Caledonian Braves 2-1 Hearts B

Caledonian Braves 2-1 Hearts B

Lowland League

Saturday 10th February 2024

Having suffered back-to-back defeats in the past couple of weeks to Cumbernauld Colts and Stirling University, it’s clear the Hearts B Team are going through a rough patch right now.

And this was another game they’ll quickly want to forget as Caledonian Braves inflicted a third straight loss to send them down to 5th in the Lowland League table - the lowest position they’ve been all season!

Having not seen Hearts for a few months - since the 4-0 win over Edinburgh University in November - and having never been to Caley Braves before either (too busy gallivanting around Europe recently), I was quite looking forward to this trip, albeit not so much the glorious Scottish weather at this time of year which consists of drizzle, grey clouds and baltic temperatures.

Hearts’ performance wasn’t the best; it improved in the second half when they had enough chances to nick a draw - and it was nice to see Murray Thomas get on the scoresheet too, but the lads were chasing the game from the sixth minute when Caley Braves went 1-0 up.

It was a preventable opening goal as a ball came in from the left and Ross McNeil found himself in acres of space and managed to cushion a perfect volley past big Liam McFarlane. A good finish albeit plenty of questions to be asked about the defending!

In fairness, the first 30 minutes or so was pretty poor on the whole. The 4G pitch certainly didn’t help as it seemed very ‘lively’ with the bounce of the ball being deceptive to players on both teams (thus numerous quick turnovers in possession), but there was sloppiness too and nobody in a Hearts shirt was really able to take things by the scruff of the neck and stamp their authority on matters.

The best that Hearts conjured up in the way of a response during this period was when Bailey Dall went down right on the edge of the box after a decent overlapping run and bit of link-up play with Bobby McLuckie (sadly the resulting free-kick came to nothing) and then soon afterwards when Luke Rathie forced a save from the Caley Braves ‘keeper off a corner.

But, otherwise, the word ‘scrappy’ would sum things up with Caley Braves competing really well and not looking like pushovers.

In the 10-minute spell immediately prior to half-time, Hearts did get better and have a couple more meaningful chances. Harry Gordon drilled a shot from outside the area towards goal which unfortunately was straight at the Caley ‘keeper and then in an even better chance closer to half-time, Ryan Duncan played a teasing ball right across the face of goal which Bobby McLuckie connected to at the far-post yet somehow - despite charging in and making a connection and seeing the ball hit the post, before then clattering into the post himself due to his momentum, somehow the ball didn’t end up in the back of the net!

How? I don’t know! But talk about Caley’s clean-sheet (up to this point) living a charmed existence! Importantly though, they still led 1-0 at the break.

After half-time, Hearts did play better (albeit still not as good as I know they’re capable of playing) and there was an improvement, but not before Caley Braves had doubled their lead.

The second goal came early in the second half from the penalty spot. Harry Gordon was judged to have committed a foul inside the box and up stepped Ross McNeil to send Liam McFarlane the wrong way and grab his second goal of the afternoon.

Hearts then started to really rue their luck as another big opening somehow culminated with Callum Sandilands being denied from close-range as he got on the end of a Bobby McLuckie cut-back, only for the hosts big No.4 (who had an alright game) managing to divert the ball wide from a couple of yards with a last-ditch block-type bit of defending.

Liam Fox soon turned to his bench to try and find a way back from adversity. Murray Thomas and Mack Ross were the first to be introduced in a double change that saw Finlay Pollock and Ryan Duncan replaced, Lucas Smith was also brought on for his B Team debut (an occasion he’ll always remember) and Kai Smutek also appeared off the bench and made an important block on the line within a few minutes of his introduction to prevent the Braves from going 3-0 up in a big chance were the Jambos defence were stretched. In the last change of the lot, Harry Gordon was replaced by Gus Stevenson.

At the other end, the substitutes did make an impact and after a glaring miss from James Wilson on 70 minutes (one of those where he was unmarked in the box, latched onto a cut-back and you were waiting for the net to bulge - only for the ball to somehow go wide), Murray Thomas soon reduced arrears when he slotted the ball home from a couple of yards out for what (I think) is his first goal in the Lowland League this season with Mack Ross getting the assist and James Wilson also heavily involved in the build up.

Liam McFarlane then pulled off a tremendous full-stretch save from a 30-yard drive straight from play re-starting as the Braves threatened to immediately restore their two-goal lead, but in the last 15 minutes following Big Muz’s strike, Hearts had the momentum - there was an improving intensity (still not top class but a raising of the bar) as the lads started to go for it and put on pressure.

Adam Forrester had a shot blocked as Caley were pushed back, and then with five minutes to go Hearts were somehow denied an equaliser.

Bobby McLuckie and Murray Thomas combined with a quickly taken free-kick out on the left that properly cut open the Caley defence, James Wilson got a flick from McLuckie’s near-post ball that drew a fantastic reaction save from the ‘keeper who was laid flat out on his back on the goal-line as he stuck out an arm to deny Mack Ross with the follow-up when it looked inevitable that the wee man was about to make it 2-2. 

It was at point-blank range. It was tremendous and instinctive, even though I’m not sure there was much the ‘keeper could do anyway other than stick out an arm and hope for the best, but what a double-save nonetheless and it proved crucial as Caley then bravely (see what I did there) held out for the final few minutes to earn the points.

Overall, fair play to them because they weren’t a bad team and worked hard and took their chances but from a Hearts perspective this was a frustrating day.

For whatever reason - whether it be the pitch (certainly not the best), the absence of a few players who’ve been big influences this season (Mak Kirk, Callum Flatman and Kenzi Nair are all big absences in this team), or just a little bit of a loss of confidence in general recently, it was a lacklustre performance by Hearts in the whole. The opening goal was a poor one to concede and the boys seemed to take a while to recover (hence the multiple turnovers in possession in the first half when passing, moving and being dominant with the ball is usually such a good trait about this team). The game was crying out for an individual to take charge of things and dictate the play - and unfortunately that didn’t really happen. The intensity got better as the game went on - albeit I still feel the boys could have gone up a few notches with their performance level, and it just proved to be one of them frustrating afternoons which was best summed up by the lack of luck in front of goal. It happens sometimes.

The substitutes can be happy with how they did; Murray Thomas with his first goal this season which will be a relief to him (and hopefully there’s lots more to come in the nine remaining games), whilst Mack Ross made a positive impact and was lively in his 25-30 minutes and he needs to keep that up - a shame he didn't get the equaliser but when the 'keeper turns into peak Gigi Buffon to pull off a miraculous save, what can you do? 

Elsewhere, Harry Gordon picked up quite a few bits and pieces and bar one careless giveaway pass in the first half, he did okay and showed a snippet of his value which I can really appreciate. Bobby McLuckie was involved in most of the big moments and looked very threatening at times albeit he can still play better than he did in this game, and Callum Sandilands did well to manage the situation of being on a yellow card for ages but not get sent off - particularly as there was one instance at 2-1 where he tracked back brilliantly to stop an attack and get goal-side and win the ball, without committing a foul what others might have done.

All little things but all noticeable and that’s what I’ll always look for in these games.

Probably the best player for Hearts though was Liam McFarlane. Bar one instance early on when he was a bit indecisive off his line and put Luke Rathie under pressure (who, as a result, needed to use his body to shield the ball and block the attacker to stop a dangerous situation from developing - good defending), Big Liam was decent. He was good with his feet in tight spots on a couple of occasions, had good distribution - including an ENORMOUS throw which went well into the opposition half and pulled off 2-3 decent stops. On the balance of chances, a draw would have been a fair result, but the big man was good when called upon and all credit to him because it’s one of the better goalkeeping performances I’ve seen in a while. Every player will show their quality at different points during a season and this was a game where you could understand his value and appreciate it.

Hearts next game now is away at Tranent on Saturday and, with three straight defeats, the response is probably what everyone will be looking for. Can the lads dig in and produce something to get a result and regain that bit of confidence they probably need right now? We’ll see.

It’ll be a hard game because Tranent have been consistently around the Top 5 throughout the season, it’ll be intimidating as there’ll be a good crowd, and it’s going to be a big test of character for all the lads. Everyone needs to be sharp and ‘on it’ from early on and avoid the little and sloppy things that contributed to them going 1-0 down in this game.

All being well, my next game watching the B Team will be at Gretna on the 23rd March (now the only ground in the Lowland League which I’ve not yet been to) so until then keep believing in yourselves lads, dig in and back your own ability. You’re all talented players - a lot more so than some I watch down south, and every team goes through a rough patch in a season; it’s what is happening right now and it’s how you overcome it which is important.

Good luck!

Team: Liam McFarlane, Adam Forrester, Lennon Thompson (Kai Smutek), Luke Rathie, Bailey Dall (Lucas Smith), Harry Gordon (Gus Stevenson), Ryan Duncan (Mack Ross), Callum Sandilands, Finlay Pollock (Murray Thomas), Bobby McLuckie, James Wilson. Unused Subs: Rocco Friel, Liam McConnell.