Hearts B 6-0 Berwick Rangers

Hearts B 6-0 Berwick Rangers

Lowland League

Saturday 23rd July 2022

First and foremost, what a pleasure it was to watch this dominant performance by a talented young Hearts team.

When the Jambos joined the Lowland League in the summer, not in their wildest dreams could they have envisaged that they'd make such a blistering start - especially against a former SPFL outfit in the shape of Berwick Rangers.

The eventual 6-0 scoreline did hinge somewhat on a big moment just after half-time when visiting skipper Jamie Pyper conceded a penalty and was also red carded but it shouldn’t detract from how merciless Hearts were going forward, how good they were on the ball, and how much commitment and effort they put in as a team.

Across the pitch there were some quality contributions whether that be from Connor Smith who got a hat-trick and moved the ball so well in midfield; Aidan Denholm alongside him who grew into the game on a minute-by-minute basis to be so influential; Jaden Ferguson who scored with a quality strike and posed so much of a threat up top with his style and movement, or skipper Arron Darge who portrayed and calm and confident manner at the back.

Everyone genuinely contributed something towards the end result, listening to the instructions from Steven Naismith on the touchline when it was needed and he’ll have been pleased to see his players operate with such fluidity and freedom - executing their ideas to devastating effect, plus learning so much ‘on the job’ against a physical men’s outfit who weren’t afraid to dish out a few bits and pieces from the ‘dark arts’ at times either - just ask Aidan Denholm or Callum Sandilands about that!

It was such a good display that should give everyone involved a good amount of confidence.

Match Report

With the heatwave of this week now being something of a distant memory rather than a current predicament, conditions were almost perfect for this Lowland League season-opener although the Ferguson Park pitch was dry and bobbly in parts which added an extra element to proceedings.

As Naisy said to the lads during the pre-game warm-up: ‘Make sure you’re concentrating’.

The young Jambos got things underway and spent much of the opening five minutes on the back-foot and forced to focus on their defensive aspects as Berwick enjoyed a couple of corners; the second of which was plucked out the air by Harry Stone although the ex-Albion Rovers loanee soon received a ticking off for then holding onto the ball for a bit too long.

Hearts gradually settled and began to knock the ball around with confidence. Connor Smith dropped back deep a few times to influence matters and was good on the ball and accurate in possession and in the first chance of note, he was the intended target from Murray Thomas’ ball into the box but a Berwick defender headed the ball away. 

Smith then hit a shot over the upright after some good work and an inviting cutback by Jaden Ferguson as the Jambos continued to signal their intentions, implement their ideas and try to play quickly with a decent intensity.

Berwick had ideas of their own though and mustered up the first shot on target on 24 minutes. It all started after Hearts conceded possession in their own half and, in his bid to win the ball back, Aidan Denholm fouled his man and was booked by a referee who got that one right but was inconsistent (and seemed quite an unapproachable character) for the large part.

The ball was in a dangerous position, around 25 yards out and slightly to the right, and Harry Stone was forced to tip the ball round the post after a low effort bounced up right infront of him. It was good concentration from the young ‘keeper and the resulting corner came to nothing.

Despite Arron Darge forcing a routine save from the visiting ‘keeper after Bobby McLuckie’s corner, Berwick were beginning to look more dangerous around this point. Before the half hour-mark the visitors nearly capitalised on some poor Hearts defending to go 1-0 up when the ball dropped invitingly for Lewis Barr at the back-post amidst a scramble but he could only shank the ball wide of Stone’s left-hand post on the half-volley.

It quickly proved costly because two pieces of high quality played a part in Hearts’ opener on 30 minutes.

Ferguson dropped back sublimely towards the halfway line to link-up with a team-mate (didn’t see who but possibly Bailey Dall) and set up a quick counter-attack down the left flank. The quick movement pierced the Berwick defence and when the ball was crossed in, a visiting defender deliberately fouled Smith right on the edge of the box (for which he booked) and it led to a dangerous free-kick. 

Smith then stepped up and executed the set-piece in spectacular style - floating the ball over a rooted-to-the-spot ‘keeper who couldn’t do anything about it. It was some finish, on a par with Euan Valentine’s strike for Civil Service Strollers against Rangers on Friday, but most importantly Hearts had the lead.

The next 15 minutes up to half-time then proved to be the most crucial of the afternoon as Hearts were forced to defend doggedly and in numbers at times, to ensure they remained 1-0 up at the break.

Darge was immense during this spell; mopping up the danger and being a rock on so many occasions although Berwick still forced a few chances from which they nearly equalised.

After a long-throw was only half-cleared, Ferguson conceded a free-kick out wide as he was judged to have raised his foot (harshly because it was about two feet off the ground and the opponent was ducking). The subsequent set-piece was taken short before it went into the danger zone and led to a back-post header which went over.

There were a couple more close shaves which the Jambos survived before the break as a quick throw down the line nearly led to an opening, whilst McLuckie made a goal-line clearance at the expense of a corner from which Stone was forced to palm the ball over the upright after a powerful shot from the edge of the box.

Hearts’ shape, structure, organisation and resilience was being tested severely with Harry Gordon and Dall, in particular, finding themselves under a lot of ‘real game’ pressure on the left-hand side. It’s something where they’ll have learned from and it’ll be so beneficial in their individual development, and to the lads’ credit they survived the difficult spell to ensure they were still infront at the break.

The second half proved to be a very different story, however, as the shackles came off and Hearts played with a freedom which was a joy to behold.

Thomas, who was phenomenal with his quality and work on the right in a 20-25 minute spell before he was substituted, played a part in so many things and initially helped set up two quickfire chances; the first of which saw Denholm have a shot smothered by the Berwick ‘keeper at close-range. Two minutes later, Thomas also released Ferguson who showed a fantastic burst of pace to beat his man and unleash a wicked drive that required more strong wrists from the visiting shot-stopper.

Between those openings, there was a chance at the opposite end when Stone got down low to make an important save.

Undoubtedly the most decisive moment in the match then occurred on 52 minutes. Denholm was the architect and instigator this time (and he had a very good game). His through ball in-behind the last defender reached Smith who was bundled over by Berwick’s skipper. The referee, even by his standards and bizarre decision-making at times, had no option but to award a spot-kick because the offence was committed inside the area and there was the double punishment of a red card being shown due to the Berwick player being the last man.

Smith duly sent the ‘keeper the wrong way to make it 2-0 - and the floodgates were open!

With Berwick licking their wounds, they knew they’d have to work harder but they were simply no match for Hearts’ energetic youngsters who sensed the chance to dish out a real hammering was there.

It was 3-0 before the hour thanks to two more pieces of quality from Smith and Ferguson; the former showing relentless persistence to win the ball back in a deep area and then playing the ball inside for his team-mate whose exquisite jinking movement and footwork was matched by an equally impressive thunderbolt into the top corner. Great technique; great finish!

By this point, the game was theoretically over as a contest but Hearts weren’t resting on their laurels.

The Jambos wanted more and having soon fired the ball into the net for a fourth time only for it to be wrongly flagged as offside, the linesman opted to keep his flag down in the next attack where McLuckie looked suspiciously in an offside position as he latched onto Ferguson’s through pass and finished with aplomb. It was a sweeping and scintillating passage of play; yet more good quality football and the finish through the legs, though not intended, was as cheeky as anything.

Berwick’s tiring players were frustrated with what was happening and, still with quite a while to go, they began to dish out a few bits from the ‘dark arts’ (i.e. needless little kicks and niggly stuff) which the Hearts youngsters will have to become accustomed to given it’s one of the realities of playing in men’s football. Denholm, especially, copped for a couple of clatterings.

The Wee Rangers did venture forward on a few occasions with Stone required to make some more saves but, largely, it was still one-way traffic with Dall stinging the palms of the visiting ‘keeper as he sought to add his name to the party.

On 66 minutes, Hearts made it 5-0 with Smith completing his hat-trick after some more excellent build up play. 

This time, it was McLuckie who was the main mischief maker as he received a pass from Thomas, slipped it through to Ferguson who in turn released Smith inside the box, where the former Queens Park loanee did superbly by demonstrating a good touch followed by the intelligence to open up a great angle for himself to smash a low shot past the Berwick ‘keeper.

With still a quarter of the game to go, Berwick’s misery was further heightened when Thomas was replaced by Callum Sandilands - a nippy attacker who can glide past players, and straight away he drifted out to wide areas from where he looked to exploit space and create havoc at every possible opportunity.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was that it took Hearts until 84 minutes to make it 6-0; albeit the least surprising aspect was that Sandilands was the scorer.

Having been unlucky not to bag just 30 seconds earlier when the ball dropped for him unmarked at the back post only to see his goalbound effort charged down by a defender, the substitute got on the end of Smith’s cross with a stooping header at the near-post after a quickly taken short corner.

That wrapped up the scoring and put the gloss on a superb opening day win which was genuinely a pleasure to watch with some brilliant football played.

The game could easily be described as the proverbial ‘men against boys’ - only it was the boys teaching the men a lesson in high octane, energetic football. It was a benchmark display and full of high standards.

Individual Thoughts

After such a good performance and such dominance at times where can I even start?

The football in the second half was fantastic and so much will have been learned from a defensive viewpoint in that first half - especially in the period where Berwick were pressing hard for an equaliser. Yes, the red card did impact things and the extra man allowed the visitors to be opened up a bit more than they otherwise would have been, but that shouldn’t detract in any way from the utterly ruthless execution of ideas/intentions and the quality on show.

It was a genuine pleasure to watch so many good players working hard, contributing a lot, and producing quality, and if those standards are maintained (and improved) throughout the season, there are lots of reasons to be optimistic. The best thing is this was only ‘Game 1’ and with more exposure and involvement in these games it’s only natural that more improvement will happen and these players will get better. Plus, there’s other talented players (e.g. Callum Flatman) who’ll no doubt feature at some point.

Individually, there were some solid contributions and it’s hard to specifically single out any player for a ‘Man Of The Match’ award.

Connor Smith will naturally claim the majority of plaudits for his hat-trick but even before he’d scored the opener, I’d picked up on how he was dropping back to get possession and help get things going. His feet were good; his distribution was good, he contributed towards two chances in the first 10-15 minutes and his experience (having been out on loan a few times already) certainly benefited those around him. The hat-trick goal was as good as anything in terms of technique and the free-kick wasn’t bad either. A class performance.

Jaden Ferguson was also superb with his movement and positioning throughout the game. It was exquisite during the quick counter-attack which led to the free-kick for the opener, his technique for his own goal was quality, and he just made so many small but notable contributions. He linked up well with Connor Smith; the two showed a good understanding, and he ought to be happy with his own work because it was great to watch and it left a really favourable impression on me.

Aidan Denholm grew into the game after a quiet start, had a good pass-completion rate, and carved Berwick open on a good few occasions and I’m already looking forward to watching him again. I’ve got a lot of respect for how he played (and seemingly so had Berwick given how many times they kicked him), whilst Arron Darge (the skipper) was something of a rock at centre-back. I appreciate good defenders and, in the period when Hearts were under intense pressure nearing half-time, he defended well; clearing his lines, being strong, composed and leading by example. He was always talking and encouraging people and it earns my respect. Fair play to him for that. 

Murray Thomas was superb in the early stages of the second half; drifting into good positions from which he could hurt Berwick (even before the second goal and red card), showing quality and a good product on the ball and linking up well with Jaden Ferguson and Connor Smith. That spell, when he was playing just yards infront of me, also left a very positive impression.

Elsewhere, after his injury troubles of last year, it was good to see Bailey Dall playing. He nearly scored in the second half with a stinging drive which the ‘keeper palmed away (and might have been involved in the opening goal with the cross too) but above everything, I feel he’ll have learned so much in that spell just before the break when Berwick were applying most of their pressure down his side. That period alone will help his development and he’s only going to get better through more experiences. Good to see him playing.

Likewise, Harry Gordon will have learned a lot in that period, whilst Bobby McLuckie also grew into the game, made a vital goal line clearance to ensure the boys went in ahead, and had lots of neat touches and involvement after half-time. Plus, his cheeky finish through the legs of the ‘keeper (although it was offside; lets be honest) will do his own confidence the world of good.

I can already see the improvement in Luke Rathie compared to when I’ve watched him previously and that was highlighted through certain passages of play in the second half where he pushed on, had the ball at his feet and looked totally comfortable with it. By his own standards; Mac Tait had a quiet game (another who grew into it and had more involvement as it went on) and, despite being one of the youngest in the squad, I know what he can do and how much of a part he’ll play.

Above everyone, I feel Harry Stone deserves a mention. So much quality was shown elsewhere - and despite holding onto the ball too long for Naisy’s liking early on (cue the telling off), he commanded his area well and made three important saves at key times; the one from the low free-kick at 0-0 which bounced right infront of him, the fingertip save just before half-time and a more routine low stop early in the second half when it was still 1-0. He worked hard to keep a clean-sheet, was helped by Arron Darge ahead of him, and he deserves praise for playing a big part which people might not realise if they just glanced at the scoreline and didn’t dig any deeper.

Of the substitutes, it was good to see Callum Sandilands do what he does best and score. Straight away from when he came on, he was getting as tight to the touchline as possible, making himself available in intelligent positions to receive the ball, exploiting space and trying to hurt the opposition defence. It worked as he got in behind a few times owing to his technique and quality on the ball when he received it. I thought his chance to score had evaporated when his initial effort was charged down but less than 30 seconds later, he headed it in from the resulting corner anyway. He got a few kicks off his marker, despite only being on the pitch for a short time and I’ll always back Callum’s ability and skill to make a good impression. Keep it up… but do remember to keep your eyes open the next time there’s a team photoshoot at Tynecastle!

It was also nice for the other lads to appear from the bench in the closing stages and though it was only a few minutes when the game was long since over as a contest, every player will have their part to play at some point in the season.

There are still some learning curves despite the win.

A couple of three-on-two scenarios in Berwick’s favour at defensive situations occurred in the first half (one at the start and one at the end) which weren’t punished and that was a cause for concern. The midfield in the first half, at times, was over-run and that will need to be nipped in the bud too.

The referee also deserves a mention for doing his best to wreck a good game with his inconsistency. He missed so much, including stuff which was deliberate and blatantly obvious, and whilst I don’t particularly want his performance to detract from the football, he was poor and both benches were rightly unhappy with him at different points.

After this impressive victory, the lads now go to Spartans on Tuesday.

That will be a tougher game (and on a 4G surface) against a team who’ve traditionally always been in the top half a dozen spots in the Lowland League. Nobody should get too carried away because beating Berwick is just one game and this will be an altogether different affair but if the lads can take confidence and implement their ideas/intentions in a similar manner at Ainslie Park, they’ll give themselves a good chance of the win.

I won't be at all the games this season (that’s the downside of living in England) but I'll be at Spartans on Tuesday, so see you all there.