Hearts (U18s) 6-0 East Kilbride (U18s)

Hearts (U18s) 6-0 East Kilbride (U18s)

Scottish Youth Cup

Sunday 25th October 2021

Hearts showed a good attitude to deliver a thoroughly professional performance and earn comfortable progression to the next round of the Scottish Youth Cup in this 6-0 rout of East Kilbride.  

Played on the 4G pitch at the Falkirk Stadium, the gulf in quality between the two teams was obvious; Hearts boasting one of the best academies in Scotland whereas East Kilbride are much further down the pecking order.   

Nevertheless, the plucky visitors (whose senior team compete in the Lowland League) probably deserved a goal on the balance of play and were unfortunate not to get one. They contributed to a good game but just came up against a classy side!  

That’s because Hearts applied themselves really well, kept possession and showed a terrific desire to win the ball back when they didn’t have it, and their progress was never in doubt from the moment they established a commanding lead during the first 45 minutes.   

Luke Rathie bundled home the opening goal at the back-post just shy of the quarter-hour mark when East Kilbride’s ‘keeper flapped at a corner and presented his opponent with an easy opportunity.  

Confident and playing on the front foot, Bobby McLuckie picked his spot with aplomb to make it 2-0 soon afterwards on the back of some good work by Makenzie Kirk and when the latter rippled the net with a left-foot volley on the half-hour mark, there was an ominous feeling about just how big the scoreline might get!

Another goal was added before half-time as Callum Sandilands’ knock down was fired home by Mackenzie Ross, and the floodgates showed no signs of shutting as the impressive and tenacious Ewan Simpson scored the pick of the bunch following a mazy run just after the re-start.  

Further chances came and went and East Kilbride even had a chance to grab a consolation when Hearts were forced into dealing with a goalmouth scramble.  

Just as it looked as though it would end 5-0, Sandilands (who, having just turned 16 last month, was one of the youngest players on the pitch - but by no means the actual youngest) popped the ball into the net from a few yards to round off a good individual and collective display by the boys in maroon.  

Hearts could have won by an even greater scoreline than the eventual six-goal margin they reached, had they opted to pepper the East Kilbride penalty area with even more crosses - especially during a dominant second half where their work-ethic, willingness and control was of a really decent standard.  

They’ll now make the long trek to Inverurie Loco Works in the next round of the competition next month - the last journey anyone would want to make on a freezing cold night in November, but if they show the same characteristics as they did in this game, they’ll be confident of achieving another positive result.  

The two top performers (or ones that caught the eye) were the two lads who got the goals in the second half - Ewan Simpson and Callum Sandilands, although there was plenty of quality right across the pitch and the team performance, application and attitude was excellent.  

Special mentions must also go to Finlay Pollock (who, after the ball bouncing incident in-front of the referee in the very early stages) put in a measured and controlled showing in midfield, Sam Spence who was excellent on the right-hand side, plus Mackenzie Ross and Makenzie Kirk who both appeared in attack.  

Simpson actually misplaced a few of his early short-range passes (they got notably better as the game progressed) but his desire and fearlessness in not being afraid to run at and dominate his more physical opponent, using clever footwork and individual skill, was spot on and exactly what was needed. Not every player would show such courage and bravery on so many occasions and his goal was thoroughly deserved as it superbly highlighted the many good aspects of his individual game (a driving run with great ball control, finding space followed by an emphatic finish - like ‘peak’ Billy Gilmour with an end product!). It was testament to a positive showing which he deserves credit for.

Sandilands is a player who I’ve read a reasonable amount about already and this was the first time I’ve seen him play. He certainly made an impression for a variety of different reasons and it was easy to see the rationale behind which Hearts decided to sign him from Rangers on a professional contract despite the fact that he’d still, effectively, be an U16s player south of the border.  

His reading of the game, understanding and anticipation of situations was excellent - as was the encouragement and communication he gave to team-mates throughout. In two instances during the first half, he purposely got his body in-front of East Kilbride’s No.6 prior to receiving the ball, then controlled it with a good touch and helped set about an attack. Something else which didn’t go unnoticed was a cushioned 50-yard volley to create a counter-attack from midway inside his own half followed by a determined ‘bust a gut’ sprint to get into the opposition penalty area - it didn’t result in a goal on that occasion but the desire, effort and attitude couldn’t be faulted whatsoever. 

After half-time, there were also a few times when he purposely halted his runs to create space for himself, whilst his reading of the game allowed him to pick up good positions and pose a major threat. I did think the goal which his own display merited might not come - particularly when his shout for a header (in an unmarked and goalscoring position at the far-post following a right-sided cross) was instead headed goalwards by a team-mate. However, the late tap-in which he got was deserved and it was a pleasure, overall, to watch such a mature and confident performance from someone so young who clearly has talent, is an asset to the team already - even just in things like communication and leadership, is hitting high standards already (some of which I strongly suspect he sets for himself), and is only going to get better and better with more experience.  

Sandilands (and his team-mates) will face sterner challenges than that posed by East Kilbride, but fair play to the lad and I wish him every little bit of luck in achieving his aspirations and being successful. His talent is obvious and I’ll be keeping a check to see how he progresses for sure!  

Another pleasantly surprising aspect about the day out as a whole is that Falkirk seems to have improved a lot over the past decade - to the point where it’s actually now quite a nice place to visit! I don’t know quite how it’s happened but the modernisation of areas like Helix Park (near The Kelpies) is a far cry from other parts of the town I saw when I was last here - such as the abandoned and dilapidated Firs Park which has now been knocked down!