…Dons have to settle for draw.

After a poor start from Aberdeen, they gradually eased their way into the match and grabbed the lead three minutes from the break. A Mulgrew free kick was only half cleared and Aberdeen worked the ball down the left when Paton did well before firing a cross in to the middle where Lee Miller pounced to head home. After the break Aberdeen took control and they looked as if they would add to the Miller strike. Unfortunately an error allowed Driver to equalise in the 62nd minute against the run of play. Hearts went close on a couple of occasions near the end so a draw was probably the right result on the day as the Dons record their fifth draw of the season.

Aberdeen kicked off with Duff partnering Considine in the centre of the defence. Both keepers had an early touch of the ball, but Hearts won the first corner in the 5th minute and Considine made a telling block to concede a second. Langfield did well with a block from this play as Hearts made the better start. The visitor’s then hit the side netting in the 8th minute as Aberdeen tried to get to grips with their 4-4-1-1 formation.

Aberdeen were struggling to get to grips with the game at this stage and were second best as Hearts looked more likely to break the deadlock. Paton won a free kick in the 15th minute and Mulgrew’s delivery was headed over by Considine. At the other end Hearts won a free kick 25 yards out, bit Thomson pulled his effort well wide. Paton made a decent run to the bye line in the 19th minute, but he couldn’t get his cross beyond Balogh. A minute later Balogh did well to claim a Mulgrew cross in front of Lee Miller.

Hearts won another corner in the 23rd minute and Witteveen headed across the face of the goal. A minute later Obua fired well wide of the target. A good move from Aberdeen ended with a weak shot from Paton that was easily gathered by Balogh. Pawlett was eased off the ball by Goncalves, but the appeals for a spot kick from the home crowd were a tad optimistic. Aberdeen were now easing their way into the match and Pawlett delivered a decent cross in the 32nd minute that had the keeper at full stretch.

At the other end Mulgrew did well to track Driver down the right and win a goal kick. Seconds later Witteveen tried an ambitious effort from five yards inside the Dons half. Michael Stewart made a wild lunge at Foster in the 38th minute and the Hearts man was probably lucky that he didn’t connect as that would surely have been a straight red. Two minutes later Obua escaped his marker and fired a low shot beyond the far post. In the 42nd minute a Mulgrew free kick was only half cleared and Aberdeen worked the ball down the left when Paton did well before firing a cross in to the middle where Lee Miller pounced to head home.

A good passing move from the Dons in the 47th minute was halted by an offside flag as Mulgrew floated the ball into the danger area. Hearts threatened a minute later but Santana fired wide under pressure from Kerr. Some more good play from Paton and Fyvie set up McDonald, but his shot was blocked. Miller then won a corner in the 50th minute and a second quickly followed as Balogh was forced to turn Fyvie’s delivery over the bar. A third corner in the 53rd minute followed as Fyvie hit the post direct from the corner, but Pawlett snatched at the rebound and fired wide.

Nade replaced Witteveen a minute later and Aberdeen were forced to defend as Hearts won their first corner of the second half and followed up with some sustained pressure. Fyvie should have added a second in the 57th minute after being set up by McDonald and Pawlett, but the youngster fired over. Pawlett picked up a knock in the move and had to limp off to be replaced by Aluko in the 58th minute. Aluko made an immediate impact with a great run at the Hearts defence.

A whipped cross from Aluko was fumbled by Balogh then against the run of play Hearts levelled. Duff made an error in the middle of the park allowing Nade to stride forward where he found Driver on the left and he drilled the ball past Langfield. Lee Miller won a free kick on the left side of the box in the 67th minute and he should have put the Dons back in front. Maguire fired the free kick over, but the ball came at Miller too quickly and his shot rolled into the arms of Balogh.

Aluko won another corner two minutes later, but Balogh made a comfortable save from the delivery. A goalmouth scramble in the 74th minute also produced a second as Balogh made a good save after Miller had done well to position himself. The subsequent corner was half cleared to Fyvie on the edge of the box. The youngster hit a sweet volley that looked net bound before Goncalves cleared the ball off his line. Considine collected the first yellow card a minute later following a poor challenge on Nade.

A corner for the Dons in the 82nd minute failed to make the breakthrough as an Aluko shot was deflected wide off of Considine. With five minutes remaining Hearts forced a corner. They were awarded a controversial second after the ball came off a Hearts player. From the second effort Langfield made a point blank save from Bouzid. Another controversial corner followed in the 88th minute as Hearts looked to be finishing on top. They should have grabbed a winner a minute later when Driver worked his way down the right and Bouzid made a mess of his header.

In the final minute there was a real goalmouth scramble following another Hearts corner as Langfield and Foster both cleared before the ball was fired wide. In injury time a Mulgrew free kick was easily cleared as the Dons were left hanging on. A poor pass allowed Aluko to break forward, but the Dons had run out of ideas as Hearts wasted some more time with a final substitution. The match ended seconds later and the Dons will look on this as a point lost.