SPL update - Sat 11th December

Rangers were held to a draw at Inverness, the Dons go bottom after being hammered by Hearts and St Johnstone winning the battle of the Saints.

Inverness v Rangers

Rangers were held at Inverness by Terry Butcher’s Caley Thistle side, but both sides were grateful to their keeper’s for keeping them in the game.

The home side started the better of the two sides as Rangers looked lethargic following their European trip in midweek. Alan McGregor was forced to save one on one from Adam Rooney in the early stages.

The keeper was beaten just after the half hour mark when Johnny Hayes spectacular strike from the right edge of the box left the Rangers keeper helpless. This was a lead the home side deserved as they were quicker to every ball and were quick and alert on the counter attack.

The second half was a slightly different affair as Rangers pushed forward looking to take the points and extend their lead over Celtic at the top of the table. They did get a relatively early goal back when Miller beat Esson with a 20 yard shot which clipped off the inside of the post on its way in.

They were then presented with a chance to win the game with a controversial penalty in the 82^nd minute. James Beattie collapsed like an old fashioned deck chair. Miller blasted the ball down the centre of the goal but Esson managed to save with his feet to secure a valuable point for his side.

Beattie’s collapse was embarrassing and it will be interesting to see what sanctions are place on the player, if any, in the following week.

Hearts v Aberdeen

There was little change in form for Aberdeen in the post Mark McGhee era as the lost to Hearts this afternoon. They were two goals down in the opening ten minutes and it was hard work from then on for the Dons.

Hearts were ahead after only five minutes when David Templeton forced the ball home even through it looked as though he had been fouled. Four minutes later Templeton was the provider this time to allow Rudi Skacel to side foot home from close range.

The home side sealed the game early in the second half when Stephen Elliot ended a sweeping move by heading home a cross from Palazuelos from the left flank. Things got worse for the Dons just before the hour mark with a repeat of the second goal when Templeton set up Skacel again.

Worse was to come for the new management team when Hearts made it five when sub Novikovas cut in from the left to chip a great effort over Jamie Langfield.

This defeat sends Aberdeen to the bottom of the table on goal difference. Not exactly the response the board would have been looking for when they appointed a new manager this week.

St. Mirren v St. Johnstone.

The first half of this was a poor affair with both sides struggling to come up with any meaningful effort on goal, this possibly explains how these two are stuck in the bottom half of the table.

It was the Perth Saints who took the lead eight minutes into the second half to end the tedium for the 2710 people who bothered to turn up. A cross from Dave McKay was headed in by Sam Parkin.

It turned into a veritable goal feast with Saints equalising almost immediately thanks to a goal from Michael Higdon. The Englishman drilling home a free kick from the edge of the box that left Enckleman helpless in the Saints goal.

It wasn’t enough with the Perth Saints sealing all three points thanks to a late goal from Liam Craig who scored in the final minute of the game when he side footed past the advancing keeper.