SPL Weekend Review

On Thursday I asked if the SPL would continue with the draw and close games that had so far been played. Turns out the answer was no. Over the weekend four of the matches were won by two or more goals, and a total of 18 goals were scored. Here is a look back at the best of the action.

Saturday Fixtures:

Inverness 0 - 2 Rangers

Inverness vs. Rangers BBC Video

Rangers picked up their second away win of the season under fortuitous circumstances in Inverness. Rangers got their first with a penalty from Nikica Jelavic, however, the decision to award the penalty was very dodgy, with Ross Tokely looking to win the ball from Steven Naismith who went down under the challenge. Inverness has further room for complaint as the big defender was also sent off for the tackle. Rangers doubled their lead with Maurice Edu converting after Jelavic had missed a second penalty. Again though, Terry Butcher had the right to complain, with Rangers centre half, Dorin Goian going down very easily under the challenge. Edu seen his game finish early though, with a second book arriving late in the second half for a rashly timed tackle on Nick Ross. Rangers though get the three points to move them up to third in the SPL.

Hearts 3 - 0 Aberdeen
Hearts vs. Aberdeen BBC Video

Hearts got their first league victory under the control of Paulo Sergio as they demolished a very average looking Aberdeen side. Arvydas Novikovas got the first goal for the Jambos, as a cross from Danny Grainger was cleared by the Aberdeen defence, however the ball fell for Novikovas, and the Lithuanian found himself in tonnes of space to fire past the Dons keeper. A sharp run from David Templeton into the Aberdeen box, saw him square the ball for the unmarked John Sutton who tapped the ball into the empty net from a few yards out to give Hearts the two goal cushion just before half time. Sutton got his second and Hearts third in the second half, a toe poke from Templeton deceiving everyone and the ball ran through for Sutton to place the ball past Gonzalez for the third. Aberdeen still haven’t scored in the SPL this season, while Hearts get their first win of the campaign.

St. Johnstone 0 - 1 Dunfermline

St. Johnstone vs. Dunfermline BBC Video

Dunfermline got their first win of the season, as St. Johnstone continued to struggle for goals. A corner from Dunfermline was played short and picked up by Jason Thomson and his long range effort was turned in by Andy Kirk for the only goal of the game. St. Johnstone had their chance to draw level, Francisco Sandaza being brought down by John Potter in the box, and the ex St. Mirren man was sent off for the challenge. However, Liam Craig seen his penalty saved by Paul Gallacher in the Pars goal, and Dunfermline held on for the remainder of the match to pick up a well earned three points.

St. Mirren 0 - 1 Motherwell

St. Mirren vs. Motherwell BBC Video

Motherwell remained top of the league after the fourth set of fixtures in the Scottish Premier League after defeating St. Mirren with a late winner. Motherwell dominated the second half of the game, after an even first half, but it took them until injury time until they got the breakthrough. Gary Teale conceded a free kick on the edge of the area, after taking down Nicky Law. Motherwell midfielder Tom Hateley stepped up and curled a delightful shot past the outstretched arm of Craig Samson to get a well deserved three points for the Lanarkshire side.

Celtic 5 - 1 Dundee United

Celtic vs. Dundee United BBC Video

Celtic continued their flawless start to the season with a commanding win over Dundee United. Anthony Stokes continued his record of scoring in every game in the league for Celtic so far as he tapped home from a corner, however, Dundee United fought back and Johnny Russell equalised, as a mishit shot from Garry Kenneth fell to the youngsters feet and he comfortably slotted past Zaluska. Celtic though were back into the lead only a few minutes later, Mulgrew’s cross being met by Stokes who watched his header hit the bar only for the rebound to fall for Gary Hooper who put the ball in the net. A superb flowing counter attack by Celtic gave then their third, Scott Brown and Kris Commons working well to play Ki Sung Yeung in, and the Korean finished well. Joe Ledley got his first of the season, after good work from Shaun Maloney down the right wing, and the Welshman was in the right place to tap home the Scotsman’s cross. Celtic wrapped up the victory with Jamie Forrest finishing a well worked goal for the Glasgow side.

Sunday Fixture:

Kilmarnock 4 - 1 Hibs
Kilmarnock vs. Hibs BBC Video

Kenny Shiels got his first league win as Kilmarnock manager with a rout over a lacklustre Hibs side. Paul Heffernan got his first for his new side after only three minutes, a lovely floated pass from Rory McKeown being brought down by Heffernan and he slid the ball under the onrushing Graham Stack. Garry O’Connor drew the Edinburgh side level though, after a poor pass by Ryan O’Leary was picked up by Wotherspoon who fed the Scottish internationalist, and he showed all his class to chip the ball over Cammy Bell in the Killie goal. The skilful James Dayton created Killie’s second his twisting a turning taking him past the Hibs full back and his cross was met by the outstretched leg of Paul Hanlon who sent the ball into his own net. Dayton got a goal of his own when he curled a free kick into the top corner from twenty yards out, after Wotherspoon had brought down Danny Buijs. The goals were completed in the 71st minute as Heffernan found space in the box and he connected with a cracking cross from Buijs to power the ball past Stack and give Killie the three points.

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SPL Weekend Review

Week two of the SPL season seen ten teams compete in five matches, with four games played on Saturday and one of the Sunday. TheFullTenYards will now take a look back at the fixtures played and report on what occurred in each match. For those wondering, the Hearts - Dundee United game will be looked at in more detail tomorrow.

St. Johnstone 0 - 2 Rangers

Ally McCoist managed to pick up his first competitive win as Rangers boss at the third attempt, defeating a lacklustre Saints side in Perth. However, it was the Saints who had the opening chance, Callum Davidson forcing a good save from Allan McGregor after a decent long range effort. And his namesake Murray Davidson had the next chance for St. Johnstone, his effort just flashing past the far post. However, then Rangers started to get a stranglehold on the game, Jelavic heading a fine powerful header at the Saints goal, only for Enckleman to make a fine save from the Croat. Then came the sucker punch, a flighted ball in by Lee Wallace was met by the head of Stevie Naismith, and he added to his goal against Hearts last week with a second headed goal, which flew past Enckleman and into the net.

Early in the second half, Jelavic wrapped up the points for Rangers, a great run from Steven Davis his pass being played on by Naismith to Jelavic who was in acres of space, and he fired past Enckleman for his first of the season. Jody Morris had a chance to bring St. Johnstone back into the game, but his low drilled shot went the wrong side of the post. In the end though, Rangers picked up a deserved victory, while St. Johnstone continue to struggle in front of goal.

Man Of The Match - Nikica Jelavic (Rangers): The big striker worked well up front with Naismith, taking his goal well, and should prove a big part of Rangers’ season if he can keep fit.

St. Mirren 1 - 0 Aberdeen

The Buddies got their first win of the campaign, leaving them joint top of the league alongside Rangers and Motherwell after two weeks of the season. Steven Thompson should have scored very early on though, his volley from the six yards line, flying over the top of the bar, when a striker of his experience should have been scoring. Gary Teale being another to fire over, after a good run by the ex Derby man. St. Mirren looked very good on the ball, and a delightful pass by McGowan to Teale, was crossed in by the summer signing, but Nigel Hasselbaink messed up his header completely.

Aberdeen survived a massive penalty shout by the home side, but camera angles made it hard to see where the ball struck Osbourne so no further comment can be made. St. Mirren continued to show their passing focus, a nice bunch of one touch passes, culminating in Hasselbaink being played through, and the Dutchman showed the composure that was lacking in his earlier chance to fire past the Dons keeper. Aberdeen could have equalised soon after, however, a Vernon header was well cleared by the outstretched arms of Samson in the St. Mirren goal. The final chance of the match fell to Aberdeen, but Michael Paton could only send his shot inches past Samson’s left hand post. The result sends St. Mirren climbing the table, while Aberdeen start the season with only one point on the board.

Man Of The Match - Nigel Hasselbaink (St. Mirren): The young striker took his goal very well, needs to work on his composure in front of goal though, and if he does then he may become a very good player for the Buddies this season.

Inverness 0 - 1 Hibs

The match between the only two sides without a point on the board already, ended with Hibs picking up the vital victory. Ivan Sproule had the first chance of the match, but his shot from a few yards out was well blocked by the Caley left back. Hibs continued to dominate, Garry O’Connor seeing his powerful shot being well dealt with by Esson, before Sproule and O’Connor combined, the latter seeing his shot blocked by Esson. Caley got their first chance of the game, when a cross ball fell at the feet of Richie Foran, however, his shot went well over the bar. Gregory Taddei eventually got the ball in the Hibs net, but the goal was ruled out for being offside.

Into the second half and Caley looked very unlucky not to be awarded a penalty, when a cross was blocked by the arm of Lewis Stevenson, however, the ref waved play on and Caley were left fuming. Ryan Esson was once again called upon to stop Hibs, as Matt Thornhill’s ambitious scissor kick was tipped over the bar by the keeper. Aldridge and Tansei then missed very good chances to give Caley the lead, and they were left to rue these misses as deep into the third minute of injury time, Garry O’Connor powered a shot through the arms of Esson to give Hibs the victory.

Man of the Match - Ryan Esson (Inverness): The Inverness goalkeeper was in fine form as he kept out Hibs until the final minute of the game. Very unlucky to end up on the losing side.

Kilmarnock 0 - 0 Motherwell

A very good match ended in the only draw of the weekend, as both goalkeepers kept out their opponents with some good saves. James Dayton may have been awarded a penalty early in the match, his touch past Keith Lasley in the box drawing the tackle from Lasley, and the Killie winger went down under the block of Lasley. The referee waved play on, and Killie looked right to feel aggrieved by the decision. Jamie Murphy then couldn’t get a boot on a delightful cross by Stevie Hammell. A flurry of corners for Motherwell soon followed, and one of them fell on the head of Hutchinson, but the Well centre half couldn’t direct his header onto the target. Minutes later, a powerful shot by Liam Kelly was well saved by Darren Randolph in the ‘Well goal. Dayton also managed to pull a good save out of Randolph, his left footed drive being parried away by the keeper. Cammy Bell was then called into action at the other end, having to save well from McHugh and palming his powerful effort over the bar.

Into the second half and it was once again the keepers who were on top, Bell producing a fantastic save to stop Jennings long range effort from flying into the net. A mistake under pressure by Randolph, resulted in Kelly picking the ball up thirty five yards out with an empty net, but he tried to take the effort first time, when a touch would have been better, and the ball went harmlessly wide. Killie centre half Zdenek Kroca then made a tremendous last ditch tackle to stop Nicky Law from opening the scoring, after Law had been left clear through on goal. The last chance of the match fell to new Killie signing Dean Shiels, but he tried to take on one to many men, rather than picking out the free Dayton who was in a much better position. In the end though, no-one really deserved to lose what was a very entertaining scoreless draw.

Man of the Match - Cammy Bell (Kilmarnock): The choice was mainly between him and his Motherwell counterpart, Darren Randolph. Bell gets the award though for his save from Steve Jennings which kept the game goalless.

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Weekend Review

With the Scottish season now up and running, with only one game left to be played in the opening set of fixtures (Dunfermline vs. St. Mirren) which shall be looked at tomorrow, it is now time to review the opening set of games in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, starting with the Saturday fixtures.

Rangers 1 - 1 Hearts

Ally’s McCoist’s first game in charge of the Glasgow giants ended in disappointment as they could only salvage a draw against a good Hearts side. Ryan McGowan’s pressure and good ball skills led to a corner being conceded by new Rangers signing Juanma. The resultant corner was floated in by Hearts new signing Danny Grainger and was powered home by the leaping David Obua for an unlikely lead for the team from Gorgie. Two claims for penalties were then turned down, as first Jelavic took a tumble under pressure from the Hearts defence, and then Stevie Naismith went down on the edge of the box. Both decisions were rightfully played on, much to the disgust of the home fans. Naismith should have equalised early in the second half, after a lovely dummy by Jelavic left him one on one, but his shot went well over the bar. Rangers eventual equaliser came more from a mistake by Hearts than anything else, as Ryan McGowan was robbed of possession on the half way line, and the marauding Sasa Papac made him pay, swinging in a cross for Naismith to comfortably head home. Both Obua (denied by a superb save by McGregor) and Papac could have won the game for their teams, but in the end a draw was a fair result.

Man Of The Match - Marius Zaliukas (Hearts): Showed why he is considered one of the best defenders in the SPL with a stand out performance. Marshalled his defence well, and continues to look a class act.

Aberdeen 0 - 0 St. Johnstone

A very windy game at Aberdeen produced a rather dire game of football, with few decent talking points. Ricky Foster thankfully not getting booed by his own fans after his experience with Rangers last season, creating the two best Aberdeen chances in the first half with long range efforts which were comfortably dealt with by Peter Enckleman. The excellent Fraser Fyvie played a delightful through ball to Darren Mackie early in the second half, but the Dons were stopped again by Enckleman. The wind nearly became the most talked about moment in the game, as a high corner from the Dons was caught in it and a scrambling Enckleman had to deal with a ball at his near posts which a few seconds ago was heading deep for his back post. Fyvie came the closest to opening the scoring as his cross hit the inside of the post after looping over Enckleman, before bouncing harmlessly back to a Saints player. The major talking point of the game occurred when a loose pass by Ryan Jack was picked up by Murray Davidson, with the former coming in with a late studs up tackle onto the ankle of the Saints midfielder. A red card was produced by referee Conroy and upon looking at it, it was a very late challenge and probably justified the sending off.

Man of the Match - Fraser Fyvie (Aberdeen): The youngster looks like he could have a very big future in the game, and performances like this will continue to enhance his reputation.

Motherwell 3 - 0 Inverness

Jamie Murphy heightened his growing reputation within the game, and sent the watching scouts home with a glowing report. Michael Higdon also looked like he could be a decent signing for the steel men looking very good in the air. Richie Foran for Inverness came closest to opening the scoring, hitting the post with a curling shot from twenty yards. The opening goal came at the other side though, with an unlikely source in Stevie Hammell getting the goal in a fortunate manner, his volley hitting the post and then cannoning off the head of Ryan Esson and back into the net. Murphy got his goal after good work from Jennings and Law, which seen the new signing Law send the striker through on goal, and he showed the composure to side foot the ball past Esson to double Well’s lead. Inverness could have been back in the game though, but Greg Tansey seen his effort beat Randolph but come back off the post. Randolph then denied Tansey with a cracking point blank save, which was more a reflex than anything else. The third Well goal came from a superb shot from Keith Lasley, the ball dropping to him just outside the box and he powered it into the top corner, leaving Esson with no chance.

Man of the Match - Jamie Murphy (Motherwell): The young striker showed that he may be ready for a step up in class very soon, Motherwell will do very well to hold onto him during this transfer window.

Hibs 0 - 2 Celtic

Celtic get a good first win under their belts with a comfortable win against Hibs, however, the result was marred by the fact they were playing in the horrific “bumblebee” strip, which was a constant eyesore when watching the game. Anthony Stokes opened the scoring for the Hoops after a calamity from Hibs keeper Graham Stack who overstretched for the Celtic free kick and could only fumble the ball to the ex Hibs striker, who calmly placed the ball high into the net. The Hibs goalkeeper curse looks set to continue for a while yet it would seem. Marc Wilson then had a goal disallowed for offside and on further inspection it looked very tight, with the full back looking to be in line with the final Hibs defender. Claims for a Hibs penalty after Sproule fell under the challenge by Kelvin Wilson were rightfully turned away, the Hibs winger already falling before any contact was made. Ki Sung Yueng wrapped up the points for Celtic and completed an excellent display by the Korean, with a cracking strike that fizzed into bottom corner past the outstretched arm of Stack. Celtic were then awarded a penalty after Izaguirre was brought down by Sproule, however the resulting Hooper penalty was saved by Stack who palmed it onto the post.

Man of the Match - Ki Sung Yueng (Celtic): The Korean looked very assured in the middle of the park, did well in replacing Scott Brown and was at the heart of everything Celtic did.


Dundee United 1 - 1 Kilmarnock

Both teams fought out an even contest, with both teams trying to adjust to life after some of their star players had departed. New signing for United, John Rankin sending a shot flying past Cammy Bell’s goal. James Dayton will look to come on this year after missing seven months for Killie last season, and he was next to take a shot after a direct run from the half way line, however, his shot missed the target. David Goodwillie should have opened the scoring after a cracking cross from Paul Dixon was met only six yards out by Goodwillie, however the Scottish young player of the year missed when it looked easier to score. Cammy Bell then had to be alert in the Killie goal to stop a deflected cross sneaking into his bottom corner, while Harkins missed at the other end after hitting his own player with the ball. Killie new boy Rory McKeon then lit up the game in the second half, as he brought down a clearance twenty five yards out, before thumping the ball past the stretching Pernis and sending it crashing into the roof of the net, for a debut to remember. Dundee United soon equalised though, through a free kick that was struck against the wall only for it to fall to Danny Swanson, who then powered the ball into the bottom corner leaving Bell with no chance. It fell to Goodwillie though who had the opportunity to wrap up the three points for United in the last minute, however, he tried to take the ball by Bell and the Killie keeper managed to grab the ball, much to the relief of the Killie fans in attendance.

Man of the Match - Patrick Ada (Kilmarnock): The new recruit from Crewe looked very assured at the back, strong in the challenge and looks to have already set up a decent partnership with other new signing Zdenek Kroca in the backline.

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