7th July 2021 Bonnyrigg Rose 0 Hearts 3

                                                                                             

                                                                                            

Despite uncertain weather I was determined not to stay at home tonight given the England v Denmark Euo semi-final was live of television. I cannot stand the jingoistic commentary on both channels when England are playing so I headed out to Bonnyrigg to watch Hearts in a pre-season friendly. I had purchased a ticket online, in advance, last week before the semi-final lineups were known and it arrived in the post of Saturday. My contact details were handwritten on the ticket stub with the fixture details also handwritten on the ticket itself. The kick-off was at 19.00 so after a quick bowl of pasta I headed down to Haymarket to catch a bus out to Bonnyrigg. The "Rose" website had advised fans to arrive early so I reached Bonnyrigg at around 18.30 for the short walk to the park. My ticket was checked and the stub detached with "track and trace" details as I entered the ground. No programmes or team sheets were available as I took spa  place on the covered terracing against a barrier. I was grateful for this viewing position  as the evening progressed. All tickets for the match had been sold and I noticed former Hearts stars Ryan McGowan and Gary Locke in the crowd. I wonder if they had to pay for their Ickes. I don’t want to sound as if I am complaining though as I only paid £5 for my ticket.

This was my first visit to New Dundas Park since January 2020. The only major changes to the ground I noticed were the addition of seating on the concrete terrace next to the covered area and the election of wooden hoardings behind the dugouts on the far side of the pitch.  Bonnyrigg have a consistent squad and the only major change was the selection of Ally Adams in goal. Adams had previously played for Tranent and has joined Bonnyrigg to replace last seasons first choice Mark Weir who has not appeared in the squad thus far. Bradley Barrett who also signed from Tranent, although last season, was on the bench. The Hearts squad was a mixture of first team and youth players. Steven Kingsley and Jordan Roberts, who were both injured last season, started to give them some much practice ahead of the competitive season beginning on Saturday.

Te match started with a flurry of chances of both sides. Hearts keeper Ross Stewart had to scramble to push away a long range shot from, I think, Lee Currie before Euan Henderson had a run past two defenders in the Bonnyrigg penalty area. Henderson seemed to stumble and lost control of the ball allowing Adams to dive and smother the ball. Minutes later Roberts sent over a cross from the left which Armand Gnanduillet headed narrowly over the crossbar. Hearts took the lead in nineteen minutes. Wing-back Leo Watson, who had been on loan at Bonnyrigg last season, crossed the left into the box from the left. The ball was missed by both the Bonnyrigg defence an the Hearts forwards and fell at the feet of Connor Smith just inside the eighteen yard line on the right. He took a touch and then curled a shot past Adams into the far corner of the net. By the time of the second goal in thirty-one minutes that rains a pouring down but I was dry under the roof of the covered terrace. Jamie Walker set up the second goal by sending a long pass towards the onrushing Gnanduilllet from about ten yards inside the Bonnyrigg half. Gnanduillet collected the pass on the right of the penalty area and prodded the ball past Adams at his near post. 

At half-time Hearts brought of Kingsley and Roberts with Chris Hamilton and Aidan Denholm  coming on as replacements. The change gave the substituted duo a rest after their comebacks form injury. The rain had eased off over the half time break but started again as the half began.In forty-eight minutes Hearts scored a third when Smith controlled the ball well on the edge of the penalty area before sending a short pass forward to Gnanduillet. The striker finished with a low shot across Adams into the net. This was Gnanduillet's last involvement in the match as he was replaced by Scott McGill, presumably to give him a rest before Saturday's league cup match at Peterhead. Both sides made a number of substitutions during the second half which disrupted the flow of the play. Bonnyrigg came more into the game against the younger Hearts side which Scott Gray looking effective of the right flank. The only moment of concern to Hearts came when substitute keeper Harry Stone mishandled a cross but the Hearts defence cleared the ball before any Bonnyrigg player could take advantage. The biggest cheer in the second half came from the young boys who had played seven-a -ides on the park at halftime. The reason for their joy was the news the England had gone 1-0 down to Denmark ! With minutes to go Smith, who had moved from wing-back to second striker, had a chance to notch a fourth goal for Hearts but his shot was well saved by Adams in the home goal. 

When the final whistle went I walked to the bus stop to get back into town. Thankfully the rain had stopped by this time although the carpark area was a mass of puddles. A 31 arrived in mounts and I took this to the Meadows and then walked home.I got in to see the last couple of minutes of the England match which was then standing at 1-1. I watched the extra-time and felt that the penalty awarded to England which won them the game was soft in the extreme. What is the point of having VAR when the referee was not asked to review what was a dubious decision to award the penalty !

Teams

Bonnyrigg Rose: Adams, Young, Wilson, Hoskins, S.Gray, Turner, Stewart, Currie, Mair, McGachie, Trialist.

Subs: Brett, Martynuik, R,Gray, Horne, Barrett.

Hearts: Stewart C. Smith, Flatman, Popescu, Kingsley, Watson, Pollock, Walker, Roberts , Henderson, Gnanduillet.

Subs: Hamilton, Denholm, McGill, Stone, Darge, Kirk, Tait.