Key Hearts player banned for Rangers game with two others risking suspension
Edinburgh club lose an important figure for their next game
Hearts defender Harry Milne will be suspended for the Premiership match with Rangers on 21 December after receiving a yellow card against Celtic. A sixth league caution of the season during Sunday’s match in Glasgow took the defender over the threshold and triggered a Scottish Football Association ban.
He will now sit out his club’s league match against Rangers at Tynecastle Park a week on Sunday, much to the player’s frustration. He was penalised by referee Don Robertson after 37 minutes of the match at Celtic Park after pulling back Hyunjun Yang. Milne has been an automatic starter for Hearts under Derek McInnes and has become a key player with 20 appearances to his name so far this term.
Milne will be available to face Falkirk on Saturday as SFA rules state suspensions don’t start until seven days after the sixth yellow card in issued. That precludes the popular defender from the Rangers match in Edinburgh four days before Christmas.
Two of Milne’s Hearts team-mates are also at risk of suspension for the match against the Ibrox side. Midfielder Cammy Devlin and winger Alexandros Kyziridis are currently on five bookings, meaning a yellow card against Falkirk next week would rule them out of the Rangers match, which comes eight days later.
Hearts won 2-1 against Celtic in Glasgow to inflict the Parkhead side’s first home league defeat of the campaign in new manager Wilfried Nancy’s first match in charge. Claudio Braga’s first-half goal preceded Oisin McEntee’s header before Kieran Tierney halved Celtic’s deficit in stoppage-time. The hosts had no time to push for an equaliser, meaning Hearts finished with a priceless victory to move three points clear at the top of the Premeirship table.
The Edinburgh club had won only one of their previous six fixtures, however they produced a diligent display in the first half while Celtic controlled possession. After the interval, Derek McInnes’ team utilised some effective counter-attacking football while the home players floundered.
The opeing goal arrived on 43 minutes. Lawrence Shankland’s right-sided cross was cleared by Liam Scales and, as Alexandros Kyziridis headed it back into the danger zone, the Celtic defence stopped expected an offside flag against Claudio Braga and Shankland. It didn’t come, the ball broke for Harry Milne, he scuffed a shot and the ball fell for Braga to touch, turn and strike a low finish into the net with Kasper Schmeichel static.
Replays proved Arne Engels was playing opponents onside and the goal was confirmed, much to the delight of the pocket of travelling fans. Hearts’ second came on 64 minutes when McEntee headed Milne’s deep corner down into the net past the diving Schmeichel. Tierney’s 93rd-minute drive was too little, too late, and Nancy was left with the ignominy of a loss in his maiden game as Celtic manager.
READ MORE: Celtic 1-2 Hearts - report and ratings