Smith's gamble comes up trumps

graeme smith

27 Feb 1989

SPORTS CORRS

PAGE: 22

EDITION: 2

Aberdeen 3, Hearts 0

FOR the first 20 minutes it looked as if Alex Smith had made a blunder.

The Aberdeen side without Bett, Simpson, and Nicholas were in disarray and Hearts were attacking them from all angles.

The manager had taken a chance in resting some experienced players for tonight's continuing Scottish Cup battle with Dundee United at Tannadice and it seemed as if it might cost him vital points in the league challenge.

It was only after comeback-defender Craig Levein fouled John Hewitt in 24 minutes that the gamble started to pay off.

Paul Mason floated the free kick into the Hearts box, where Brian Irvine rose above the defenders to head Aberdeen into the lead.

That settled the home side who, in the next 15 minutes, showed Bayern Munich coach, Egon Coordes, just how his side can get through the Hearts defence in their UEFA Cup quarter-final tie tomorrow night.

Within two minutes of the first goal Paul Wright was brought down in the box by Alan McLaren, and despite appeals for a penalty, play was waved on.

But in 31 minutes Wright got his name on the scoresheet.

He finished off a superb sequence of flowing passes which ended with the young striker crashing in a David Robertson cross.

Six minutes later Wright got his second and Aberdeen's third when Craig Robertson stepped over a Stewart McKimmie cross to leave him a clear shot.

Manager Smith later confessed that he had only decided to include Wright at the very last minute.

He had been forced to leave out Nicholas because of an ankle knock but had rested Bett and Simpson.

"I was going to leave out Paul Wright as well but changed my mind because his attitude was so good at lunch time," he said.

Hearts battled bravely to the end and the Bayern coach praised their "Scottish fighting spirit," but they were without luck.

Twice they hit the woodwork and an Eamonn Bannon header was cleared off the line by Brian Irvine.

At the end of the game their morale for the clash with Bayern had been hammered.

Alex Smith's team, thanks to his gamble, scored their best league victory this season, are still serious contenders for the title, and will run out against Dundee United brimming with confidence.

The manager's only problem is going to be who to leave out.

ABERDEEN -- Snelders, McKimmie, D Robertson, C Robertson, McLeish, Irvine, Mason, Grant, Wright, Connor, Hewitt.

Substitutes -- Watson, Dodds.

HEARTS -- Smith, McLaren, McKinlay, McPherson, Berry, Levein, Galloway, Robertson, Colquhoun, Black, Bannon.

Substitutes -- Sandison, Ferguson.

Referee -- J McCluskey (Stewarton).

Taken from the Herald