was a glorious chance, just hide it on target. The
:29:37. > :29:41.chances they are creating our excellent, incredible chances, and
:29:42. > :29:47.they are missing. A great touch from Higginbotham, and somehow he put it
:29:48. > :29:52.over the crossbar. It is becoming a mental problem for Partick Thistle.
:29:53. > :29:56.Only Dillon has scored a goal from open play in the last couple of
:29:57. > :30:00.months and the rest cannot get it in the back of the net. At some point
:30:01. > :30:06.in the next few weeks, they will take 4-macro or five off someone.
:30:07. > :30:16.They will click and they will finish every opportunity they get. They are
:30:17. > :30:18.playing great football, but that was a gilt-edged opportunity to get a
:30:19. > :30:22.win yesterday, and they will be feeling sick. There were a few
:30:23. > :30:32.Inverness chances and Partick Thistle were culpable of their own
:30:33. > :30:37.downfall with the first. He got away with a poor defensive backpass. This
:30:38. > :30:42.was a bad mess. It was a great ball in and he was only four yards out.
:30:43. > :30:45.Guided past the keeper and that would have maybe given an
:30:46. > :30:49.opportunity to take three points, because Partick were definitely the
:30:50. > :30:57.better team. A tricky moment for John Hughes at the moment. They lost
:30:58. > :31:03.to Aberdeen last weekend. Richie Foran is out as well. That will be a
:31:04. > :31:09.big blow. They lost last week. They have done OK since he has come in.
:31:10. > :31:13.They have picked up a few points. At Aberdeen they did well, nearly
:31:14. > :31:18.pulled off an incredible comeback. Still going along nicely. No
:31:19. > :31:21.problem. Not too bad for Inverness, but a miserable few months for Ross
:31:22. > :31:26.County, losing seven out of their last eight. The manager has 20 of
:31:27. > :31:39.work to do, as he locked horns once more with his old adversary, Terry
:31:40. > :31:42.Butcher. The Hibernian bus actually broke down and they had to wait at
:31:43. > :31:46.services for a replacement to turn up. Not the ideal start with Terry
:31:47. > :31:50.Butcher looking for his first league winners manager. His side managed a
:31:51. > :31:56.victory last month in the Scottish cup.
:31:57. > :32:01.A moment of reflection before kick-off, as both sets of players
:32:02. > :32:14.paid tribute to David Paul, who passed away at the weekend.
:32:15. > :32:24.Scoring goals has been a real problem for county in recent weeks.
:32:25. > :32:29.Top scorers Ulu this time well wide of the target. Set pieces were to
:32:30. > :32:35.prove crucial throughout the afternoon. And Hibs took the lead
:32:36. > :32:36.after a well worked corner. Cairney with the cross, Nelson with the
:32:37. > :32:46.header. A goal straight from the training
:32:47. > :32:51.ground, pinscher like movement, before Nelson found the space to nod
:32:52. > :33:00.home. They have collected just one point from their last seven
:33:01. > :33:09.matches. Cairney was next to try his shot on goal. It found the outside
:33:10. > :33:15.of the post. The second came again from a set piece. This time it was
:33:16. > :33:24.Jordan Foster with a diving header, to put Hibs two up. Good movement
:33:25. > :33:29.from Foster, but questions surely asked about the home defending. Not
:33:30. > :33:35.much festive cheer for Derek Adams! Again, no look for Graham Carey.
:33:36. > :33:42.This time of 35 yarder that crashed off the crossbar before the Hibs
:33:43. > :33:50.defence were able to clear. Just one win in 11 for county. Hibs continued
:33:51. > :33:54.to progress under Terry Butcher. The two set pieces won the game. It
:33:55. > :33:57.wasn't the greatest game in the world, we put Hibs under pressure in
:33:58. > :34:05.the second-half but other than that, both goalkeepers didn't have
:34:06. > :34:09.anything do. We weren't putting on a good performance because of what has
:34:10. > :34:12.happened this week. Full credit to the players for getting over that
:34:13. > :34:20.and committing themselves to playing well on the pitch. We want to have a
:34:21. > :34:21.good season this season, a good second half. It is for David that we
:34:22. > :34:34.want to finish as hard as we can. Set pieces are the undoing for Ross
:34:35. > :34:38.County. Was this a Terry Butcher master plan of the training ground?
:34:39. > :34:45.Daily I think they focused on the fact that Ross County are conceding
:34:46. > :34:50.far too many goals from set pieces. They would have far more chance of
:34:51. > :34:56.defending it and clearing the danger. The delivery is good but it
:34:57. > :35:00.into the same area for both goals. Billy said it is just that the Hibs
:35:01. > :35:06.player wants it more. Nelson on the first one, Forster on the second.
:35:07. > :35:09.Ross County clearly aren't able to defend man for man. Sometimes you
:35:10. > :35:13.get blocks and all of that going on and you get freed up that way. The
:35:14. > :35:19.two goals, the Ross County players were still with their man. For me,
:35:20. > :35:24.it's a desire and willingness to get there. Derek Adams has big problems
:35:25. > :35:43.if they can't sort that out. Big problems for Derek Adams at the
:35:44. > :35:46.moment, just can't get a win at all. He says they need to strengthen the
:35:47. > :35:49.squad, so it looks like it might be a busy January for them. Two tough
:35:50. > :35:51.games away from home coming up, Aberdeen and Inverness. They are
:35:52. > :35:54.second bottom at the moment, they must look like favourites for that
:35:55. > :35:56.play-off spot. It's a new dynamic, something we haven't been used to
:35:57. > :35:59.for many years. But they've got to start worrying about it because they
:36:00. > :36:01.are relevant, four points adrift of Thistle as things stand. They need
:36:02. > :36:03.to start getting points on the board quickly because the confidence
:36:04. > :36:06.levels can't be great. I don't know whether Derek Adams will be looking
:36:07. > :36:12.to rejig things in January, but something needs to change. Do you
:36:13. > :36:15.think there will be big additions come January? I think there will be.
:36:16. > :36:21.He threatened it early in the season. I think they were will need
:36:22. > :36:25.change. They need a starting point, they need to get a win to breed
:36:26. > :36:31.confidence. It doesn't look like it right now. After a dismal season up
:36:32. > :36:34.to now, there's been signs of life recently at Kilmarnock. Two wins
:36:35. > :36:38.from their last three games, and they are now scoring goals, thanks
:36:39. > :36:44.in the main to Kris Boyd and young Number Ten, Chris Johnston. Hearts'
:36:45. > :36:47.tenure in the top flight of Scottish football looks to be coming to a
:36:48. > :36:48.close. They started the day 14 points adrift at the bottom of the
:36:49. > :36:55.table. Gary Locke doesn't have many options
:36:56. > :37:05.to freshen up his side. Kilmarnock manager Alan Johnson
:37:06. > :37:23.makes one change to his side. Prior to this match, a minute's
:37:24. > :37:24.applause to celebrate the life of the youth player Jamie Skinner, who
:37:25. > :37:42.passed away last week. There is Kris Boyd. In the 13th
:37:43. > :37:48.minute. Unlucky for Hearts. Kris Boyd on the scoresheet for the 10th
:37:49. > :37:52.time this season. It was created by one Chris and scored by another.
:37:53. > :38:02.Irvine. Excellent stop by Jamie MacDonald.
:38:03. > :38:30.Good skills from the big striker. McKenzie is teasing, doing well with
:38:31. > :38:31.the shot. Craig Samson looked as though he saw it late as it arrived
:38:32. > :38:51.in his area. What a bowl that is from the
:38:52. > :38:59.youngster! To refit curling effort from Chris Johnson. He left Hearts
:39:00. > :39:01.players in his wake and left Jamie MacDonald with not a hope from that
:39:02. > :39:09.effort. Kris Boyd! He makes it 3-C -- 3-0 to
:39:10. > :39:26.Kilmarnock. He was dreaming of the hat-trick
:39:27. > :39:36.there. 11 goals so far this season, that
:39:37. > :39:52.should have been 12. A neat flick from Kris Boyd. He's
:39:53. > :40:11.desperate to get the match ball, but it has not materialised so far.
:40:12. > :40:18.A bit of good Fortune for Kilmarnock defensively there. Good, creative
:40:19. > :40:43.play from Walker. The corner, terrific striking there
:40:44. > :40:48.from Rory Mackenzie. That ties it up for the Rugby Park side. An
:40:49. > :40:53.excellent strike. His first of the season.
:40:54. > :41:00.I'm not going to make excuses because we can compete better than
:41:01. > :41:03.we did today. It doesn't matter if you have experienced players out
:41:04. > :41:08.there, you've got to do better, especially in the first half. We
:41:09. > :41:12.didn't do enough today. To be fair, the boys played great today. We've
:41:13. > :41:16.seen really good movement, I thought we controlled the game. Someone with
:41:17. > :41:21.the quality of Kris Boyd upfront, you are always likely to score
:41:22. > :41:25.goals. A great performance from Chris Johnston, but the renaissance
:41:26. > :41:31.of Kris Boyd continues. Yesterday they could have had about five goals
:41:32. > :41:34.in the end, couldn't they? With his standards, he will be disappointed
:41:35. > :41:38.he didn't go home with the match ball. He's a master at finding space
:41:39. > :41:44.in the box. We seem to be talking about the same two players every
:41:45. > :41:49.week, and Johnston. Boyd knows exactly where to get the ball. He's
:41:50. > :41:54.a very clever player. That was a great save, hits the target there.
:41:55. > :42:07.This one, he will be particularly frustrated with because it's on a
:42:08. > :42:11.plate for him. I thought he would have side footed it. I was really
:42:12. > :42:12.surprised. Statistics really starting to add up for Kris Boyd as
:42:13. > :42:32.well this season. A real rejuvenation for Kris Boyd.
:42:33. > :42:37.Are you surprised he's come back to Scotland and hit this rich streak of
:42:38. > :42:41.form once again? No. He's a top player, but with his experience he
:42:42. > :42:47.has got better. He is working hard. It's not just about his goals. He
:42:48. > :42:54.scores most weeks now, but he brings so much more to the team.
:42:55. > :43:02.You are looking at teams like Hibs and Aberdeen, who have struggled for
:43:03. > :43:06.top-quality striker. I think he is at the end of the season, you could
:43:07. > :43:10.go precontract. But he likes it at Kilmarnock, it's not far from his
:43:11. > :43:14.home. He's got a dilemma because he's at the top of his game. A few
:43:15. > :43:19.other performance this season, Billy McKay attracted a lot of interest.
:43:20. > :43:24.Could be seen much movement in January? I hope for Cole Marnoch's
:43:25. > :43:30.sake that Kris Boyd stays where he is. Those two players are crucial. I
:43:31. > :43:36.would like to see them stay put at least until the end of the season.
:43:37. > :43:46.How does all that leave the Scottish Premiership table looking? The big
:43:47. > :43:50.winners on Boxing Day were Motherwell. They're away win over
:43:51. > :43:55.Aberdeen meant they shot up from fifth place to second. They are at
:43:56. > :43:59.the bottom end of the table, Partick Thistle now four points ahead of
:44:00. > :44:00.Ross County, who themselves remain 14 points clear of rock bottom
:44:01. > :44:13.Hearts. This is the Scotsman, the picture is
:44:14. > :44:22.of Malky Mackay. He has eventually been sacked. This is Jim Goodwin, he
:44:23. > :44:26.could be in trouble with the SFA compliance.
:44:27. > :44:33.And that is it for tonight. If Santa wasn't good to you, I hope your team
:44:34. > :44:36.was on Boxing Day. The next round of fixtures is here again in just two
:44:37. > :44:40.days time, and Weir back with highlights on Monday. And just in
:44:41. > :44:42.case you're in any doubt, today is Friday. From all of us here,
:44:43. > :44:44.goodnight.