Dunbar United 1-3 Hearts B

Dunbar United 1-3 Hearts B

Pre-Season Friendly

Saturday 15th July 2023

Following on from the comfortable midweek win at Preston Athletic, this was another really good occasion for the Hearts B Team as they came from behind to beat Dunbar United and maintain the 100% record so far this pre-season.

With Callum Flatman (the skipper), Bailey Dall (very good in midweek) and Mak Kirk (the bagsman) all absent having featured at Preston, it meant a really young team lined up for this fixture at New Countess Park.

It’s a ground I’ve whizzed past various times on the train over the years though until this game I hadn’t actually got off the train to visit before - and I’ll remember it mostly due to Kai Smutek’s solid performance and goal (round of applause for him because he had a top afternoon and really underlined his value) and Mack Ross’ double; one either side of half-time.

Typically, just as the match was about to get underway, the grey clouds that had been lingering for a while burst open and everyone not in the stand got soaked in the early stages but from minute one, Hearts looked good and even though it was a young team, it’s impressive and testament to the coaching/ability just how comfortable every one of these lads are when they’ve got possession of the ball.

Harry Gordon and Ryan Duncan both had mazy runs and were involved in a lot of the play in the opening minutes; Bobby McLuckie looked sharp and lively on the left and posed a constant threat whenever he tried to get in-behind - and in one such instance after a well-read Kai Smutek block at the other end paved the way for a quick counter-attack, McLuckie fed Murray Thomas who couldn’t quite get his shot on target.

Dunbar then put together a good move to open the scoring; working the ball well to their right-hand side where a cross was delivered into the box and Liam Gregory had the time to slam it home. Top move, top finish!

Undeterred at having fallen behind though, the young Jambos continued to spray the ball around well and having worked a few openings from open play, right as the time struck three o’clock, the equaliser actually came from a set-piece as Kai Smutek popped up at the back-post and got his blonde locks onto Big Muz’s corner to make it 1-1.

After this equaliser, the next goal could have gone either way and Dunbar did get on top for a short time. Straight after the equaliser, their striker stayed on his feet, riding Kenzi Nair’s challenge (I think) when other players might have gone down and appealed for a penalty - which may well have been given, and the eventual stab-shot in that move was saved by the Hearts trialist ‘keeper. Then, a few minutes later, Rocco Friel produced a good piece of defending to intercept a cut-back on the goal-line under pressure.

Up at the ‘railway line end’ which Hearts were attacking towards, Gus Stevenson let fly with a rocket which hit the Dunbar United badge (not a train) on the fence behind the goal, Bobby McLuckie had seen an earlier effort deflected over, Big Muz and McLuckie couldn’t quite combine in another move when the goal seemed to be gaping, one low ball from McLuckie also went across the six-yard box and was begging for a connection but nobody was there (the type of chance Mak Kirk would probably have gobbled up) and in another move Mack Ross got some sort of side-foot connection on a low ball from the right but not enough to turn it home.

The stuff in open play was good; just that bit of quality in the final third which needed improvement, but four minutes before half-time another goal came from a set-piece. It was pretty simple as Big Muz’s low ball into the near-post found Mack Ross, who intelligently made space for himself inside the six-yard box and smashed it in from close-range - and I even got it on video which doesn’t happen very often either!

Mack Ross was then ‘at the double’ just after half-time as the Lowland League’s youngest ever player (an accolade he’ll always have unless the rules change) was gifted the ball by the Dunbar ‘keeper. It all came from McLuckie’s piercing through ball which led to a foot race between the ‘keeper and Muz Thomas, and although the stopper got there first, I don’t know if he got confused by the shirt colours (the black and maroon did clash in fairness) because he played it straight to an unmarked Mack Ross who carried it a few yards and didn’t need a second invitation to fire it into the net to make it 3-1 to Hearts.

Thereafter, the Jambos could have had a fourth to really wrap things up as Mack Ross, desperately wanting to complete his hat-trick, had a couple of efforts saved - and in what was probably the best opening, Kai Smutek (again, top game he had) reacted quickest when the ball was loose in the air at a corner and saw a header cleared off the line by Dunbar’s No.20.

But in the last 35-40 minutes, Dunbar had most of the pressure and territory which meant it was a good test for the game-management and focus of the young lads. The hosts did conjure up a few chances as Hearts’ trialist ‘keeper kept out one from distance, then was nearly doing a handstand as he saved No.16’s attempt at his near-post in the latter stages (good save that one was and always nice to see a bit of acrobatics). 

The lads rode their luck a little bit as a couple of balls from corners were allowed to bounce inside the box (never a good thing) and Rocco Friel got away with a misplaced pass in one instance around the hour mark - albeit he atoned for it straight away by making another very good block, but largely, everything Dunbar threw at Hearts, the lads dealt with. 

There was plenty of movement by Dunbar’s attackers around the Jambos area - often working the ball towards the byline and trying to cut it back but plenty of interceptions were made; Kai Smutek’s reading of the danger being superb as he made a few interceptions - plus a block from a shot when the ‘keeper looked to have been fouled, Kenzi Nair was good in the air prior to coming off for the last 15-20 minutes, and even when some of the younger lads came on they applied themselves brilliantly, got to grips with the game straight away and did what was needed to ensure Dunbar didn’t get that second goal which could have led to a whole heap of nervousness.

Overall, I can’t give the lads enough praise for the result. They’d have took it beforehand; a few little bits to improvement from the performance and bits to learn, but let’s remember this was such a young team - so many players missing from Callum Flatman, Bailey Dall, Mak Kirk, Callum Sandilands, Luke Rathie, Aidan Denholm and so on, yet the application, desire and the way they set about the game was superb. Not forgetting either it was the toughest test of pre-season so far either! 

Lots of positives; two goals for Mack Ross (although he’ll be gutted about not getting a hat-trick), two assists for Murray Thomas (should have scored though), lots of ball-time and energy and quality and good attributes shown by Bobby McLuckie, Harry Gordon, Gus Stevenson and Ryan Duncan, and then a solid defensive performance where everyone worked very hard, needed to concentrate a lot and ‘manage the game’ - plus the trialist ‘keeper who came up with the good when he was called upon. A really beneficial experience for everyone involved and I’ve got a feeling the lads involved will be pleased with the outcome (especially) but also feel like they learned a bit from this game.

Again, shout-out for Kai Smutek (really impressed and if there was a MOTM award, he’d be the winner this week - unfortunately there isn’t so he’ll have to make do with this write up). He complimented Kenzi Nair (who wins so much in the air) really well, but credit to the team as a whole because let’s not forget when they went 1-0 behind, they didn’t cave in, they stuck together - stuck with their principles in knocking the ball about, kept to the blueprint, and that patience paid off with a little bit of luck when it was needed and some decent finishing by Mack Ross who’ll grab the headlined with his brace.

An enjoyable day and I enjoyed the ground just as much as the Hearts performance (lovely set-up and cheap prices in the bar too), and lots to be positive about.

See you at Broxburn on Tuesday night!

Team: Trialist, Murray Thomas, Louie Selfridge, Harry Gordon (C), Ryan Duncan, Kai Smutek, Rocco Friel, Bobby McLuckie, Mackenzie Ross, Gus Stevenson, Kenzi Nair. Subs: Coupar Wilkie, Alex Walker, Owen Muirhead, Szymon Plesiwicz, Gregor Crookston, Gregor Burn, Trialist, Harvey Chisholm.