By Sean Saranczuk
April 12 2003

Hearts stayed on course for third place in the SPL after a fighting comeback to earn a 2-1 victory over Dundee Utd. Hearts stayed on course for third place in the SPL after a fighting comeback to earn a 2-1 victory over Dundee Utd.

United had nudged ahead after stand-in forward Charlie Miller won a 40th-minute free-kick following a foul by Andy Webster. Up stepped Danny Griffin to send an unstoppable 20-yard right-foot curler into the right corner.

For the Northern Ireland international, who had been out with a back injury since September 28 2002, it was a dream return in his first start since injury.

Hearts head coach Craig Levein knew he had to make a tactical alteration to change the flow of this game and at 1-0 down, in the 63rd minute, Levein made a double substitution, throwing on Steven Boyack and Andy Kirk for Scott Severin and Gary Wales respectively.

Six minutes they were level through defender Webster. The move started off with a ball played into the box by Neil Janczyk, Mark de Vries stepped over the ball and Webster fired home at the back post.

Then, in the 78th minute, Northern Ireland international Kirk scored the winner for Hearts.

Boyack fired a cross over from the right, the ball fell into the path of Kirk after deflecting off De Vries and United defender Stuart Duff, and Kirk fired home from close range to claim a valuable three points.