Liam Dawson
Sam Huszar
William Tankoua
Aaron Longden
Rafael Lourenco
Steve Arnold MOTM
Shaun Whelan
Lewis Wilman
Jo Wej
Ryan Carroll
Hamelton Rescova Subs
Cameron Thorpe 45 mins on for Ryan Carroll
Noshid Naheed 70 mins on for Jo Wej

First Half

The first half started brightly and Hearts were on top seeing a lot of the ball and when out of possession staying very compact. Steve Arnold and Hamilton Rescova were pressing from the front and winning the ball high in FC territory. When FC managed to get out it was via long balls which Hearts back four managed to deal with comfortably.

Hearts still seeing a good 60% of the ball without really troubling the keeper were punished when a defensive error led to the FC Utd striker slotting home in the 24th minute mark to put Hearts 1-0 behind.

Hearts created a chance at the other end as Shaun Whelan played a ball down the line and Hamilton Rescova latched onto the ball to strike wide.

Then Hearts afternoon got even worse as FC United doubled their lead through another individual mistake as the striker ran clear, with the keeper undecided Dillon Kirkman doubled their lead.

A disastrous 10 minutes left hearts with a mountain to climb in what was a perfect example of pressing the self destruct button.

Half time FC United 2 Rochdale Sacred Heart 0

Second Half

After a half time discussion about their poor approach to the game, Hearts started the brighter again in the second half, testing the keeper more and creating more chances. Cameron Thorpe’s introduction at half time gave them a different dimension. Hearts saw a larger share of possession in the second half but were unable to beat the home keeper who was in the end not really tested. Hearts lost this top two clash but remain top of the league and their fate is still in their own hands with six games to go.

Full time score FC united 2 Rochdale Sacred Heart 0