Maroon Memories: Dennis Wyness nets first goal for Hearts

Hearts 1, Dunfermline 0. Sunday, August 31, 2003
Dennis Wyness skilfully scored to give Hearts three pointsDennis Wyness skilfully scored to give Hearts three points
Dennis Wyness skilfully scored to give Hearts three points

THE shyest man in Scottish football came out of his shell to produce an unexpected piece of brilliance that settled an otherwise dull physical encounter at Tynecastle.

In a rare moment of entertainment, striker Dennis Wyness waltzed through the defence and slotted home a cool finish.

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The home side were worthy of the win and dominated possession against unadventurous opponents without creating too many goal-scoring chances.

Dunfermline’s David Grondin gave his team-mates a scare after only five minutes when he was woefully short with an attempted pass back to goalkeeper Derek Stillie.

Hearts striker Mark de Vries raced in to intercept but was skilfully wrong-footed by Stillie, who dropped a shoulder, sent the forward the wrong way and cleared the danger.

De Vries was a real handful, with his powerful running and physical approach.

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The visitors were pinned back in their own half for long spells and the game was littered with fouls as the Pars defence battled frantically to protect their goalkeeper.

Hearts were denied the opening goal when Stillie managed to claw a net-bound Scott Severin header from the air and turn it past the post.

Dunfermline had the ball in the net with ten minutes of the first half remaining but, despite finding a way past Tepi Moilanen, Andy Crawford was judged to have strayed offside as David Grondin’s deflected cross came into the area.

Hearts opened the scoring in the 61st minute with a superb piece of individual skill from Wyness. The former Inverness Caley Thistle man gathered the ball 25 yards from goal, danced past three defenders into the penalty area before slamming the ball beyond Stillie. Wyness went close again with a curling 25-yard shot after showing some quick feet to turn the Pars defence.

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Andy Tod moved forward to support Crawford and Lee Bullen in attack but in vain.

Hearts: Moilanen, Neilson, Pressley, Webster, Maybury, MacFarlane, Severin, Stamp, Hamill, de Vries, Wyness. Subs: Gordon, Boyack, Hartley, Kisnorbo, Weir.

Dunfermline: Stillie, Scott Wilson, Skerla, Tod, Bullen, Darren Young, Nicholson, Mason, Grondin, Crawford, Brewster. Subs: Ruitenbeek, Dempsey, Kilgannon, McNicol, Labonte.

Referee: A Freeland.

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