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SPL: Dundee United 2 Hearts 1 |
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Saturday, 29 November 2003 |
Dundee United end their Hearts bogey to record their first home league win of the season. 
Dundee United end their Hearts bogey to record their first home league win of the season.
Goals from Alan Archibald - his first for United - and Jim McIntyre ensured that they ended their six-year wait for a victory over Hearts at Tannadice.
Scott Severin pulled one back for Hearts, but United held out to take all three points.
Hearts had travelled to Tannadice hoping to get back on track after their exit from the Uefa Cup on Thursday.
Head coach Craig Levein was without midfielder Paul Hartley, who had five stitches in his mouth after the Bordeaux match and Hartley's place in the team was taken by striker Andy Kirk.
Levein made two other changes, introducing Severin for the suspended Phil Stamp and calling up Steven Simmons in place of Jean Louis Valois.
United boss Ian McCall made two changes to the team that lost 5-1 to Celtic last time out, bringing in Jim Paterson and Mark Kerr for Barry Robson and Craig Easton.
United took the lead in the 12th minute after a cleverly-worked corner kick.
Andy McLaren set up Archibald on the edge of the area and the defender sent a curling, cross-cum-shot past goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Hearts should have equalised three minutes later, when Mark de Vries released Andy Kirk, but the striker did not put enough weight on his flick past goalkeeper Paul Gallacher and David McCracken had time to clear the ball off the line.
Kirk had another good chance when he was found eight yards out by an Alan Maybury cross but fired his header straight at Gallacher and the goalkeeper turned it over the bar.
United doubled their lead in the 44th minute, when McIntyre slotted a Jim Paterson cross past Kevin Gordon from eight yards.
Hearts halved United's lead within a minute of the restart.
McCracken rose to head clear a Maybury corner, but it fell to Severin and the midfielder volleyed the ball straight into the bottom left-hand corner.
United were content to soak up pressure and hit Hearts on the counter-attack.
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Dundee Utd: Gallacher, Wilson, McCracken, Innes, Archibald, McLaren, Kerr, McInnes, James Paterson, Dodds, McIntyre.
Subs: Jarvie, Miller, Samuel, Duff, Easton.
Hearts: Gordon, Neilson, McKenna, Webster, Maybury, MacFarlane, Severin, Kisnorbo, Simmons, de Vries, Kirk.
Subs: Moilanen, McCann, Valois, Wyness, Berra.
Referee: A Freeland
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