:00:16. > :00:35.Data spectacular opening goal in the Dali. And the shot was an absolute
:00:36. > :00:40.beauty. It's in. What a finish. And that is it, I would imagine.
:00:41. > :00:42.Good evening and welcome to Sportscene on this wintry weekend.
:00:43. > :00:45.The good news is that all six matches in
:00:46. > :00:48.Coming up tonight, a weekend of football
:00:49. > :01:15.to warm even the coldest of hearts.
:01:16. > :01:17.Michael Stewart and Stuart McCall bring their expertise to bear
:01:18. > :01:23.We start with Celtic's trip to Inverness.
:01:24. > :01:26.It had already been a bad week for Ronny Deila - now he was visiting
:01:27. > :01:41.There was a massive boost for Caley Thistle in the shape of Gary Warren
:01:42. > :01:45.Andros Draper. Starting for the first time since the August and
:01:46. > :01:55.October. Josh Meekings at right back. Ronnie Deila can again call on
:01:56. > :01:59.midfielders Stefan Johansen and Nir Biton. They were both banned for the
:02:00. > :02:02.Ajax came in the Europa League in mid week. Callum McGregor keeps his
:02:03. > :02:09.place in the starting line-up after impressing. It is not just the
:02:10. > :02:12.European game on Thursday that Celtic are trying to bounce back
:02:13. > :02:20.from. They drew with Kilmarnock last weekend. That goalless draw. Ronnie
:02:21. > :02:24.Deila wants a reaction to that as well, you would imagine. Here comes
:02:25. > :02:33.Callum McGregor. He scores himself, and why not? That is wonderful from
:02:34. > :02:36.McGregor. He only ever seems to score in the first ten minutes of
:02:37. > :02:41.matches, and he scores two in two, having scored against the Dutch side
:02:42. > :02:53.the other night. Wonderful goal again from Callum McGregor. Warren.
:02:54. > :03:02.Craig Gordon saved that. Not that he knew much about it. Back in by
:03:03. > :03:08.Vincent. Josh Meekings. A good shuffle and not a bad effort. The
:03:09. > :03:14.diving header from Gary Warren was saved by Craig Gordon. Josh Meekings
:03:15. > :03:21.was not far away with that curling effort. Anthony Stokes had plenty to
:03:22. > :03:25.say on social media this morning. Restoration boiling over. Rarely
:03:26. > :03:28.gets a look in these days. Ronnie Deila accusing him of being
:03:29. > :03:41.disrespectful to his team-mates before the game. Lovely touch
:03:42. > :03:47.initially from Storey and it is 1-1. This was all about the first touch
:03:48. > :03:53.for Miles Storey. It took Dedryck Boyata out of the equation, and
:03:54. > :03:57.Simunovic could not get at him, and Miles Storey made no mistake from
:03:58. > :04:03.the rebound. Caley Thistle are level. Celtic did not win here last
:04:04. > :04:18.season. Inverness causing them problems again. Josh Meekings. Given
:04:19. > :04:27.away by Greg Tanzi to Armstrong. It falls to Nir Biton. He has such a
:04:28. > :04:33.good hit from that kind of distance. It just swerved to the wrong side of
:04:34. > :04:39.the post. It twisted well. It was unorthodox. The job of the officials
:04:40. > :04:44.is hard enough. You don't want to be missing goals. That hole in the net
:04:45. > :04:51.will need to be tied up before the second half gets underway. The
:04:52. > :04:55.corner from McGregor. There was appeals inside the box. Simunovic
:04:56. > :05:08.was involved in this. Tangled with Danny Devine. He certainly had his
:05:09. > :05:12.Jersey pulled. Ryan Christie watching, out on loan, back at Caley
:05:13. > :05:19.Thistle from Celtic. Being treated at Celtic. An interested spectator,
:05:20. > :05:30.today. Even Stevens on the scoresheet. 2-1, Leigh Griffiths!
:05:31. > :05:35.And the lead is restored. This is great play initially by Scott
:05:36. > :05:39.Allan, teeing up Kieran Tierney. The substitute finding the left-back who
:05:40. > :05:44.has impressed so often since breaking into this Celtic side.
:05:45. > :05:48.Scott Allen had a cameo against Ajax in midweek. Getting a bit longer
:05:49. > :05:54.today in the second half. Leigh Griffiths is just one shy of the 20
:05:55. > :05:58.goal mark and we are not out of November. He was his own worst
:05:59. > :06:04.critic after the Ajax game in midweek. It will feel a lot that, as
:06:05. > :06:13.will Ronnie Deila, as Celtic go back in front. At last, a debut for car
:06:14. > :06:26.and call, replacing Tom Roberts. -- Carlton Cole. Replacing Tom Rogic.
:06:27. > :06:31.Vincent, active Ian Vigurs. Shout for handball against Stefan
:06:32. > :06:43.Johansen. It was the effort from Ian Vigurs. And there it was. Vigurs
:06:44. > :06:59.losing out in the middle to Nir Biton. McGregor. He's been patient.
:07:00. > :07:04.Cole! Probably should have scored. That would have been some impact for
:07:05. > :07:09.the former England international, testing Owain Fon Williams with
:07:10. > :07:21.this. Again, Callum McGregor creating the chance. The corner kick
:07:22. > :07:27.from Tansey cleared off the line by Johannson. The Scottish Cup
:07:28. > :07:38.holders' best chance of the second half. We have had all four seasons
:07:39. > :07:42.in the Highland capital today. Sunshine across the Moray Firth all
:07:43. > :07:54.of a sudden. Griffiths. He has it on the left. A big chance here. And it
:07:55. > :08:00.has gone in! Well, that will be game over. They are claiming handball
:08:01. > :08:06.against Carlton Cole. This is not going to win any goal of the season
:08:07. > :08:09.awards. That is for sure. But it has secured three precious points for
:08:10. > :08:19.Celtic. It has got to go down as an own goal, surely. Carlton Cole took
:08:20. > :08:24.an eternity to get it under control, didn't really in the end, it comes
:08:25. > :08:28.off Danny Devine, but did it come off the hand of Carlton Cole? It
:08:29. > :08:33.appears as though it did. But it is 3-1, Celtic, and the points secured.
:08:34. > :08:49.Griffiths. McGregor. This was an important game for
:08:50. > :08:55.Celtic. Carlton Cole, looking for a fourth. On the back of the
:08:56. > :08:59.Kilmarnock game and the Ajax game, this has been a worthy three points
:09:00. > :09:02.for the champions. It is always very difficult when you have played two
:09:03. > :09:09.and a half days ago, the travelling as well. And they played good as
:09:10. > :09:13.well. Inverness always have a lot of energy and try to play. Very pleased
:09:14. > :09:19.with three points and with the performance. You could see
:09:20. > :09:25.everything behind it. We wanted to control more with the ball than we
:09:26. > :09:31.did today. We did OK for 60 minutes. We were as good as Celtic. It is all
:09:32. > :09:36.right a good footballing side and we still have to win games and keep
:09:37. > :09:41.clean sheets. That is what we need to work on. The football side is not
:09:42. > :09:49.bad. But we need to be a little bit more ruthless in the way that we
:09:50. > :09:54.defend. Valuable win for Celtic. Extending the lead at the top to
:09:55. > :10:00.seven points. Callum McGregor first into the limelight and he is seizing
:10:01. > :10:04.his chance. He certainly is. He came into the game on Thursday against
:10:05. > :10:07.Ajax through mist necessity because of the lack of numbers. And he took
:10:08. > :10:13.his chance. Almost made himself on drop a ball. In the game here today,
:10:14. > :10:19.doing fantastically well, early on, with a great strike. Again, similar
:10:20. > :10:24.to the goal that he got against Ajax. Not real power on it, but his
:10:25. > :10:29.accuracy is what put it in the back of the net. He is a good distance
:10:30. > :10:33.out. You think that the goalkeeper should maybe get to it because it is
:10:34. > :10:40.not a rocket of a shot, he gets it right in the corner, as you see. It
:10:41. > :10:42.was important that Celtic made that bright start after the
:10:43. > :10:46.disappointment against Ajax. But again you see the fragility in the
:10:47. > :10:51.Celtic defence in this match as well. It is something they seem not
:10:52. > :10:59.to be able to fix at the moment. Again, conceding two goals in
:11:00. > :11:06.Europe. Routine is a big thing in management. The goal, it is a little
:11:07. > :11:13.bit soft in the middle. And right through the heart of the defence.
:11:14. > :11:16.Trying to play a little bit of football and they get caught. But it
:11:17. > :11:24.is like a knife through butter, if you watch it. It is too easy. It
:11:25. > :11:30.does not look good. When you see the first angle, Celtic want to play
:11:31. > :11:33.football but the two centre halves are very wide. But the bit of
:11:34. > :11:38.defensive instinct and knowledge to see that he's getting back into
:11:39. > :11:46.position quicker and seeing off the danger, good defenders like Virgil
:11:47. > :11:52.van Dijk and Jason Denayer would get it snuffed out before it gets into
:11:53. > :11:56.the box. We saw on Thursday night that it was about fine margins that
:11:57. > :12:03.went against Celtic. Today, they got the rub of the green at times. You
:12:04. > :12:07.can see here, it is given as offside. It is very tight. Watch
:12:08. > :12:13.Simunovic. Why step out? Just match the run. He's dicing with a big
:12:14. > :12:19.chance here. And it goes up the other end, great goal from Celtic to
:12:20. > :12:23.go 2-1 up, but taking a chance at the back and they could have been
:12:24. > :12:32.2-1 down. Good finish from Leigh Griffiths. After the other night, I
:12:33. > :12:34.felt for him. Was this a handball? I think to myself, why is your hands
:12:35. > :12:41.and putting his arm out's he's giving the referee decision to make.
:12:42. > :12:48.And look at this, another handball, not intentional. Look at the Stefan
:12:49. > :12:51.Johansen one, he has thrown his arm out and it could have been a
:12:52. > :12:56.penalty. This is not intentional but it ends up in the back of the net.
:12:57. > :13:06.It does not sit easily with me when there's been a handball that leads
:13:07. > :13:09.to a goal. He gets a bad touch. Interesting on Twitter from Anthony
:13:10. > :13:15.Stokes. It went down very badly with his employers, buzzing to be up to
:13:16. > :13:19.Inverness to sit in the stands and lovely weather for it as well. He
:13:20. > :13:23.apologised later. The think that he has played his last game for
:13:24. > :13:33.Celtic? When was the last time he played? That the perils of social
:13:34. > :13:38.media. Stay off it. The question still remains, do you think this
:13:39. > :13:43.management team at Celtic will be given another crack at European
:13:44. > :13:48.competition? That is a big call for the board to make. I think it is a
:13:49. > :13:50.real stick or twist. I think they have two twist because I do not see
:13:51. > :13:52.any progress being made in Europe. To Rugby Park next where Kilmarnock
:13:53. > :13:55.welcomed Partick Thistle. Now, if the League had started
:13:56. > :13:58.in October Thistle would lie fourth Fair to say their stock is
:13:59. > :14:11.on the rise. Straight up to Firhill, there has
:14:12. > :14:16.been another goal. Partick on their way to the first winner of the
:14:17. > :14:26.season. Steven Lawless, what a strike! Ryan Stevenson's Cross has
:14:27. > :14:33.gone all the way in. Thistle have one again. Come on mate just one
:14:34. > :14:36.change from the side that drew nil nil at Celtic Park. Greg Kilty
:14:37. > :14:42.coming in for the injured Rory McKenzie. Partick Thistle make two
:14:43. > :14:45.changes from the win over Inverness with Robbie Muirhead and Stewart
:14:46. > :15:01.Hannigan coming into the starting XI. Steven Lawless. Gets the ball
:15:02. > :15:07.through. The flag stays down and Partick Thistle take the lead
:15:08. > :15:14.through Doohan. It was a great ball from Lawless. It was certainly
:15:15. > :15:18.tight. Doohan kept his cool. He finds the net for the fourth time
:15:19. > :15:30.this season, his third goal against Kilmarnock. Gary Fraser with a free
:15:31. > :15:36.kick to the back post. It is Doohan, it is 2-0, and two goals for Chris
:15:37. > :15:39.Doohan. He has scored twice against Kilmarnock back in August and scored
:15:40. > :15:51.twice against, not again. Such a tight angle. You have to ask, where
:15:52. > :15:56.was the Kilmarnock defence's, Mike need to find a way back into the
:15:57. > :16:02.match. And they are back into the match. Who else but the Northern
:16:03. > :16:12.Ireland international? His eighth goal of the season. It was Balatoni
:16:13. > :16:16.with the ball into the box and a sweet finish from Josh Magennis.
:16:17. > :16:25.Robbie Muirhead with the ball into the box. Kilmarnock have not dealt
:16:26. > :16:28.with this, and Gary Fraser has, and Partick Thistle have squawked --
:16:29. > :16:34.have restored their two goal advantage in this match. In these
:16:35. > :16:40.wild weather conditions. Kilmarnock all at sea. Gary Fraser kept his
:16:41. > :16:49.cool. Good composure from Fraser. Partick Thistle make it 3-1. The
:16:50. > :17:00.ball played on. What a chance that was for the hat-trick from Micron.
:17:01. > :17:08.It is not dealt with again. And this time, McDonnell makes the save.
:17:09. > :17:11.Desperate for the hat-trick and getting plenty of chances thanks to
:17:12. > :17:20.this lack of defending from Kilmarnock. The ball comes out wide.
:17:21. > :17:28.Robbie Muirhead, former, like player. What a strike from Robbie
:17:29. > :17:33.Muirhead! That has to be three points from Partick Thistle. Robbie
:17:34. > :17:40.Muirhead does it in style from 30 yards. What a finish that is. The
:17:41. > :17:46.beat goalkeeper of that quality from that range, it has to be a good
:17:47. > :17:50.strike and it is a fantastic strike. Smith with the ball into the box.
:17:51. > :17:57.Swirling into the box. And their header from Connelly has found the
:17:58. > :18:03.back of the net. And the captain scores. Looks like it will be a
:18:04. > :18:12.consolation goal. It looks over the top of Sculli. He got his bearings
:18:13. > :18:16.wrong. The condition is not helping. It is not going to be enough for
:18:17. > :18:22.Kilmarnock in this match, surely. Good skill from booth. And again.
:18:23. > :18:29.Partick Thistle carving open Kilmarnock. A chance form your head.
:18:30. > :18:34.And it is 5-2. -- a chance for Robbie Muirhead. Partick Thistle,
:18:35. > :18:46.who struggled to score in the early part of the season, have got five
:18:47. > :18:52.goals in Ayrshire. Why does it always rain on me, thinks Gary
:18:53. > :19:00.Locke? And the header back of the post. Almost 64 Partick Thistle. An
:19:01. > :19:06.abysmal day for the Kilmarnock defence. You're not going to win
:19:07. > :19:11.games losing the goals that we lost today. Apart from Robbie Muirhead's
:19:12. > :19:16.strike from 35 yards out, but all of the other goals were preventable if
:19:17. > :19:21.we do other jobs and unfortunately for us today, too many players did
:19:22. > :19:26.not do that. We call from the set play as well. Kilmarnock were
:19:27. > :19:32.rattled because after the goal they struggled for ten minutes. Then it
:19:33. > :19:37.was a great performance in the second half. It was a scintillating
:19:38. > :19:43.display from Partick Thistle, leapfrogging Kilmarnock in the
:19:44. > :19:48.table. They went from struggling to score to suddenly this deluge of
:19:49. > :19:53.calls. You can see it in terms of the form table. They would actually
:19:54. > :19:58.be for. It shows the turnaround that Alan Archibald has engineered. You
:19:59. > :20:01.can face it back to when they beat Dundee United to leapfrog them. They
:20:02. > :20:05.put Dundee United bottom. Since then Dundee United to leapfrog them. They
:20:06. > :20:16.they have gone on a good run. Scoring goals. I like Doolin. He
:20:17. > :20:20.should have had a hat-trick. Looking at the attacking personnel, you have
:20:21. > :20:24.got Steven Lawless as well, Robbie Muirhead. Partick Thistle should be
:20:25. > :20:31.scoring goals. Yesterday was special for them. Partick Thistle have
:20:32. > :20:37.always been an attacking side. But goals change games. They make such a
:20:38. > :20:42.huge difference. That was obviously what they were struggling to do at
:20:43. > :20:45.the start of the season. And when you get goals, it breeds confidence.
:20:46. > :20:50.When you have someone capable of doing something like that, that was
:20:51. > :20:55.a fantastic strike. When you have got somebody that can do that, out
:20:56. > :21:02.of nothing, it puts real confidence into the side. They have gone from
:21:03. > :21:08.strength to strength. Interesting to see where Partick Thistle can take
:21:09. > :21:12.this. But how can a site that goes to Celtic Park and grind out a 0-0
:21:13. > :21:16.draw then concede five goals at home to a site that is below them in the
:21:17. > :21:23.league's as a manager, you do not see that coming. But the fantastic
:21:24. > :21:27.result. As you say, 0-0 at Celtic Park. Then to lose five yesterday,
:21:28. > :21:31.and it could have been more. They have a big game at home to Dundee
:21:32. > :21:32.United next week. A lot of work to be done on the training ground this
:21:33. > :21:37.week. To Pittodrie now. Aberdeen with just
:21:38. > :21:40.the one win from their last 8 matches.
:21:41. > :21:42.They faced a Ross County side with just one away win in the league all
:21:43. > :21:53.season. Commentary from Rob MacLean. Aberdeen centre-back as Taylor is
:21:54. > :21:57.drop by Derek McInnes. Graeme Shinnie goes into midfield. Just one
:21:58. > :22:01.change to the Ross County team which beat Motherwell. Jonathan Franks
:22:02. > :22:06.replaced by Stuart Madoc. The Dingwall team looking for a second
:22:07. > :22:12.win of the season against Aberdeen. Andrew Davis with the challenge
:22:13. > :22:19.against Adam Rooney. The home side looking for a free kick.
:22:20. > :22:28.Davis with the header away. Mr by Willo Flood. Hesitation by Reynolds.
:22:29. > :22:33.And on goes Liam Boyce with options on either side. Through four Craig
:22:34. > :22:45.Curran, and he has squeezed in! The opening goal. After 40 minutes at
:22:46. > :22:47.Pittodrie. -- 14 minutes. It was sloppy their way Aberdeen gave away
:22:48. > :22:57.possession and there's the punishment. Leaving neither
:22:58. > :23:11.goalkeeper or Che Logan on the goal-line able to stop him scoring.
:23:12. > :23:14.Free kick given. Taken by Logan. Johnny Hayes leaving Liam Boyce in
:23:15. > :23:27.his tracks. Foster, blocking the shot. And it was Andrew Conser dying
:23:28. > :23:38.in the end who saw a shot saved by Ross County keeper, Gary Woods. In
:23:39. > :23:46.from Niall McGinn. Rooney. Stooping to try to head that in. Just failing
:23:47. > :23:53.to make contact with the free kick from Niall McGinn. Aberdeen were
:23:54. > :23:57.booed off at the end of the first half, looking to better after the
:23:58. > :24:02.interval. Good play from Niall McGinn. His shot appeared to strike
:24:03. > :24:11.the arm of Marcus Fraser. Aberdeen screaming for a penalty. The ball
:24:12. > :24:17.retained by Rooney. Now it is Maclean and McGinlay spins away from
:24:18. > :24:23.the full-back, Fraser. It is in front of Rooney and it is 1-1. A
:24:24. > :24:29.much better showing from the Dons. Since the interval. They had to get
:24:30. > :24:34.better. And they have just level things up. Six minutes after the
:24:35. > :24:54.restart. Niall McGinn with the setup. And the really good finish.
:24:55. > :25:02.Graeme Shinnie. Now considering. -- Considine. And across from Johnny
:25:03. > :25:11.Hayes has gone in! And it is 2-1. It has been completely turned around.
:25:12. > :25:14.Fortune favouring Johnny Hayes. There is no greater area than when
:25:15. > :25:26.the ball clips the post on it's way into the back of the net from one
:25:27. > :25:30.down, to 2-1 ahead, Aberdeen. Graeme Shinnie loses out. Now Jonathan
:25:31. > :25:37.Franks to try to set something up. Liam Boyce. What a save from Danny
:25:38. > :25:47.Ward. The flying header from Liam Boyce produces a reflex stop. Put
:25:48. > :25:57.away by Considine. Lovely play from Rooney. Niall McGinn, stamps are the
:25:58. > :26:08.goal which surely Seals the points were Aberdeen. -- stabs home. It is
:26:09. > :26:15.3-1. Ten minutes from time, and the comeback is surely complete after a
:26:16. > :26:20.much improved second-half showing. No way back, it seems, for Jim
:26:21. > :26:27.McIntyre's Ross County. But they have not given up. It is off the
:26:28. > :26:36.line from Craig story. The youngster in the right place at the right
:26:37. > :26:39.time. The first half was more nervous than it should have been
:26:40. > :26:45.because of the goal, we lost people goal. We had 45 minutes to do
:26:46. > :26:50.something about it and the players did it. They deserve credit the
:26:51. > :26:54.matter what anybody says to them. The goalkeeper has had a great save
:26:55. > :26:58.from Liam Boyce with his header at the crucial point which would have
:26:59. > :27:03.made 2-2, and then Aberdeen got their tails up after that. It was
:27:04. > :27:06.poor play defensively, the goals that we give away were
:27:07. > :27:09.disappointing. You know that you have to defend well when you come
:27:10. > :27:15.here, which we certainly did in the first half. The classic game of two
:27:16. > :27:21.halves. Did that second-half performance reenergise Aberdeen?
:27:22. > :27:27.They are now where I would expect them to finish. They have too strong
:27:28. > :27:31.a squad, good individuals and good team players in there as well and a
:27:32. > :27:36.lot of quality, always score goals. The first half, disappointing, then
:27:37. > :27:43.Derek got the reaction and they will probably now keep on with the
:27:44. > :27:47.quality they have in the squad. In the first half it felt like Ross
:27:48. > :27:54.County bullied Aberdeen. Niall McGinn such an important player for
:27:55. > :27:59.them. Initially, he found it a bit tricky, finding the route to goal.
:28:00. > :28:03.Ross County have done that to lots of teams this season. They have
:28:04. > :28:09.outmanoeuvred and bullied a lot of teams. But the change in the second
:28:10. > :28:14.half was quite clear to see. And no more so than through Niall McGinn,
:28:15. > :28:19.who is a big player for Aberdeen. Great finish from Rooney as well.
:28:20. > :28:23.When you get" I Johnny Hayes and Adam Rooney, when they are on form,
:28:24. > :28:32.top form, then undoubtedly, that makes Aberdeen click. A bit of good
:28:33. > :28:36.fortune, but no surprise it is the three of them that end up scoring.
:28:37. > :28:41.This is a great run from Niall McGinn. A brainless winger by just
:28:42. > :28:45.continue the run down the outside but he notices a space on the inside
:28:46. > :28:50.and makes the inside run and ends up with the ball in the back of the
:28:51. > :28:55.net. Still with the chance of challenging Celtic to an extent? I
:28:56. > :28:59.wouldn't have thought so, but they will have a good competition with St
:29:00. > :29:07.Johnstone and with hearts going for second place. It is a bit up and
:29:08. > :29:16.down for Ross County. Back in Dingwall to begin. It is a tough one
:29:17. > :29:21.against St Johnstone. St Johnstone are team that is historically very
:29:22. > :29:25.resolute, much like Ross County are at the moment. There's not a great
:29:26. > :29:28.deal to pick between them. But, up in Dingwall, they have started to
:29:29. > :29:32.make that a difficult race for teams to go. 1-1!
:29:33. > :29:34.We're celebrating 40 years of Sportscene this season
:29:35. > :29:36.and we've delved into the archives for some nostalgia.
:29:37. > :29:38.34 years ago this weekend, Dundee United took on Rangers
:29:39. > :29:50.The Tannadice side looking to win it for the third season in a row.
:29:51. > :30:04.Lots of hands up asking for the ball. That was a very poor free
:30:05. > :30:14.kick. And Milne has it at his feet. Jardine going across in. Great goal,
:30:15. > :30:25.1-0, Dundee United. He tries to chip in, and he does, he scores! Cooper.
:30:26. > :30:27.Cooper with it. Hegarty. He tries the chip and it is there from
:30:28. > :30:33.Redford. Two minutes ago. -- to go. There was Friday night football
:30:34. > :30:35.at McDiarmid Park. High-flying St Johnstone welcomed
:30:36. > :30:38.draw specialists Dundee. The home side's form of late has
:30:39. > :30:53.been impressive and the fans, it's It has been going brilliantly again.
:30:54. > :31:01.And we are scoring goals, which has never happened before. Unbelievable!
:31:02. > :31:04.It is nice to get a system that the players enjoy playing and playing
:31:05. > :31:10.for the manager. The ten men have come from behind. They have got
:31:11. > :31:13.great spirit this team. Michael Halloran has been amazing this
:31:14. > :31:26.season. Halloran scores for the person picked -- third consecutive
:31:27. > :31:32.game. It is only half away, it is Craig and it is 3-1. You have a lot
:31:33. > :31:36.of experienced boys in the team and good management team behind us. They
:31:37. > :31:43.never get too carried away when it is going well and we didn't get down
:31:44. > :31:52.at the start of the season when we were not doing as well as we would
:31:53. > :32:00.have liked. They have grounded out victory when reduced to ten men
:32:01. > :32:05.three times this season. Speaking to Kevin Thompson, he has had a few red
:32:06. > :32:11.cars in his career. It is like anything. If you are injured and
:32:12. > :32:16.suspended, you kick every ball and you want to be involved. The main
:32:17. > :32:24.thing is that the team wins again. -- wins the game.
:32:25. > :32:31.McGavin trying to get it through to Stewart. It is in towards King
:32:32. > :32:36.Hemmings. He does well to turn on and try to get the shot away. Good
:32:37. > :32:46.early opening from the visitors. The shot saved by Alan Mannus. Lovely
:32:47. > :32:52.turn by Stewart, releasing King Hemmings. And Dundee have the early
:32:53. > :33:00.breakthrough. Only played three minutes. And King Hemmings has put
:33:01. > :33:06.Dundee in front. Neat flick and interchange between Stewart and
:33:07. > :33:19.Hemmings. And he picks his spot in the bottom corner for his sixth of
:33:20. > :33:27.the season. In towards Wotherspoon. That is the equaliser. They were
:33:28. > :33:33.only behind for ten minutes. Great pace from Michael O'Halloran end the
:33:34. > :33:38.wide right area. Sets it up nicely for Wotherspoon. And make no
:33:39. > :33:49.mistake. Goal number three of the season for Wotherspoon. Maclean,
:33:50. > :33:57.keeps it moving. David Wotherspoon. Good play from Wotherspoon. He tried
:33:58. > :34:04.to curl it to the far corner. Already with one goal this evening.
:34:05. > :34:14.Coming close to two there. Colder again. St Johnstone backing. It is
:34:15. > :34:30.Stewart. Not enough power to beat Alan Mannus. You're always
:34:31. > :34:33.disappointed when you don't win, but we picked up a point and we kept the
:34:34. > :34:39.unbeaten run going, so the players are pleased with that. We have built
:34:40. > :34:45.on back safely on Monday and then it is back to work. It was a fantastic
:34:46. > :34:48.start, a great goal between Stewart and Hemmings, a great finish and I
:34:49. > :34:54.felt that we looked comfortable for the first period of the game. I
:34:55. > :34:57.thought we could have dealt better with St Johnstone's first attack. It
:34:58. > :35:03.was a good cup I can the great finish. It was a fair result. Dundee
:35:04. > :35:07.had a great start getting a good goal, but our response was excellent
:35:08. > :35:11.and I felt that we finished the half stronger. In the second half,
:35:12. > :35:18.probably never created as much chances as we would have liked. I
:35:19. > :35:24.think that point for both teams was probably fair in the end. The fourth
:35:25. > :35:30.1-1 draw for Dundee in a row. That is incredible in itself. Stewart has
:35:31. > :35:34.been involved in a lot of goals for Dundee. He has impressed you over
:35:35. > :35:38.the last couple of years. He was short listed for Player of the Year
:35:39. > :35:43.last season. He was terrific last season. This is a really good goal,
:35:44. > :35:47.with good movement. He has done well from the lower levels, getting Rory
:35:48. > :36:02.Loy and King Hemmings. He has been playing in wide areas.
:36:03. > :36:12.His movement is very good. Put it in. And a good goal. But that front
:36:13. > :36:17.three is a problem for most sites. The lads that they have brought in
:36:18. > :36:22.have done well for Dundee. He goes round the goalkeeper and schools.
:36:23. > :36:25.Rory Loy and Hemmings have done that very well, for Dundee. Greg Stewart
:36:26. > :36:33.has done better than anybody would have expected at Dundee last season
:36:34. > :36:36.at has continued it this season. An impressive run of five straight wins
:36:37. > :36:43.for St Johnstone brought then. But still one point. How much of a
:36:44. > :36:50.threat as a Christmas party? It is more for the staff than the players,
:36:51. > :36:56.I have got to tell you. St Johnstone score so many goals, fantastic to
:36:57. > :37:04.watch. If this changed days for them. You can hear the fans talking
:37:05. > :37:09.about them, that it is great to see the team scoring so many goals.
:37:10. > :37:14.Don't think Tommy Wright would be able to explain what has changed in
:37:15. > :37:18.the site. It is not as if there's been a huge turnaround in personnel.
:37:19. > :37:23.But it is no surprise to find them up at the higher end of the league.
:37:24. > :37:28.At the end of the season, Sam Johnstone have a chance of Europe
:37:29. > :37:32.yet again. Interesting to see where they can go this season.
:37:33. > :37:41.Signs of improvement for Dundee United last weekend but this
:37:42. > :37:41.weekend, Hamilton Academicals the visitors at Tannadice. Commentary
:37:42. > :37:45.from John Barnes. Miixu Paateleinen sticks by the same
:37:46. > :37:53.starting line-up as last week. Billy Miixu Paateleinen sticks by the same
:37:54. > :37:56.Mackay leads the attack, the only player to have scored under the new
:37:57. > :38:00.manager. Hamilton make one change with the fit again Alex Crawford
:38:01. > :38:06.returning to the midfield after one month out. Greg Doherty drops to the
:38:07. > :38:19.bench. No wins in the last six games for Hamilton. Good covering from
:38:20. > :38:32.Ziggy Gordon. Making sure that Mackay was not getting close. The
:38:33. > :38:36.linkup play with Billy McKay I and Souttar and Dundee United are in
:38:37. > :38:41.front. Meet football by the Tannadice side with the touch from
:38:42. > :38:49.Souttar, to Mackay. It was great all-round team played. Good block by
:38:50. > :38:57.Michael McGovern from Blair Spittal. Coming to the rescue for Hamilton
:38:58. > :39:12.Accies. Mackay with the flick. And McGovern denying Spittal. Mackay.
:39:13. > :39:15.Trying it himself. And it was the Accies goalkeeper with a fingertip
:39:16. > :39:27.save once more. To keep out Billy Mackay. Tagliapietra. And the slack
:39:28. > :39:36.pass from McKinnon. United have wasted the opportunity. Billy Mackay
:39:37. > :39:45.had the chance to set up Spittal but he chose McGavin rather than playing
:39:46. > :39:49.it square left. Spittal. Rankin. And another fine stop my Michael
:39:50. > :39:56.McGovern. The danger is still not over. Billy Mackay should have
:39:57. > :39:59.buried that one. Rankin with the emission -- initial effort. It was
:40:00. > :40:07.Paul McGowan who got in the way of emission -- initial effort. It was
:40:08. > :40:15.Billy Mackay and put him off. Spittal, Billy Mackay should finish
:40:16. > :40:32.it this time. Another fine save by Michael McGovern. It just will not
:40:33. > :40:39.go for Mackay. Sliding challenge by Durnan. Ali Crawford with the
:40:40. > :40:44.corner. And that is Gavin Dunning with the header, and he has put it
:40:45. > :40:52.in his own net, would you believe it? It looked like an easy clearance
:40:53. > :41:00.but he somehow directed it into the bottom corner, then he collided with
:41:01. > :41:09.Sendles-White. The referee was concerned. He just went past him.
:41:10. > :41:17.Gavin Dunning tried to sort of hit out at him. Crawford. Accies have
:41:18. > :41:26.got their tails up. Blocked away. Crawford. The clearance from Sean
:41:27. > :41:32.Dillon, and Ziggy Gordon, and Accies are front! Two goals in nine minutes
:41:33. > :41:39.and they have turned this game around. Ziggy Gordon with his first
:41:40. > :41:49.goal of the season. Quick reactions from the full-back. Rankin, finding
:41:50. > :41:57.Dixon. Dunning. That is a lovely pass. Mackay again, and he is
:41:58. > :42:03.thwarted by his Northern Ireland team-mate Michael McGovern, great
:42:04. > :42:07.goalkeeping. Astonished how we lost that game. Scored a wonderful goal.
:42:08. > :42:17.The game was under control. No problem. Then after going 1-0 up we
:42:18. > :42:22.create clear cut opportunities, one on one with the goalkeeper and we do
:42:23. > :42:27.not put them away. If you pay the consequences. You are asking for
:42:28. > :42:32.trouble is. It was that good conditions, but the lads' character
:42:33. > :42:37.came out, they never know when they are beaten, and they continued to
:42:38. > :42:40.work. It was probably not our best performance but in conditions like
:42:41. > :42:47.that up here, difficult game, it was never going to be easy and it was
:42:48. > :42:50.great to get the result. Great win for Hamilton Accies but for the
:42:51. > :42:54.second week in a row, Dundee United relinquishing a winning position and
:42:55. > :43:00.losing. That is eight defeats from their last nine games. How do they
:43:01. > :43:04.get out of this downward spiral? Encouragement from the opportunities
:43:05. > :43:10.that they have created. In another game, Mackay would have got a
:43:11. > :43:14.hat-trick. The worrying thing is, for all the chances created, they
:43:15. > :43:21.have lost the ball and once they lose a goal, with Gavin Dunning
:43:22. > :43:26.heading in like that, as a manager, you cannot foresee that happening.
:43:27. > :43:28.They were in control of the game but then they became a little bit
:43:29. > :43:35.brittle, and confidence is a massive factor. The worrying factor for
:43:36. > :43:42.Dundee United is that since August 39th in the league, no other player
:43:43. > :43:56.has scored except for Billy Mikhail. -- Billy Mackay. They have brought
:43:57. > :44:01.in Pongolle in the head that he can add some goals. And it is not as if
:44:02. > :44:06.Billy Mackay has banged in a hatful in that time, either. They had been
:44:07. > :44:09.through one on one with the goalkeeper on a number of occasions
:44:10. > :44:12.and if you don't put those away, you are asking for trouble and Dundee
:44:13. > :44:17.United paid the ultimate price. Great win for Hamilton, but they
:44:18. > :44:24.have brought in Gavin Dunning and he has played two games. And he scores
:44:25. > :44:32.a non-goal yesterday. If you watch here, Gavin is not picked up. He is
:44:33. > :44:37.in the six yard box to go and attack the ball. He does go and attack it.
:44:38. > :44:41.If you try to do that again, it would be impossible for him to do
:44:42. > :44:46.it. In control of the game. And when you're down there, those things go
:44:47. > :44:53.against you. Credit to Accies, they continue to defy the odds. Yes, they
:44:54. > :45:01.have turned it round at the back end of last season and continued this
:45:02. > :45:04.done to them. -- continued this season, so well done to them.
:45:05. > :45:06.Firhill has been far from a happy hunting ground
:45:07. > :45:08.They haven't beaten Motherwell on the road
:45:09. > :45:12.Hearts were also wearing their special third strip,
:45:13. > :45:14.which bore the names of the 8,000 fans who helped
:45:15. > :45:36.Back after a ban for hearts is the top scorer, Juanma, with Prince
:45:37. > :45:44.Buaben demoted to the bench. Scott McDonald. Looking to spark
:45:45. > :45:52.something. Aleksander is in trouble. And Motherwell go ahead
:45:53. > :45:55.inside 90 seconds. Hearts looking for the free kick which was not
:45:56. > :46:04.coming their way. That was judged to be a fair challenge from Moult. So
:46:05. > :46:08.of new CDs given. It is an eight goal of the season for Moult. And it
:46:09. > :46:12.is an aerial challenge that the hearts goalkeeper should have one,
:46:13. > :46:24.but nothing wrong with the challenge, 1-0, Motherwell. Kennedy
:46:25. > :46:32.is in trouble against Osman Sow. He threads the ball through for Juanma.
:46:33. > :46:40.And it is 1-1. Delightful finish. That is number nine of the season
:46:41. > :46:47.for hearts' Spanish striker. It is poor, defensively from Motherwell
:46:48. > :46:57.but a really good finish. Nine minutes played, two goals already.
:46:58. > :47:02.1-1. Swanson. The ball, spinning back in the direction of Kennedy.
:47:03. > :47:09.Dangerous backpass. Osman Sow, with a real chance. He could have turned
:47:10. > :47:14.this game completely around. Has to be disappointed he didn't do more
:47:15. > :47:28.with this. Credit to Connor Ripley for the save. Danny Swanson's free
:47:29. > :47:31.kick. That was a glaring miss. I don't think he needs to be told he
:47:32. > :47:41.should have been scoring here, Rossi. Well picked out, great free
:47:42. > :47:45.kick. Missed opportunity. Again from Swanson, again a chance, and
:47:46. > :48:00.Patterson this time, with an angled header. It produces a good stop from
:48:01. > :48:07.Ripley. Johnson with a touch. Martin Johnson get it back. Having a look
:48:08. > :48:16.at what's on. McDonald, and the great save from Neil Alexander. That
:48:17. > :48:22.is a crucial factor and a scrap for possession close to the goal line.
:48:23. > :48:31.Great wing play from Johnson. The faintest of touches to McDonald.
:48:32. > :48:41.Good save. Swanson. Juanma. I think Ripley got a touch to divert that.
:48:42. > :48:48.The long ball from Hamill. Dangerous from Rossi. And he flies into a
:48:49. > :48:56.challenge against McDonald. And Marvin Johnson is racing away, and
:48:57. > :49:01.is a second goal for Motherwell, with a great hit of composure within
:49:02. > :49:05.the penalty box. You cannot say that about the defending from Hearts.
:49:06. > :49:17.They messed up badly. There's the punishment. Johnson on the mark. On
:49:18. > :49:26.65 minutes, 2-1. Prince Buaben, off the bench. Osman Sow. Hammers home
:49:27. > :49:30.the equaliser for hearts. A spectacular strike. It has gone
:49:31. > :49:41.right over the top of Connor Ripley. The Motherwell goalkeeper
:49:42. > :49:44.bemused and beaten. There goes Prince Buaben again. A powerful
:49:45. > :49:53.addition to the midfield, picking his way through, Juanma looks with a
:49:54. > :49:57.shot, this lot, saved by Ripley, and Sam Nicholson blazes that over the
:49:58. > :50:03.top. And he cannot get a look. A hat-trick of chances for Hearts to
:50:04. > :50:10.turn one point into three, looks like it is going to end, 2-2. I
:50:11. > :50:17.thought the performance was terrific. We had enough chances to
:50:18. > :50:22.win the game. I was pleased with it. But both sets of players, in the
:50:23. > :50:27.conditions, coped with it well. Disappointed to drop two points. We
:50:28. > :50:37.came here to win, but we will accept a point, we worked hard. All in all,
:50:38. > :50:43.on a day like today, with the conditions we will take a point. It
:50:44. > :50:48.is fair to say we will all glad to see that goal from Louis Moult
:50:49. > :50:53.stand. Even you, a former hearts captain, Michael Stewart. You see
:50:54. > :50:59.goalkeepers get far too much protection. I think it is a fair
:51:00. > :51:05.challenge. Well played, Steven McLean, allowing the chance to go
:51:06. > :51:09.unpunished. He just jumped up. It hits his head as he has got a tap in
:51:10. > :51:14.into the back of the net. Neil Alexander has got to do better. It
:51:15. > :51:17.amazes me the number of times you see goalkeepers jumping with their
:51:18. > :51:20.hands in the air, and they can be beaten with a guy who was just using
:51:21. > :51:25.his head. It was good to see that one standing. Good point for
:51:26. > :51:30.Motherwell, but they need to improve, Stuart. The good thing
:51:31. > :51:36.yesterday, they had Stevie Hamill back. They were good defensively.
:51:37. > :51:41.And the fantastic goal from Johnson. He needs to be at his best,
:51:42. > :51:45.Ainsworth, they have got some good forward players. But Hearts had some
:51:46. > :51:52.good opportunities as well. It was a good point. I think Motherwell and
:51:53. > :51:57.the teams down the can still look to climb the table with a couple of
:51:58. > :52:02.victories. Hearts talking about how they can still get Celtic to the
:52:03. > :52:07.title. I am not sure what Robbie Neilson thought about that. He was
:52:08. > :52:10.not so please. It was a missed opportunity. Let's look at the goal
:52:11. > :52:15.from Osman Sow. It was a real belter. Was it better than Robbie
:52:16. > :52:21.Muirhead's goal earlier from Partick Thistle? Both of them are fantastic
:52:22. > :52:28.strike. It is a position that Osman Sow picks up a lot. That Number Ten
:52:29. > :52:31.position. The end product, it is something that he lacks at times,
:52:32. > :52:38.but certainly not here. Better than Robbie Muirhead? I think both of
:52:39. > :52:43.them are fantastic. I give it to Osman Sow, because it got his team a
:52:44. > :52:47.point, whereas Robbie Muirhead's was irrelevant, at the end of the day. I
:52:48. > :52:49.will give it to Robbie Muirhead, because it cost Motherwell two
:52:50. > :52:54.point! Two great strikes. And after all that the
:52:55. > :52:56.Ladbrokes Premiership table looks Celtic remain on top,
:52:57. > :53:00.seven points clear of Aberdeen. Hearts in third place,
:53:01. > :53:02.just a point behind. The faint embers
:53:03. > :53:06.of a title race perhaps. And then a bunch
:53:07. > :53:11.of teams congested in mid-table. At the bottom Dundee United,
:53:12. > :53:14.now seven points adrift. Congratulations to Scotland's women
:53:15. > :53:19.after their 10-0 victory over Macedonia today, and also to Andy
:53:20. > :53:22.Murray and the rest of Team GB after
:53:23. > :53:25.making history in the Davis Cup. We're back next weekend with another
:53:26. > :53:30.slice of Scottish football history. Until then, from all of us here,
:53:31. > :53:32.goodnight.