27th August 2019 Hearts reserves v St Mirren reserves 3-1

Reserve Cup group stages started today and Hearts played St Mirren in a repeat of last weeks League match. Due to the Oriam pitch being unavailable the match was switched to Meggetland, the home of Tynecastle FC and Boroughmuir RFC. Meggetland is only a short walk along the banks of the canal from where I stayed so I walked there arriving around 13.35 for the 14.00 kick-off. As a reserve match there was no admission charge so i just walked in through the gates. In the ground I saw Hearts manager Craig Levein and had a quick chat with him about Sunday's game at Celtic Park. He thought Hearts played well to restrict Celtic to five shots throughout he match but felt all the Celtic goals were avoidable. He thought that two of the goals were own goals and the third could have been avoided if, as he put it, the ball had been played into the stand rather than taking a touch. I am not sure if I agree 100% with his assessment as I thought Hearts should have been more attacking than they were but it was interesting to hear his views. I met Malcolm in the ground and we took seats in the main stand for the match. No programmes or team sheets were available but the photo's show views of the ground from the main stand. 

Hearts fielded a strong side with the majority having played in last weeks match. Chris Hamilton (currently on loan to Cowdenbeath) had been suspended last week but came back into the side along with goal-keeper Keilby Mason, Oliver Bozanic, Callum Morrison, returning after a long injury absence, and Aidan Keena. Dario Zanatta who may also have played was unavailable as he was today signing a two-year deal with Partick Thistle and leaving Hearts. St Mirren fielded ex-Hearts goal-keeper Dean Lyness. There were also some family connection is their side with Oan Djorkaeff, son of former French international Yourri and Stephen McGinn, brother of Aston Villa star John included in their line-up.

Hearts started the game well and were moving the ball around well with Euan Henderson, operating as a left winger, looking particularly dangerous. He had a couple of good runs and sent a cross low across goal with nobody able to connect and turn the ball into the net before setting up Anthony McDonald who shot over the bar. There was an early scare for Hearts when a Kelby Mason clearance was intercepted by Joshua Jack. He squared the ball to Djorkaeff who passed on on to Cameron MacPherson. Luckily Mason recovered to block the shot with his legs although Hearts coach Andy Kirk was not a happy man. Lyness pushed away a Hamilton header from a corner before pushing a Keena shot run the post. Hearts went ahead after half an hour when Keena sent a pass through the centre of the St Mirren defence for McDonald to run through and shoot past Lyness from around fifteen yards for a deserved lead. 

Hearts nearly lost a goal at the start of the second half when Hamilton miss-hit a clearance which cannoned of his own cross-bar. Hearts scored a second in fifty four minutes and again Keena was the provider. He cut into the penalty box on the left hand side and passed to McDonald in the centre of the goal. McDonald did not connect properly with his shot and the ball ran to Morrison on the edge of the six yard box on the right hand side. The winger shot high into the net to celebrate his return with a goal. Five minutes later keeper Mason was the provider of the third goal. His high clearance kick was miss-headed by St Mirren defender Scoot Glover about twenty-five yards out. His header looped over the advancing slyness into the net to give Hearts a 3-0 advantage. Glover was not have the best of afternoons and was booked for a bad challenge on Keena, where some referees may have given a straight red card, before being substituted. St Mirren pulled a goal back with about ten minutes left when Jack went round the diving Mason inside the penalty box on the right hand side. His shot was cleared from the goal-line by the back-tracking Cameron Logan but the referee ruled the ball had hit his hand in the process. MacPherson slammed the spot kick past Mason. Hearts were still creating chances. Unusually Keena, normally a regular goalscorer, set up a chance for MacDonald to race through and blast the ball wide before Morrison shot high over the bar after another Keena pass. The game ended 3-1 to Hearts and a good start in this sectional round of the Reserve Cup.

After the match Malcolm and I went our separate ways along the canal bank in different directions to get home. I was back by 16.20 after a good walk in the sunshine.

Teams

Hearts: Mason, Logan, Baur, Hamilton, Petrov, Bozanic, Morrison, Cochrane, Keena, McDonald, Henderson

Subs: C. Smith

St Mirren: Lyness, McAllister, Erhahon, McGinn, Baird, Glover, Djorkaeff, McBrearty, Jack, McPherson, Breadner.

Subs: Walker, Henderson, Jamieson.