Hearts B 2-1 Celtic B

Hearts B 2-1 Celtic B

Lowland League

Friday 20th October 2023

After Tuesday’s hammering of Berwick, this game was a far harder challenge for the Wee Jambos but one which they overcame to temporarily move back up to second in the Lowland League.

On a baltic night due to Storm Babet, conditions were horrible for the players out on the pitch. It was wet. It was windy. It was absolutely freezing! Forget the phrase ‘A cold night in Stoke’ - this was literally ‘A stormy night at Spartans’. 

B was for Baltic and there was a real need to grit your teeth with the conditions and that’s just to watch the game from the stands!

For the players out on the pitch it must have felt horrible, yet Hearts applied themselves well and showed bucket loads of desire and determination to get the points.

They made a perfect start as it took Callum Sandilands just six minutes to bag his second ‘naughty’ goal this week - this time as he raced into the six-yard box to meet Murray Thomas’ low ball in from the right where he finished the move off with a nonchalant back-heel flick which was just as exquisite as his 35-yard strike against Berwick in midweek.

No piggyback celebrations again (must be the finger injury) but if 1-0 was good then 2-0 felt even better - and that’s what the scoreline changed to on the quarter-hour mark when Mak Kirk chalked up his 19th goal of the season (18 in the Lowland League) from the penalty spot, having been spent sprawling by the Celtic ‘keeper when he was put clean through.

The energy, intensity, drive and determination about Hearts' play in the opening bit of the game was really good. Harry Gordon was absolutely excellent (doing what he does best in breaking play up but also being positionally-aware and using his body well in so many situations to retain possession too). Ethan Drysdale (the one change to the team from the midweek game as he replaced Bailey Dall) put in a top performance which continued all game long - one of the best I’ve seen him have, and when Celtic did come into the game more as the first half progressed, they were thwarted by Luke Rathie (rock solid which showed by him blocking his man and send him backwards), plus Kenzi Nair who defended excellently in a string of situations, no-nonsense in his style, and he too was having a very good game.

At 2-0, nonetheless, the game felt in the balance and the next goal was always going to have a big impact and set the tone for the direction in which the rest of the game would pan out.

As the half wore on, Celtic showed little flashes of promise high up the pitch. Liam McFarlane had to rush off his line to hurriedly clear the danger in one instance and right before half-time the visitors halved the deficit when Kenzi Nair was judged to have pulled Lewis Dobbie to the floor inside the box. After a long pause to think about it, the referee gave the penalty, and Mack Carse stepped up and buried his effort past Liam McFarlane.

Still, Hearts very nearly restored their two-goal lead before half-time as Ryan Duncan let fly with a rasping strike from the edge of the box which was only just off-target and had it gone in then I’ve no doubt he’d have been buzzing about it for a while.

It remained 2-1 at the break and after the re-start, Celtic came out aggressively and looked good for a 10-15 minute period. They got down the flanks, used the width well, started to have more possession and use the ball purposefully - and only the offside flag denied Lewis Dobbie (a decent player on the strength of this game) an equaliser, whilst Thomson and McArdle both had efforts blocked as the boys in maroon found themselves penned in to some extent.

Hearts still created bits of danger up at the other end; there were shouts for a back-pass in one instance and Murray Thomas whistled a ball across the six-yard box just a few minutes before he was replaced by Mack Ross.

It was still twitchy beyond the hour mark and in a five-minute spell of pressure, the team in hoops carved out a few chances. Liam McFarlane pulled off a good near-post save; Lewis Dobbie then drove forward a minute or two later and tested the big man whilst Mack Carse (another for Celtic who put in a decent showing) went close too. Another Celtic attempt wasn’t very far wide, balls were starting to come in from right and left and, generally, the visitors also seemed to pick up a lot of ‘second contacts’ in and around the Hearts box - so you really weren’t sure which way the next goal was going to go as the game passed the 70-minute mark.

However, as time ticked away, Hearts continued to apply themselves well both in and out of possession and in the last quarter-of-an-hour, it was only some excellent saves by the Celtic ‘keeper and bits of bad luck that prevented the Wee Jambos from adding a third goal.

Callum Sandilands was denied his second of the night due to a brilliant save when he unleashed a real blockbuster of a strike following a brilliant one-two bit of link-up play with Mack Ross who came on, did well, and also saw a shot of his own saved after he was danced his way past a couple of defenders in his pink boots. A handball shout (quite blatant) saw nothing given even though it was crystal clear that a Celtic defender handled the ball from a cross whilst attempting to turn it behind for a corner. Mak Kirk was thwarted twice in quick succession by the Celtic ‘keeper in another attack where he seemed odds on to find the net and get his 20th goal of the season (but somehow didn’t) and when Bobby McLuckie mugged a defender and cut the ball back to him just a few yards out, Kirky somehow skewed his effort over the target from close-range with the goal gaping infront of him.

And even more agonisingly, when the ball was put through the Hoops six-yard box again in the final few minutes of normal time, Callum Sandilands was at full-stretch but couldn’t quite turn the ball home.

In the end, with the score still 2-1, it came down to injury-time. Three minutes were played and within that period, Celtic won a corner - to which Hearts pulled everyone back and it was Kirky who headed away the danger, and the Jambos ultimately held on to record a very good three points on a night where the attitude, application (and even quality given some of the passages of play and neat moves which were pieced together) was top class!

The game was much tougher than compared to Tuesday against Berwick (which was quite comfortable and very dominant). Celtic were good on the ball and tested Hearts; they tried to play some good football themselves, were neat and tidy with their ideas and had some spells on top but whatever was thrown at them, Hearts stood up to it - and it’s testament to the quality in this team that the lads got the win. This time last year when this group was more inexperienced that might not have been the case and they might have ‘caved in’ so it shows how much all the lads have developed as players, plus the character and bits of leadership that exist too.

One of the best things about watching this Hearts B team is you consistently see so many players putting in a good level of performance but the players who stand-out in different games and would be worthy ‘Man Of The Match’ contenders are often quite varied. It’s not always the same faces with others lagging behind. It’s usually high performance levels by everyone with superb contributions from two or three.

When you mix that together, it’s the characteristics of a really good team and you can easily understand why the lads are high up in the table with only one defeat in 15 games and are also the current top scorers in the Lowland League.

Again, there were some excellent individual performances but in particular I thought Kenzi Nair, Luke Rathie, Ethan Drysdale and Harry Gordon were all superb in this game.

Mack Ross also gave a really good account of himself in his 25-30 minutes (being tidy under pressure a few times, dropping back to win it once late on, then keeping it and bringing it forward through good technique, plus adding quality further up the pitch - whether it be the one-two with Callum Sandilands, or the one where he jinked his way into a shooting position and just needed more power on the effort). All positive stuff and it’s good to see him make an impression in this sort of game because it shows the ability he’s got as a player and how creative/dangerous and even instrumental he can be towards success.

Kenzi Nair and Luke Rathie worked well together as a pairing; LR being solid as usual and allowing nothing to get past him (particularly memorable was a move in the first half where Celtic went forward dangerously on a break but as soon as LR was involved in a physical duel, he forced his man to go backwards). Excellent defending! And Kenzi just had a really good game; a few bits of grappling, battling, needing to be tough and competitive but he dominated things at the back for the first 40-45 minutes. His best contribution was where he forced his man wide on a counter-attack and waited for a push in the back to win a free-kick - intelligent play and a prime example of why I hold him in high regard because his ability stands out and he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

I actually thought Bailey Dall was unlucky to not start at LB because he had a good game on Tuesday, but in terms of coming into the team and doing well then Ethan Drysdale needs a massive round of applause for what he contributed and it’s possibly the best performance I’ve seen him have. He made some good defensive interceptions (in both halves - and they helped to nullify the danger), he read dangerous scenarios extremely well and didn’t dive in. He produced quality when he was on the ball and the only downside to a very good night for him was that he couldn’t quite find the net with his shot late on. Nevertheless, he was a real stand-out performer and very impressive in this game. Keep it up, maintain that performance level and you’ll do well.

And I also can’t speak highly enough about Harry Gordon in his CDM role!

He got nothing whatsoever from the referee (not even when the studs were up in the second half and the lino was flagging yet the referee chose to ignore it - and officials wonder why they get criticised!), but HG was the instigator of so many positive things during this game. 

I’ve watched 100+ ‘development’ type fixtures since the start of last season - most of which are on this blog, so I’ve plenty of other players to compare him against, and he’s very good for his age and position. 

Quite often midfield players can drift in and out of things and not really make an impression but HG played so well in this game and is decent. He intercepted the danger and was persistent with his desire to do that. He battled physically throughout and wasn’t easy to shove off the ball either (proved in one instance where he had two players on him but still kept it). He won possession at least half-a-dozen times, played with a spring in his step and his head up looking at where to be or where the next pass was, and then he set things in motion. His reading of the game was brilliant (allowing him to do all of the above by getting himself into good positions with a proper sense of awareness). He also got forward whenever he could, didn’t waste a pass, and I lost count of the amount of times I said ‘Good Harry’ in my mind because of all of his positive work and pure relentlessness to do his best and give everything.

It’s a phenomenal attribute to have and work which never goes unnoticed and his defensive-minded desire and selflessness (such as constantly winning the ball back) is so valuable to a team. Without it, others wouldn’t be able to shine as much as they do, and on top of that he’s good on the ball anyway - evidenced by a few good passes which he played that brought others into the game.

The quality of his performances in the past few days have made this trip north feel really worthwhile. I’ll remember it for a long time and if I was a player myself, I’d be absolutely buzzing to have him on my team because I know the quality he’s going to produce and the fact he’ll give you everything. He will have the odd poor game (it happens) but he's genuinely so good at what he does.

Whether it works out for him at Hearts or not is a question for another time, but what he offers as a CDM will always be appreciated by those who know football and he ought to take so much confidence from how he’s playing right now. So well done on another good performance, massively earning my respect, and just keep doing what you do so well. Every aspect of it is fantastic to watch. It’s refreshing, it’s bright, it’s energetic and its really put a smile on my face. Top work!

Amongst the others, Liam McFarlane made a couple of saves, had a couple of big kicks (love those) and helped run the clock down a bit in the latter stages whenever he could which is a good sign of game-management whilst Adam Forrester was tested a lot in one-v-one situations. I thought Celtic were decent and troublesome on their left-hand side so this was a really good game to learn for Adam where he had to be focused and concentrate, yet he stood up to the task and was on the winning team - and you can’t really ask for much more!

Murray Thomas will be pleased with another assist; keep believing in yourself because the goal to get you up and running is coming and I’ll never, ever lose confidence in that. Callum Sandilands took his goal well; brilliant again and he adds so much quality and I thought him, Ryan Duncan and Harry Gordon worked really well in this game, which allowed Callum to get forward into dangerous positions much more often than on Tuesday - and when that happens, you always know Callum is likely to produce something that will make you smile.

Ryan Duncan himself was sharp and lively in parts; pressed well a few times, had the shot just before half-time which wasn’t far away and contributed positively - one of his best being late on where he kept the ball close to his feet and glided with it last two or three players to alleviate the danger and carry the ball to safety. Good technique. Good bravery and a really good piece of play.

Mak Kirk took his penalty well (another one for the tally; end of season goals montage might need two songs at the rate he’s banging them in) but what stood out most in Mak’s performance was his work-rate because he needed to press, drop back a few times - he did exactly that, and his defensive contribution was rounded off with the header away from the corner in injury-time. Another good performance by him; his goals record speaks for itself and I’m sure he’ll enjoy the accolade of being ‘top scorer in the Lowland League’ - long may that continue and, with eight goals in just three games this month, you’d struggle to find another striker anywhere in Scotland in as good form as him right now!

And finally, Bobby McLuckie. He wasn’t quite as lively as Tuesday where he absolutely tortured his marker (and probably gave him a few nightmares) but as this game wore on, Bobby got better and better, got the ball down more, and really wasn’t scared to take on Celtic’s big No.5 in a foot-battle in the latter stages - and that work was nearly rewarded in the chance where Kirky put it over. He looked knackered (such was how much he put in) just before he was replaced by Bailey Dall deep into injury-time but well done on another decent performance.

Overall, it’s been a pleasure watching the past two games. I’ve learned loads as always, there’s plenty to be positive about and as I always stress this is such a good team to watch because of the quality of players all over the pitch and the depth of talent. The last two performances have been much better than the East Stirling game (rusty and disjointed that one) and I’m already looking forward to being back up for the Edinburgh University game in three weeks.

As long as there’s no train strikes announced then I’ll be there!

A little mention too for the Ainslie Park fox who had another night roaming around and even got on the pitch at one point. Old Foxy seemed to be in his element scurrying around, getting his daily steps in, posing for photos, and given the quality of football on show (and the sausage roll he was tucking into at half-time) is there any wonder he keeps coming to these games?

Another enjoyable night! And massive respect as always for the B Team boys!