John Fleck fires Sheffield United to victory over Heart of Midlothian

The complex, home of Scotland’s elite performance athletes and its football and rugby teams, also serves as a training base for Robbie Neilson’s side who, around 10 minutes or so earlier, had completed their own session on a nearby playing surface.

The information Neilson’s captain Steven Naismith gleaned on his impromptu spying mission was designed to help Hearts prepare for today’s meeting with United which, apparently at the behest of Tynecastle’s hierarchy and the Scottish FA, took place behind closed doors and away from the prying eyes of the television cameras.

It turned out to be of very little use as, 72 hours after their friendly against Dundee United had been abandoned at half-time because of a violent storm sweeping across the Firth of Tay, Wilder’s men secured a 1-0 win courtesy of John Fleck’s strike.

Scored in the eighth minute, the midfielder’s finish proved enough to settle a contest United dominated without managing to extend their lead. That could be attributed to the flurry of substitutions Wilder made, as he attempted to ensure as many of his players as possible got minutes into their legs following events at Tannadice - and which inevitably affected the visitors’ rhythm during the closing stages.

But after learning everyone he had utilised were fit, uninjured and healthy after being examined post-match, Wilder, whose side are also scheduled to face Derby County and Preston North End before next month’s Premier League opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers, declared the exercise a success.

Billy Sharp, whose strike separated the two clubs when referee Steven McLean had called time on proceedings earlier in the week, provided the assist for Fleck’s goal - receiving the ball from George Baldock before turning it into his colleague’s path. Substitutes Lys Mousset and Antwoine Hackford, a teenage centre-forward, also went close while Sharp had a header ruled out for offside.

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