The hastily cobbled together banner that was unveiled in the home stand prior to kick off spoke of hope and optimism. ‘Our season starts now’ it defiantly declared as the Dundee United supporters pondered the possibility of better days to come under new head coach, Mixu Paatelainen. You could see it being unfurled again next week…or the week after that for that matter. The bright new dawn certainly didn’t arrive yesterday as United slumped to a narrow defeat to Hearts and remained rooted to the foot of the Ladbrokes Premiership. Paatelainen, the burly, bustling Finn who was a cult figure during his playing days at Tannadice, had breezed back into the City of Discovery looking to ignite a recovery. His nicely tanned face, which bears more than a passing resemblance to a freshly creosoted fence, may have lost a bit of its lustre after this sobering set back but Paatelainen is eager to put the colour back in the United cheeks. There were seven yellow cards – five for the men in tangerine – and a red card for United’s Blair Spittal in the last knockings. Was Paatelainen disappointed with the discipline? Not one bit. “It was a proper fight…I like that,” he said. They are going to need to show plenty of fight to dig themselves out of the mire. “Confidence comes from results and doing the right things on the pitch,” he added of a side that has won just once in the league this season and that was back in the second game of the campaign. “The boys are determined and the attitude was excellent. What let us down today was quality. I thought we rushed our passes and didn't make the right ones when we were in the final third.”

It was all change then in the dugout but on the pitch there was a familiar scene: the sight of Dundee United falling behind. It didn’t take too long for that to happen either. About 15 minutes of fairly hum-drum fare had passed when Hearts were gifted the opportunity to steal an early march when Spittal’s rashness in treacherous territory sent Sam Nicholson tumbling to the floor. From the resulting penalty, Juanma calmly plonked home his sixth goal of the season.

With confidence clearly as brittle as those plastic teeth that are supposed to hold CDs in their case – yes, you know those infuriating things – it was another morale-sapping blow. The hosts did try to claw their way back into proceedings, with Aaron Kuhl, on loan from Reading, attempting to pull some strings with a variety of pokes, prods and passes, but it was Hearts who remained the more menacing of the two teams. Danny Swanson, in particular, was a real nuisance on his return to the Tannadice boards he used to tread and he had the Dundee United keeper, Luis Zwick, earning his salt. On the half hour, Swanson zipped a snap shot in which Zwick gathered at the second attempt before the Hearts midfielder clattered in a free-kick from range which Zwick tipped over the bar.

The home side tried to up the ante as half-time loomed but a John Rankin jab, after Hearts keeper Neil Alexander had flapped at a cross, was the best they could muster.

A couple of rapid fire corners after the resumption signalled United’s renewed vigour but it was Hearts who almost doubled their advantage on 53 minutes. Juanma’s shot from a cut back was deflected and with ball bobbling around dangerously, Zwick just managed to pat it clear before the on-rushing Nicholson could pounce.

The match then developed into a fairly tetchy, stop-start affair. Hearts had players hobbling and hirpling at various points on the park and both Gonzalez and Oshaniwa succumbed to the game’s physical aspect at the same time while the home duo of Rankin and Mark Durnan were given yellow cards in quick succession for a couple of full-throttle challenges.

Spittal, meanwhile, would receive the ultimate punishment as the match roared to a fiery finale. He was given a delayed yellow card for a hold on Gomis, after the referee had played the advantage rule, and he was given a second yellow, followed by the red, in injury time for a trip on Nicholson as the sprightly Hearts man sprinted away. Given the disjointed, disrupted nature of affairs, it was hardly surprising that six minutes of stoppage time were added but United couldn’t capitalise. Both Kuhl and Aidan Connolly had free-kicks from the edge of the box but one dropped straight into Alexander’s hands and the other flew over the bar. For Hearts, it was a first win in the league since August and a triumph than ended a run of five games without a win in the top flight. It’s onwards and upwards for Robbie Neilson’s men. “Aberdeen are four points ahead of us and it’s definitely something we’re aiming at because you’ve always got to look ahead of you rather than behind,” said Neilson, whose side lie third in the table.

For Dundee United, it was another week and another defeat. Mixu needs to find a winning mix pretty soon. It’s Celtic away next weekend. Now what did that banner say again?