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An Article From Wednesday…
All 12 teams were back in action this weekend following last week’s Dundee Derby and as usual, the Premiership provided us with goals and entertainment. Following on from an outright embarrassing round of European matches for the majority of the competing Scottish teams, it was a return to domestic matches for Hearts, Hibs, Rangers, Celtic and Motherwell, following a two-week absence in an effort to qualify for Europe. With a set of six great fixtures, the Premiership has properly returned following a three week absence.

Celtic 2-1 Falkirk

Celtic’s Camilo Duran opened his league account for with a brace to beat Falkirk, following a tough week in Europe for the Celts.

Scott Bain gifted Celtic the opening goal of the match, failing to control a simple ball over the top and losing it from his grasp on the edge of the box, practically passing it to the expectant Camilo Duran, who slotted the ball into an open net. Having been initially ruled out by the linesman for offside, it was awarded following a check by VAR.

The Colombian doubled his tally for the day in the 29th minute as he latched onto the end of a cross from Kieran Tierney in the middle of the box, beating Falkirk’s Liam Henderson to the ball.
Both teams had their opportunities throughout the second half but ultimately it would be Falkirk who would score the only goal of the second 45. Following some good build-up play, Jacob Murrell found himself 1-on-1 with Viljami Sinisalo, seeing his initial shot saved. The rebound from the save, however, bounced off Celtic’s Colby Donovan into the goal, giving Falkirk a way back into the game.

Celtic held on to win the game 2-1 and it perhaps should’ve been three, as Benjamin Nygren fired well over the bar from only 8 yards out.

Tuesday night’s loss will go down in history as one of the worst losses in Celtic’s European history and their match against Falkirk was a must-win game following an abhorrent display in Linz. With both Kasper Hogh and Callum McGregor missing, as well as Alasdair Johnston still out, they were without key players for this match.

Their first-half display was routine Celtic, taking chances and scoring even in the absence of Høgh through Duran. Their second half wasn’t as promising, as they could not really find a way through the Falkirk defence. Benjamin Nygren did have a couple of chances in the second half and ultimately should’ve scored at least one, missing chances he would have usually put away.

Falkirk have endured a very tough start to their season, getting dumped out of the League Cup in the group stages and now picking up one point in their first three league matches. It contrasts greatly from their incredible season last year, as they finished in the top six having only been promoted from the Championship the previous season. They came into this as the underdogs for obvious reasons and managed to put up a fight against the champions. Whilst Scott Bain did not cover himself in glory to start the match, he made a couple of crucial saves to keep his side in it, whilst the outfield players kept Celtic at bay for large parts of the match.
Player Of The Match: Camilo Duran. A well-taken brace to get his team over the line.

Hearts 2-1 St. Johnstone

Having been the only Scottish side that was successful in their mid-week European playoff tie, Hearts continued their celebrations with a win over St. Johnstone at Tynecastle.

The Jambos started strongly, forcing an early save out of Toby Steward from a corner. Just two minutes later, the scoring was opened by youngster James Wilson, who was played through by former Saints’ man Josh McPake. The 19-year-old took it first time, scoring with his left foot under the outstretched arm of Steward to give Wilson his first league goal of the season.

Hearts kept the pressure up, as Laurent Mendy came close from the edge of the box and had a penalty claim denied by Ryan Lee, as well as Jordi Altena seeing his free-kick effort denied by Steward. They had a goal disallowed as Steward was fouled by Mendy, who came through the back of the keeper to head the ball into the net from a corner. Hearts were rewarded for their efforts as Saints defender Enis Alic turned the ball into his own net following a free-kick for the Edinburgh side.

Whilst the first half was all Hearts, St. Johnstone came out firing in the second half as Ruari Paton opened his Premiership account. The former Queens Park striker ran onto a header from midfield, beating Altena to the ball and scoring just past the penalty spot to give his team an outlet back into the game. The rest of the half was an even affair, as both teams came close to scoring. Toby Steward was forced into a couple more saves and Blair Spittal rattled the bar for Hearts, whilst St Johnstone nearly equalised courtesy of a Reece McAlear free-kick, of which Reus was forced into a save. Whilst clearly still feeling the effects of Wednesday’s long match, Hearts held on to win their second league game of the season.

The only team happy with their midweek result in Europe, Hearts again showed why they nearly won the title last season. They were constantly attacking, barely allowing the Saints any room and forcing a great deal of saves out of Toby Steward, who kept his team in the game. Their penalty call perhaps was brushed away too easily, as Christian Borchgrevnik appeared to be taken out inside the box. They would get by without it, however, and ultimately looked comfortable for most of the game. You cannot blame them for their fatigue following the celebrations of the week and to win following such an intense game shows the spirit and determination this team has. They look a world away from the team we saw lose to Aberdeen and are now in fine form going into the first Edinburgh Derby of the season, of which they play away from home tonight.

St. Johnstone will feel they could have done more. It was against a Hearts team that was fatigued, as previously mentioned, and St Johnstone had not played a match in three weeks. They were well rested and ultimately started too slowly, playing on the back foot for most of the match. They were sloppy in possession for the first goal, giving the ball away far too easily, whilst the defending from the endless amount of Hearts’ set pieces was poor, allowing the Jambos too much space in the box. It was a lot closer in the second half, as they scored and came close to equalising but ultimately could not find the net again. Whilst it was a disappointing first half, the second half showed signs of improvement. Special mention to Toby Steward, who kept them in the game, making great saves throughout.

Player Of The Match: Laurent Mendy. Came close to scoring from the edge of the box, whilst he was a constant threat from set pieces for Hearts.

Kilmarnock 0-4 Dundee United

Dundee United recorded their first league win of the season in style, demolishing Kilmarnock as Neil McCann’s side remain rock bottom of the table.

United ran riot in the first half, scoring three of their four goals in the first 45 minutes. Emmanuel Agyei opened the scoring following a move from a corner, heading home at the near post to put United 1-0 up. Their lead was doubled by a penalty, as Nick Walsh pointed to the spot following a foul by Cathal McCarthy on Michael Forbes. Zac Sapsford stepped up and expertly placed his penalty past Kilmarnock’s Max Stryjek.

Their brilliant first half was capped off by Will Ferry, who scored a brilliant effort from outside the box on the left, sending his curling effort past Stryjek into the far corner to give United a 3-0 lead going into half-time. Kilmarnock did have their fair share of chances in the first half, calling Jack Walton into action on multiple occasions, including a fingertip save to deny Joe Hughill.

Kilmarnock’s woes were made worse in the second half, as they again could not find the net. Walton was once again tested but kept Killie out, whilst Stryjek was also forced into making some saves, before the game was put to bed by Jesse Randall. Ferry found himself running down the left-hand side, breaking away and delivering a fine cross that Randall got onto the end of. The New Zealand international took his goal very well, volleying past Stryjek to secure the three points for United.

Having lost two of their last three matches by the same scoreline, Dundee United will feel that there is a mountain of pressure relieved from their backs. It was a brilliant performance that showed they are capable of winning games in a dominant manner. Whilst it is against an opponent who has started the season poorly, they were relentless and constantly troubled Max Stryjek. It was a brilliant performance from Callum Ferry, to name one, with his goal all but sealing the win in the first half. United fans will be very happy with that, and rightly so. It is a massive confidence boost for a team that has endured a poor start to the league campaign.

As for Kilmarnock, where to start? They have shipped 13 goals in just three league games this season, not picked up a single point and overall are horrible to watch. Their League Cup win against rivals Ayr United, who compete in the tier below, was a very close one and throughout very large parts of the game, Kilmarnock were on the back foot. This heavy loss against a side who have also started the season poorly amplifies the alarm bells that were already going off. Their defence is the biggest problem, as evidenced by the 13 goals conceded. Neil McCann is very much under the cosh and he and his players will have to turn it around quickly if they want to have any chance of survival this season.

Player Of The Match: Will Ferry. Scored a brilliant goal and provided a brilliant assist; overall a great performance.

Aberdeen 0-1 Rangers

Derek McInnes has secured his first league win as Rangers’ manager, with a Lawrence Shankland penalty separating the two sides, giving Rangers a much-needed win after their Conference League exit.

Rangers were the better team in the first half, with The Dons not really providing an attacking threat. Finlay Curtis fired just over the bar ten minutes in, missing the shot from the right side of the box. It was somehow kept an even game by Aberdeen as Rangers new boy Kim Min-Su saw his shot blocked, before Afeez Aremu denied Lawrence Shankland the chance to turn in the follow-up. Djiedi Gassama had created the chance from his own half, as he dribbled the ball up to the Aberdeen box before playing Kim through.

The South Korean almost bagged a debut goal, as his brilliant free-kick effort forced a brilliant save from Marius Muller. Rangers would get their opening through a penalty given in the 67th minute, as Dan Happe carelessly brought down Gassama in the Aberdeen box. The spot kick was put away brilliantly by Shankland as he fired it into the top right corner, giving him his first league goal in Rangers’ colours.

After this, Aberdeen stepped up the pressure, with calls for a penalty waved away as Kevin Nisbet appealed to Matthew MacDermaid following an apparent push. Nisbet would find the net just five minutes later, heading home following two brilliant saves from Rangers’ Ivor Pandur. It would not count, however, as Nisbet was deemed to have pushed Dujon Sterling to the ground before his successful header, leading to VAR overturning the goal. Rangers held on to win and picked up their first victory in the league this season.

Much like McCann, the pressure has been increasing on McInnes with every passing game, perhaps even more so. Whilst they came through with the win, the performance lacked the authority and dominance that Rangers fans expect. Bar a couple of chances from Kim, they did not look much like scoring. It follows, of course, an embarrassing defeat to Jablonec in the Conference League, in which the team crashed out on penalties. A win is a win, but it again showed much work needs to be done if Rangers want to have any chance of competing this season. They will take confidence from the victory, especially Derek McInnes, who will be glad to have notched his first league win for Rangers.

Aberdeen will feel hard done by in this game. They didn’t start the game particularly well, not posing much of a threat in the first half but improved later on, especially after the concession of the goal. They defended well throughout, particularly in the first half where they made last-ditch tackles to deny Rangers, but the concession of the penalty came from a poor individual mistake, with Happe carelessly lunging in to give it away. The penalty claim from Nisbet was very soft, and he does very much appear to push Sterling in the build-up to the disallowed goal, leading me to argue that it was fairly chopped off. Overall, a decent but wasteful performance from the Dons.

Player Of The Match: Djeidi Gassama. Provided an attacking spark, won the penalty that sealed the win.

Dundee 1-2 Hibernian

Following European heartbreak on Thursday, Hibs managed to bounce back and beat Dundee 2-1, thanks to goals from Martin Boyle and Callum Wright.

Hibs started the better side, as captain Martin Boyle opened the scoring in the 25th minute, with Grant Hanley’s through ball from defence finding its way through a cluster of players to meet the Australian international. Boyle was soon 1-on-1 with Owen Goodman once again, but squandered his chance and he chipped his shot wide of the far post. Dundee’s best chance of the half fell to Bradley Fink, whose effort from the edge of the box curled just wide of the left post.

The second half opened with a near miss for Hibs, as a cross rolled across the front of goal before it was cleared by Felix Passlack. Their lead was doubled by Callum Wright, the hero against Rangers three weeks ago. Passlack played a ball into the middle of the box that Wright caught onto, firing into the bottom left corner to increase their lead.

They continued to apply pressure on Dundee, coming close through Josh Mulligan and Passlack, before Dundee gave them a late scare and pulled one back. Ethan Hamilton’s free-kick from 25 yards out forced a fine save from Raphael Sallinger, who tipped it onto the crossbar, before Joe Westley converted the rebound to give Dundee some hope. Unlike midweek, however, Hibs held onto their lead and secured the three points.

The midweek loss was a heartbreaker for Hibs and once again they came up just short of glory. With the fans upset at this, you felt this was almost a must-win game for David Gray. Dundee were in fine form, following two wins in their previous two league games. Yet Hibs were the better team on the day, playing well in possession and scoring two good goals. Debutant Jacob Devany effortlessly slotted into the team, showing composure and maturity in a new team at such a young age. But once again, they conceded a goal late on, reminiscent of the midweek playoff match or many of the matches from last season. It is an issue that Hibs seem to struggle with relentlessly and one that will no doubt come back to bite them in future games.

With this win giving confidence to the Edinburgh side, they now face Hearts in this season’s inaugural instalment of the Edinburgh Derby, a match that will no doubt be a brilliant game.

Coming into this, Dundee were on a high following a win against bitter rivals Dundee United. They had stuck it out at Tannadice and come away with a brilliant 2-0 win to send them joint top of the table. They would have fancied their chances in this one, playing a deflated Hibs team, coming off the back of a disappointing European loss. They were, however, unable to find a way through the Hibs defence and ultimately did not really threaten Hibs. Whilst they were unlucky with a couple of chances, they were shut down by the Hibs defence and the in-form Joe Bevan wasn’t given a look in.

It’s not a disastrous loss for Dundee, who did well to keep it at a 2-1 score line. Having been written off by critics before a ball had been kicked and started with a tough schedule, to come away from their first four matches with two wins is a big achievement, especially when you factor in a derby win. They now host St. Johnstone in an effort to get more points on the board.

Player Of The Match: Jacob Devany. Controlled the midfield on his debut for Hibs and provided a spark in midfield that will excite Hibs’ fans.

St. Mirren 3-3 Motherwell

St. Mirren and Motherwell shared the points in Paisley as they played out a six-goal thriller.

Motherwell came flying out of the blocks, with Tawanda Maswinhise opening the scoring just two minutes in, getting on the end of a beautiful through ball from Alexander Lowry and taking it round the keeper, passing the ball into an empty net. Motherwell were in dreamland, as they were awarded a penalty following a silly handball by Alex Gogic. Maswanhise stepped up but saw his effort brilliantly saved by Jacob Chapman. Their lead was soon doubled superbly by Regan Charles-Cook, who saw his right-footed effort beat Chapman and find the top left corner.

The momentum would soon swing, however, as St Mirren launched a late assault and scored three goals in ten minutes to finish the half and head into the break, leading despite Motherwell dominance. First to score was Paul Nsio, who placed his effort from the centre of the box past Alex Paulsen to bring them back into the match. Next up was Declan John, who won the ball back in his own half and carried on his run through the midfield to find himself through 1-on-1 with Paulsen, lacing the ball past the New Zealand international’s near post. Having assisted St. Mirren’s first two goals, it was Samuel Ramos’ turn to get in on the goals, as Motherwell poorly cleared a set piece, allowing Gogic to play Ramos through, who could not miss from six yards out.

The second half did not offer much entertainment as both teams had chances but did not really trouble. In the 93rd minute, however, the away end erupted as Jardell Kanga equalised with a stunning volley on his debut. Chapman came out and tipped a corner away from the centre of the box, but only as far as Kanga, who rifled his shot into the top corner from just inside the box to salvage a point for Motherwell.

St. Mirren are still unbeaten in the league, much to everyone’s surprise, but that will be a tough one to take. They started on the back foot and allowed too much space in behind for Maswanhise to run through, whilst the penalty given away was baffling by Gogic, who clearly outstretched his arm to control the ball. Their goals were well taken, and Samuel Ramos had a brilliant display, with direct involvement in all three goals. To concede so late on is poor.

Chapman comes too far out to defend the corner, leaving the net unguarded, and why is nobody marking the three Motherwell players on the edge of the box? Ultimately, it’s two points dropped rather than one gained, but a point against a side as good as Motherwell is very admirable. They are, of course, still unbeaten and face Kilmarnock away from home this Wednesday.

It was a mixed game for Motherwell, who of course, bottled a 2-0 lead before half-time, as well as missing a penalty. Yet, their last-minute equaliser displays the talent and determination this team has. Their fairytale run from last year could continue into this year, as they are still unbeaten in the league and have looked good, even against Freiburg, whom they lost 7-2 over two legs. A debut goal for Jardell Kanga shows promise for his future with the club and also displays the depth they possess following good business this summer.

Player Of The Match: Samuel Ramos. Scored one and provided two assists in a thriller of a game.

The Awards

Player Of The Week: Samuel Ramos
Game Of The Week: St. Mirren Vs Motherwell
Goal Of The Week: Callum Ferry Vs Kilmarnock
Team Of The Week: Dundee United