29th June 2021 The Spartans 0 Hearts 7

 

Beautiful weather again today and after a couple of long walks during the day decided to head to Ainslie Park for tonights friendly fixture, Spartans v Hearts. Despite being a season ticket holder at both clubs there would be no divided loyalties tonight with hearts always being my favourite football team. With the kick-off not being until 8.00pm I was able to watch the last sixteen Euro match between England and Germany. I gave up after seventy-five minutes with England 1-0, fed up with the commentary which exiled everything English. I do not understand why Scots should pay a BBC licence fee given the channel should be more correctly named E(English)BC. Even Andy Murray is British when he wins at tennis but Scottish when he gets beaten. I remembered to take my sunglasses as the setting sun can cause viewing problems at Ainslie Park. It was bright and sunny walking down the old railway path but as I approached Crewe Toll the weather began to cloud over and I put my sunglasses in my pocket, never to be used again that night. I showed my season ticket and entered the ground picking up a team-sheet as I went in. I met my old work colleague Robin and some of his friends in the ground and we had a chat about all things Hearts before I headed off to find a seat in the stand. I saw Alan as I was looking for a seat and we had a short conversation about football with his tip to see Kelty play Patrick on Saturday the main topic of conversation. 

Spartans fielded what would be regarded as close to their strongest side. It was strange however that neither Blair Atkinson or Ian McFarland have appeared in pre-season thus far. Both have been amongst Spartans top players in recent seasons and I hope they will be seen in the side soon. As always numbers did not necessarily equate to positions in the Spartans side. Alan Brown wearing 11 lined up at left-back with Scott Maxwell wearing 3 in left midfield. Both players have played in a number of positions for Spartans and can switch roles as required. Hearts had already played a match today beating Civil Service Strollers 4-0 in an 18.00 kickoff.  That team featured a mixture of first team players and same applied to tonight’s team. Two players were making their Hearts debut Full-back Alex Cochrane, although listed on the team sheet as a trialist, joined on a season long loan from Brighton and youth team played Callum Flatman who lined up in the centre of a back three. His recently announced a partnership agreement with Brighton and it seemed strange that Hearts are now benefiting from the arrival of England U20 international on loan. The loan arrangement may having something to do with former Hearts player David Weir now being Player Development Manager at Brighton. 

Hearts started well and opened the scoring in five minutes. Michael Smith hit a long ball towards the byeline on the right which Loic Damour chased. I did not expect him to catch the ball based on his past performances for Hearts. However I was wrong as he caught the ball and then crossed into the box. Liam Boyce headed home unchallenged from the edge of the six yard box. The second goal arrived after nineteen minutes when Gary Mackay-Steven (GMS) raced onto a pass from Scott McGill and pulled it back for Boyce to net his second from close range. Minutes later Boyce could have had his hat-trick when keeper Blair Carswell could only punch out a cross from Cochrane. However the ball bounced of Boyce before he could get it under control and was cleared. Cochrane later hit the post with a cross which was then cleared by the Spartans defence. Just before the halftime whistle Hearts scored a third, GMS cut in from the left along the byeline and was fouled by Michael Bolochoweckyj just outside the penalty area. Damour placed the free-kick on the head of the unmarked Craig Halkett who headed home from eight yards out. 

hearts started the second half as they had the first with an early goal. Two minutes in Mihia Popescu hit a long ball over the Spartans defence. GMS timed his run perfectly and controlled the ball before shooting past Carswell from around twelve yards. Three minutes later it was 5-0 with Damour netting his first half goal. Euan Henderson had a strong run from midfield before passing to GMS on the edge of the penalty box. Damour ran outside GMS, and on to his pass, to shoot into the ent across the goal.from a difficult angle. In fifty-four minutes hearts scored again. Boyce sent GMS clear on the right. GMS fired a blow cross into the six yard box where Henderson got a touch but could not find the ent. The ball however ran to Cochrane who shot into the top of the net for a debut goal. In fifty-six minutes Hearts scored again when Cochrane passed to Henderson on the edge of the penalty area. He passed the ball on to GMS who ran on to beat farewell from eight yards out. GMS had been involved in five of Hearts seven gaols and Spartans were relieved when he was substituted by Finlay Pollock on the hour mark. Hearts were now coating and keeper Harry Stone finally had some work to do with an easy save from a twenty-five yard shot from Sam Jones. Damour then almost scored a second with what would have been almost a carbon copy of his first when he ran on to a pass from Boyce. His shot however hit the post then bounced out of play. Hearts bought on their teenage substitutes with fifteen minutes to go with even youth team keeper Liam McFarlane getting a run-out replacing the almost redundant Stone between the sticks. As the game moved towards a close Boyce ran back towards the halfway line looking as if he would collect a forward pass. As defenders congregated around him he sold an outrageous dummy and allowed the ball to run through to the over-lapping substitute Ethan Drysdale. unfortunately his low cross into the box failed to find a Hearts player. There were no more goals but this was a good performance from hearts albeit against lower league opposition. 

After the game I walked along the railway path to Crewe Toll. As I walked up towards the roundabout I checked my bus app and saw 27 was due in three minutes. I turned back into Ferry Road and caught the 27 minutes later. As I got off at Gilmore Place I saw Alan on the bus sitting downstairs and he agreed with me that GMS was the man of the match. I walked over the lift bridge and was home around 22.20 after another good Hearts performance.

Teams

Spartans: Carswell, Herd, Maxwell, Inglis, Bolochoweckyj, Woods, Dishington, Smith, Henderson, Jones, Brown.

Subs: Crolla, Mackie, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist.

Hearts

Stone, M. Smith, Cochrane, Popescu, Halkett, Flatman, Henderson, Damour, Boyce, McGill, Mackay-Steven.

Subs: Pollock, Aitken, McFarlane, Rathie, Drysdale, Denholm.