John McGlynn admits away victory would have been ‘daylight robbery’

After the Tynecastle team had taken a second-half battering from Aberdeen, Andrew Driver crashed a shot off the post in stoppage time. Had it gone in, the extra two points would have lifted Hearts above Celtic.

Even Tynecastle manager John McGlynn, however, accepted that such an outcome would have been an injustice. “I think we would have mugged them,” he said when asked how he would have felt had Driver’s strike produced the only goal of the game. “It would have been daylight robbery.

“We would have taken it, but it just shows how crazy football is, because we had our backs to the wall for long, long spells in the second half and had to defend really well.

“But then you break up the pitch and hit the post – we could have been walking away with all three points.

“That would have been very, very harsh on Aberdeen if it had been the case, but we have seen it in the past. Everyone’s seen it in the past, so we would have been grateful for it.”

As it was, McGlynn, below, declared himself satisfied with the outcome, and thanked his team for the effort they put in less than 72 hours after an adrenalin-fuelled Europa League tie at home to Liverpool. “We’re just grateful that the team stuck together and worked really hard,” the manager continued. “It’s obvious that the guys were tired from Thursday night, and it showed very much in the second half.

“But they held together and to come up to Aberdeen and get a clean sheet, against an Aberdeen side that is obviously improving, was very important. We defended quite well and Jamie MacDonald had two or three good saves, so I’m pleased with his performance.

“We should have kept the ball a bit better in the second half. We gave it away too cheaply, which made for attack after attack, but we can’t really fault the effort of the lads considering the circumstances of the game. It was a great point. A well-earned, hard-fought point for us.”