| Date | Saturday, 06 April 2013 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish Premier League |
| Fixture/Score | Heart of Midlothian 4:2 Ross County |
| Venue | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance | 10,456 |
| Referee | Alan Muir |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Andy Campbell for the BBC. Heart of Midlothian 4 Ross County 2 Three goals in quick succession gave Hearts an unlikely win over Ross County at Tynecastle. Steffen Wohlfarth's impressive strike put the visitors in front. Michael Ngoo nodded Hearts level just after the break only for Wohlfarth to regain the lead for the Staggies with a powerful header of his own. But Jason Holt equalised with a stunning volley, Evangelos Ikonomou's own goal put the hosts ahead and Ngoo netted his second with a low strike. County remain six points off a European spot and Hearts' win may also have implications for Dundee, who could be relegated later on Saturday depending on results. Wohlfarth was keen to make his presence known and an early shot from the German ricocheted up off a defender before his eventual header was collected by Jamie MacDonald. But the goalkeeper was helpless midway through the half as Wohlfarth collected near the byeline, burst past Jamie Hamill and swept a powerful shot into the far corner from the inside left channel. And Ivan Sproule should have doubled the visitors' lead when he pounced upon a short passback by Brad McKay. The former Hibernian winger was clean through but struck straight at MacDonald, who clawed away the rebound before Wohlfarth could capitalise. Kevin McHattie came close to a leveller when he moved upfield to fire a shot off the outside of the right-hand post but County were soon back on the attack. Sproule turned Mihael Kovacevic's low centre towards goal and MacDonald again scrambled clear. After such a dominant first half, the lack of a second goal may have been a concern for the travelling fans. And their fear of a Hearts comeback was realised as Ngoo rose above the County defence to direct McHattie's cross past Michael Fraser. However, another powerful header, this time by Wohlfarth, edged Derek Adams' side back into the lead as Iain Vigurs' inviting corner was dispatched into the net. Jamie Walker, Holt and Danny Wilson could not hit the target as Hearts tried to battle back a second time. But Holt eventually beat MacDonald with a stunning left-foot volley after a corner had been cleared to the edge of the box. And, within seconds, Ikonomou turned the ball into his own net after Walker had nudged the ball towards goal. Ngoo then beat Fraser at his near post with a low driven shot and Hearts fans were savouring the prospect of victory a matter of minutes after contemplating defeat. Kovacevic could have set up an interesting last few minutes but lifted his shot over with the goal gaping. Ross County manager Derek Adams was dejected after watching his side surrender a lead en route to defeat by Hearts at Tynecastle. Steffen Wohlfarth's second goal of the day put County 2-1 ahead but three goals in the last 11 minutes gave the hosts victory. "It's ridiculous the way we've lost the game," said Adams. "We should've probably have been 4-0 up at half-time with the chances we created. They were excellent chances." Wohlfarth impressed with a fine first-half strike and a powerful header after the break but his team-mates were less clinical in front of goal. "I thought we were in total command of the game for a large majority," Adams told BBC Radio Scotland. "We were one-on-one with the goalkeeper a number of times. "What we haven't done is defend our 18-yard box well enough. It was totally ridiculous how we defended. "Hearts took their chances when they came along and if our chances had been taken it probably would've been 10-4." County were already assured of a top-six place in their debut Scottish Premier League season and Adams is beginning to plan for next term. "We've got five games to go and our season has been terrific," he added. "We just want to keep going. We look to next season and look to see what we can do player-wise." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Derek Adams |
| Starting 11 | 1: Michael Fraser, 4: Grant Munro, 5: Scott Boyd 1, 8: Paul Lawson 1, 10: Richard Brittain, 11: Iain Vigurs, 12: Rocco Quinn, 15: Steffen Wohifarth 2, 16: Ivan Sproule, 18: Evangelos Oikonomou 1, 22: Mihael Kovacevic |
| Bench | 0: Paul Gallacher, 13: Andre Hainault, 14: Martin Scott, 20: Gary Glen, 21: Alex Cooper, 23: Archie Macphee, 24: Steven Ross |
| Heart of Midlothian | |
| Manager | Gary Locke |
| Starting 11 | Jamie MacDonald, Jamie Hamill, Brad McKay, Danny Wilson, Kevin McHattie, Ryan Stevenson, Callum Tapping 1, Mehdi Taouil, Jamie Walker, Michael Ngoo 2 1, Dale Carrick |
| Bench | Mark Ridgers, John Sutton, Gordon Smith, Jason Holt 1, David Smith, Arvydas Novikovas, Dylan McGowan |