So, a typically bombastic afternoon of Scottish fitba' draws to a close.

Anguish for Hibernian after squandering a glut of massive chances against nine-man Aberdeen, who might feel aggrieved at the two red cards they received.

Craig Levein is none too happy after his Hearts side lose to Kilmarnock - it's now a good six months since the Tynecastle faithful have seen a league win in Gorgie.

Motherwell march on in third with another victory and an eighth clean sheet of the season, taking them to within two points of Rangers, and leaving St Mirren 11th. The visitors have a heinous record of three goals in eight league games this term.

And bottom side St Johnstone will be frustrated not to earn their first top-flight win of the season after missing an early penalty and being pegged back by Ross County in Dingwall.

Join us again tomorrow lunchtime when the Old Firm return to league business, Livingston hosting Celtic before Rangers welcome Hamilton Academical. Thanks for your company today and enjoy your Saturday night.

Image source, BBC Sport

Craig Levein is expected to welcome back a number of first-team players over the coming weeks and he believes that should be enough incentive to his under-performing Hearts team.

When asked if he had read the riot act to his squad after their 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock the Hearts boss didn't exactly say no.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, he said: “It’s gone on for too long and I’ve got to the stage where I’m trying to encourage people and support them. They’re all waiting on somebody doing something to pull the game round. We need bigger characters in the team. The good news for me is that we’ll start to get them back for the next match.

“It’s not the fact that we’ve had injuries, it’s the fact that we need to do more when we get opportunities to play. Some of the young ones have had opportunities and there are guys who have come in to the team that have had opportunities and to stay in the team they need to do more. That was my feeling today.

“We had the chances to get back in the game and maybe go in front. But these things are incidental because for me the biggest thing is that the team need to do more for the supporters and more for their themselves to enable them to stay in the team when big players come back.”

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St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright is adamant his side should be going back to Perth with their first league win of the season.

He tells BBC Scotland: "We totally dominated the game. We should have got all three points. Even at the end we've three or four chances to win.

"We've only got ourselves to blame for not taking our chances but we've come up here and dominated possession, dominated the game, but a free-kick gives them [Ross County] a point when they didn't deserve a point.

"The performance was excellent except for the result. It's still worrying that we conceded two goals. There's encouraging signs there but we're still searching for that win."

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What was that about a Scotland call-up for Declan Gallagher...?

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Hearts boss Craig Levein presided over a fourth defeat in eight Premiership games as his team struggles to deliver results without a host of injured key players.

“I’m more angry than frustrated," Levein told BBC Scotland. "I said to the players after the game that we have a load of players coming back from injury very soon and I don’t want anybody to be knocking on my door and asking why they’re not playing because currently, I wouldn't say they’re not trying, but they need to do more. I think we need to dig in harder.

“In a game like that today we had the majority of play and had the best chances but I felt we could have done more. That’s a recurring theme. Some of them won’t be playing once people come back from injury.”

Ross County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell is happy with his side's point, considering he felt the Staggies were on the end of some poor refereeing decisions.

He was particularly unhappy at St Johnstone's second goal, with play not brought back for the injured Billy Mckay, and the first-half penalty given for a foul on Danny Swanson, which Ross Laidlaw saved.

Kettlewell tells BBC Scotland: "With the decisions that went against us we're quite positive with the point. It keeps our unbeaten run going and keeps the feelgood factor about the place.

"There must be some form of embarrassment, especially when the player can produce six stud marks. I'm not suggesting it's a red card but the referee should at least stop the play. Instead Matty Kennedy goes up the park, it's a good strike, he was a menace to us all day. But for the officials to miss that decision is just incredible.

"And the penalty, it's not a penalty."

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More from the Aberdeen assistant manager Tony Docherty: "I’d like to talk about our reaction to going down to 10 men, 1-0 down at home, there’s a lot of question marks for the players.

"It was a reflection of the manager, there was a real inspirational period in the game where we actually could have went on and won it, and that is just down to the players’ mentality and personality. That speaks volumes in terms of what the manager is putting forward to make sure we’re always bang at it and always all for the cause.

"That period of the game when some people said we were down and out, we were the team in the ascendancy and looked like we were going on to win it."

Aberdeen lost two players to straight red cards in their fiery draw with Hibernian. Curtis Main was dismissed for a heavy tackle on Stevie Mallan, before Lewis Ferguson was sent off for another challenge on the same Hibs player.

Aberdeen assistant manager Tony Docherty believes Mallan's reaction to the Main tackle helped convince the officials to order the striker off.

"My impression, particularly the first one, the Hibernian player makes a hell of a lot of the challenge," he told BBC Scotland.

"I thought Curtis Main won the ball so I really question whether that was a sending off. As I did the second one, I thought it was really unfair. But I have’t seen them back, so I can’t say for definite, but my impression was that both were extremely dubious, particularly the first one.

"There was nobody more surprised than myself when I saw the referee producing the red card. It’s a full-blooded challenge by Curtis Main, he’s a combative player, he definitely got the ball. I do think the reaction of the Hibs player makes the referee make that decision."

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St Mirren have scored a measly three goals in eight Premiership outings this term, a miserable return that continued at Motherwell this afternoon.

Manager Jim Goodwin tells BBC Radio Scotland: "It’s the same old story, we can’t keep harping on about it, we have to do better and take our chances when they come.

"At this moment in time, we can’t hit the back of the net and we can’t keep relying on the defenders and goalkeeper to keep clean sheets. We have to do more at the other end of the pitch – it’s quite simple.

"Things are still very tight in the table. We’re three points off seventh. We’re not detached or anything, the fact of the matter is we need to find a goal from somewhere.

"There’s no point in talking about bad luck, we’ve got to do something ourselves. Somebody has got to come up with some special for us to get a goal but I’m confident it will turn."

Kilmarnock manager Angelo Alessio says despite a weaker second half at Tynecastle, his side deserved all three points.

“I’m very happy because in some periods we’ve played well but didn’t win," the Italian told BBC Radio Scotland. "Today we won. Of course, at the end of the game we were under pressure but that’s football. I’m very happy because the team played with good spirit and I think we deserved it at the end of the game.

“We were much better in the first half. I expected it in the second half because I knew Hearts would push more. A lot of balls in to the box and we had the possibility of drawing the game from the corner when [Clevid] Dikamona headed the ball wide.”

Liam Polworth was instrumental in high-flying Motherwell's victory over St Mirren, which keeps them in third place.

Boss Stephen Robinson has been touting Declan Gallagher for a Scotland call-up, and joked that midfielder Polworth might be worth a shout too.

"Liam Polworth was absolutely outstanding," Robinson told BBC Radio Scotland.

"It’s one of the best performances I’ve seen at Fir Park for a long time - technically on the ball, but what people miss is his work rate as well. Perhaps when I speak to Steve Clarke again, I’ll start pushing him as well! He’s been excellent.

"I was really happy with the first half. That was as good as we’ve played this season. We should have been out of sight. Second-half, it was just scrappy. There was a 20-mnute spell where we needed a wee bit more game management."

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Allan Preston
BBC Scotland summariser on Sportsound

Hibernian head coach Paul Heckingbottom saw his team squander a glut of chances at Pittodrie, with striker Christian Doidge missing at least three huge opportunities

"It’s beginning to be the same story," the Hibs boss told BBC Radio Scotland. "We were good, excellent with and without the ball, stood up to Aberdeen’s threats. It’s a story of missed chances, should have put the game to bed, and it would have been an easy run-in.

"Credit to Aberdeen, they made the subs and went for it but even then, they weren’t really creating anything and it’s a set-play that’s cost us. Ultimately, it’s us that the other end that’s not got the three points. I’m scratching my head as to how we’ve not got the points we deserve."

Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes had some words with the officials after two of his players were shown straight red cards in their battling draw with Hibernian.

Here's assistant referee Douglas Ross making a sharp exit...

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Cove Rangers lose for the first time this League Two season, the table-toppers well beaten by Stenhousemuir.

Cowdenbeath leapfrogged Edinburgh City into second with victory in Fife.

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Raith Rovers were 2-0 down to Falkirk at half-time but the league leaders fought back in the second period to claim a point and stay top.

It was a poor afternoon for Clyde, though, who succumbed at home to bottom side Montrose.

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Ayr fail to exploit Dundee United's loss last night and are denied top spot in the league by a fine Inverness.

At the other end of the table, Ian McCall's second home debut as Partick Thistle boss ends in a defeat by Queen of the South.

Image source, BBC Sport

Tyrone Smith
BBC Scotland

This game falls into the ugly category, perhaps reflecting the pressure that has been building on both teams.

Hibs will be wondering how they aren't taking three points back down to Edinburgh - if Christian Doidge hadn't been so profligate in front of goal, they would have won at a canter.

But Sam Cosgrove again proved his worth to the Dons with the equaliser after Curtis Main's dismissal. They have dropped points at home, but perhaps getting something from a game when they were down a goal and a man can be a turning point.

This was as good as St Johnstone have played all season. Manager Tommy Wright had demanded his side put in a 90 minute performance and his team responded. But, what he didn't get was the clinical edge they need to begin moving up the table.

Chris Kane was particularly guilty of missing three good second half chances, though Stevie May's missed penalty was also a factor.

But what a free-kick from Blair Spittal to salvage a point for Ross County. Well worth a watch on BBC Sportscene tomorrow night.