Hearts B 3-0 Edinburgh University

Hearts B 3-0 Edinburgh University

Lowland League

Saturday 28th January 2023

As three points go, once they’d got the opener, this was pretty straightforward for the Hearts B Team boys against an Edinburgh University side who’ve been one of the whipping boys in the Lowland League so far this season.

Mak Kirk grabbed two goals and Murray Thomas bagged the other with a cross that Ronaldinho would have been proud about.

When the two teams last met in November, Hearts won 9-0, and it was evident from very early on in this return fixture that the visitors were keen to do everything possible to avoid a repeat of that humiliating hammering.

From the first minute, University stifled things. They kept their shape, kept things tight and compact, allowed Hearts no space or opportunity to get the ball out wide, tried to be as difficult and awkward to break down as possible, and things were therefore often congested in the middle of park with no room for maneuver. And when anyone in a Hearts shirt did break between the lines, it was usually met by a last-ditch tackle or a desperate tug of the shirt - some of which did affect the yellow card count and was punished by the referee, some of which wasn’t. Good old referees and their consistency!

That’s basically what the lads had to break down and beat.

On the bobbly Ferguson Park pitch there wasn’t a lot to get excited about in the first half-an-hour as passages of play were mostly scrappy. Hearts had more possession but struggled to do much with it for all of the reasons mentioned above and, instead, the students created a couple of openings when their No.7 (their best player) flashed an early shot narrowly wide before Liam McFarlane parried away an effort by the No.9.

Nevertheless, EU have an horrendous goal difference and are near the bottom of the table for a particular reason, and with Hearts’ speed of play gradually improving, the wee Jambos finally put a move together which resulted in a goal on the half-hour mark when Adam Forrester (easily the ‘Man Of The Match’ and a delight to watch at times in this game) made a tremendous run on the overlap, received the ball from Murray Thomas and played a dangerous ball in towards the near-post which Mak Kirk headed home.

A lovely move - and just like that it was 1-0 to Hearts!

Things then remained quite scrappy up to half-time. Edinburgh’s No.7 was booked for a stupid off the ball incident with Aidan Denholm who himself got a yellow card from the referee just two minutes later (despite the fact it was his first offence of the game), but the second 45 minutes was a lot better from Hearts and a lot more entertaining on the whole.

Not long after the re-start, Thomas made it 2-0 as he revealed his inner-Ronaldinho to cheekily float the ball into the net with an intended back-post cross from the right flank which left the visiting ‘keeper flapping at thin air and squealing in horror as it hit the net.

At this point, it looked as if the visitors might cave in and endure that all too familiar of receiving yet another hammering because Hearts looked more confident, were now being much quicker and purposeful on the ball, and it became very much one-way traffic. 

Callum Sandilands (scorer of a belter in the U18s Derby less than 24 hours earlier) saw a powerful near-post tipped over with the resulting corner being unconvincingly cleared, soon after that Thomas flashed a ball across the face of goal which Bobby McLuckie couldn’t quite convert at the far stick, before Kirk tried acrobatics and Thomas hit the ball against his team-mate on the deck just seconds later after Leo Watson caused problems from a good cross into the box.

Eventually, McLuckie (who was clattered by the visitors’ No.2 in one of the worst fouls of the game for which, incredibly, only a yellow card was given), and Kirk combined to pierce the University defence for 3-0, but Hearts’ young left-back wasn’t quite able to get his name onto the score-sheet - and get a goal he just about deserved from his showing, because the University ‘keeper denied him from point blank range in the closing stages.

And at the other end, McFarlane was alert enough a couple of times - including when he had to make a save from the lively No.7, to ensure he came away with a clean-sheet.

Overall, it was just a straightforward and ‘routine’ win. 

It wasn’t easy at times, University didn’t make it easy with the tactics they adopted and even if they’d gone 1-0 up (which might have happened on a different day), I still think they’d have been beaten - and that’s testament to the Hearts boys and how they battled, competed, found a way to get the ball in the net, improve during the game, and ultimately get another three points to show for their efforts and progress.

A particular mention needs to go to Adam Forrester because most of the danger came from that right-hand flank where he was playing and he was a constant threat. His overlapping runs, quality, acceleration and deliveries were of a high standard, his link-up player also got Murray Thomas heavily involved in some dangerous moves too. Muz will be happy with his goal (which just like ‘Ronnie’ in 2002, he meant), as will Mak Kirk with his brace which keeps his numbers looking good - something that every frontman cares about. But it was another positive and impressive contribution from Forrester which stood out the most, just as it was when I last watched the Hearts lads when they beat Gretna in November, and his inclusion of the ‘Team Of The Week’ is recognition that he thoroughly deserves for another good performance.

And another big positive from this game was the return from injury of Callum Flatman who came on as a substitute during the second half. He’s watched plenty of games from next to the dugout up to now this season, probably wishing he was involved, and I’ve got no doubts he’ll be buzzing to be back and eager for more now he’s had a little taste of playing football again.

I was planning on going to tomorrow’s reverse fixture with Gretna at Raydale Park but that’s now changed and I won’t be there. Instead, I’ll definitely be back at a game or two (or more) at some point between now and the end of the season because there’s a lot of quality and character in this team; from Aidan Denholm’s cheeky wind-ups to the assured presence of Arron Darge (and soon Callum Flatman) at the back, to Callum Sandilands, Mak Kirk and others who are regulars in the team.

I appreciate quality. I appreciate good lads - and they’re definitely showing what they can do with how they’re putting together results (now on a consistent basis), finding a way to win sometimes in difficult circumstances, and how they’ve improved since the start of the season with it now being five games unbeaten.

Good luck at Gretna!

Apologies also for writing this slightly later than usual (it’s just been a busy week).

Team: Liam McFarlane, Leo Watson, Aaron Darge, Mac Tait, Aidan Denholm, Callum Sandilands, Mak Kirk, Murray Thomas, Adam Forrester, Luke Rathie, Bobby McLuckie. Subs: Harry Stone, Callum Flatman, Ryan Duncan, Kenzi Nair.