Rix tenure gets off to false start

Aberdeen (1) 1 Hearts (0) 1

Graham Rix weathered predictable, if relatively muted, abuse from the home fans but he will have been more concerned by the insipid display from his players, who now find themselves trailing leaders Celtic by two points - the first time during this campaign that they have been in that position.

They were not worth more than a draw against opponents who have now won only one of the last 14 meetings between the clubs.

Afterwards Rix admitted that the controversy surrounding his appointment may have been a factor in his team's slow start to this match. "It could have affected the guys and it probably looked that way first half," he said.

Aberdeen's goal owed as much to Hearts' inability to clear their lines as it did to any incisiveness on their part. However, when Scott Muirhead's cross was missed by Darren Mackie, Jamie Smith was on hand to drill a right-foot shot low behind Craig Gordon from 15 yards.

Hearts took time to settle into any kind of rhythm and it required a large dollop of fortune for them to regain parity. Edgaras Jankauskas set it up by out-jumping Russell Anderson and Rudi Skacel's shot from the edge of the penalty area took a deflection off Gary Dempsey and looped over Ryan Esson.

Match details

Aberdeen (4-4-2): Esson; Hart (Dempsey h-t), Diamond (Considine 89), Anderson, Byrne; Smith, Clark, Nicholson, Muirhead; Mackie (Foster 86), Crawford.
Subs: Langfield (g), Winter, Stewart, Baas.
Goal: Smith (13). Booked: Hart, Clark, Crawford, Mackie, Diamond.
Hearts (4-4-2): Gordon; Neilson, Pressley, Webster, Fyssas; Mikoliunas, Brellier, Hartley, Skacel; Pospisil (Elliot h-t), Jankauskas (Cesnauskis 80).
Subs: Banks (g), Camazzola, McAllister, Wallace, Tall.
Goal: Skacel (65). Booked: Brellier.
Referee: C Thomson (Scotland).

Taken from telegraph.co.uk