5th July 2021. Preston Athletic 1 Hearts 3

 

  

It had been a miserable day today with intermittent heavy rain but I had bought a ticket for  Hearts friendly in Prestonpans so I was determined to go. My ticket had been purchased online with Preston Athletic using Eventbrite as their ticket provider so I had an electronic ticket on my phone. After an early meal I wandered down to Haymarket to catch a 26 bus to the "Pans". The 26 has split destinations with termini at both Seton Sands and Tranent but goes via Prestonpans on both routes. I caught a bus at just aft 18.00 with went across town and through Portobello and Musselburgh before arriving in Prestonpans. I had checked which stop to get off the bus nearest the ground and was pleased to see a fellow traveller wearing a Hearts rain-jacket getting off at the same stop. I had only been to Pennypit Park once before which is a short walk to the bus stop but was happy to follow my fellow traveller towards the ground. My electronic ticket was checked and my temperature taken on entry to the ground where I had to provide track and trace information before finding a viewing site. 

Pennypit Park is a nice little ground.  The main entrance is in the corner behind one goal and on the stand-side. There is a small area selling food and soft drinks although there was no hot food on sale today. Behind the goal there is a grassy bank with a good view down the park from the top. I went to the grassy bank across from the stand side and again had good view although a small part of the pitch was hidden by the floodlight posts. Behind this area there is a row of house and there were a number of people standing at or sitting on at their garden walls watching the game. Behind the other goal there is a flat grassy area. On the stand side there is a small grassy terrace alongside the stand.. The stand was closed to spectators today as it was reserved for players and officials only due to Covid restrictions. 

it had been a few years since I last saw Preston playing. They were then in the Lowland League but were relegated to the East of Scotland League. Two names I recognised from Lowland League days were goalkeeper Craig Pennycuik and Jack Jardine. I also noticed that Marc Molloy was among the substitutes. Given he had scored in previous friendly matches it was surprising he was not starting. Hearts fielded a young side with Chris Hamilton having first team experienced. Hamilton has been with Hearts a number of years and gained first team experience while on loan to Berwick, Cowdenbeath, Stirling and Dumbarton. However a number of players in the side have recently been mixing with the first team squad and playing in friendly matches this season.  

Hearts had most of the early play with their first chance arriving after around fifteen minutes. A through pass from Mackenzie Ross sent Macaulay Tait running into the penalty area. Preston keeper Brandyn Bain was quick to rush from his line and dive on the ball before Tait could take a touch. Hearts had another chance minutes later when Ethan Drysdale ran onto a pass on the left hand side of the penalty box. As he advanced on goal Bain came of his line to block any shot. Drysdale seemed to slice his goal attempt and the ball ran across goal towards Mackenzie Kirk who prodded it into the net. The assistant referee correctly flagged for offside against Kirk and the scoreline remained blank. Hearts took a deserved lead after half an hour. Kirk robbed a Preston defender of the ball and set off down the right. As he turned into the penalty area he cut the ball back to the unmarked John Joe Devlin who turned the ball into the net. Preston were almost gifted an equaliser when Hamilton sent the ball back towards keeper Zach Paris without checking where the keeper was positioned. Park scrambled across his goal and was able to stop the ball crossing the line with some clever footwork. My friend Pete texted me after the game asking how Paris had played as he had been a coach at the keepers boys club. Paris had originally played as a striker but as he played rugby at school he was converted to a keeper to utilise his ball handling skills. However it was clear he had not forgotten his early footballing upbringing. 

There was strange moment at the start of the second half when the referee noticed that both clubs had brought on a number of substitutes. The referee indicated that the game could not restart until details of the substitutions were given to his stand-side assistant. Four Hearts players and five Preston players, including substitute keeper Pennycuik, had to trot over to the touchline and give details before the second half started. I have seen in the past similar situations where the referee has booked both the substitutes and the departing players for entering/leaving the pitch without permission but thankfully no cautions were issued on this occasion. The match continued as in the first half with Hearts having the bulk of possession. The second goal did not arrive until around seven minutes had been played. A free-kick from about thirty-five yards from Jay Charleston_King was floated into the penalty box. Adam Forrester headed the ball against the crossbar with keeper Pennycuik helpless. The rebound felled to Luke Rathie who bundled the ball home from closer range. Charleston-King had to be substituted shortly afterwards when he chased a ball down the right with a Preston defender. The forward was unable to stop and ran off the field  to collide with the perimeter fence. After treatment the Hearts physio signalled a change was required albeit Charleston-King was able to walk round the park back to the dressing-rooms. The third goal arrived around the eighty-third minute mark with good run into the penalty area and a left foot finish from around fifteen yards from Max Williamson.  In the closing minutes Preston were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Hearts penalty area. Mikey Hamilton found the net from around twenty yards with the aid of a deflection of the defensive wall to make the final score 3-1 to Hearts. 

After the final whistle I walked smartly towards the main road. The bus stop was around fifty yards along the road and there were a crowd of people waiting at the stop. A bus arrived as I reached the stop and I got on to head back home. After getting of at Atholl Crescent I was back home by 22.10.

Teams

Preston Athletic; Bain, Austin, Douglas, Forsyth, O'Connor, Williams, Jack, Trialist, Underhill, Stokes, McCole.

Subs: Young, Innes, Somers, Woodcock, Hamilton, Molloy, Idas, Donaldson, Pennycuick, Jardine

Hearts; Paris, Flatman, Darge, Hamilton, Ross, Simpson, Kirk, Tait, Drysdale, Devlin, Beagley.

Subs: Forrester, Aitken, Gordon, Sandilands, Rathie, Spence, Hambrook, Kemp, Charleston-King, Williamson.