30th July 2023 Hearts 0 Leeds United 1
At last a Hearts game at Tynecastle for the first time this season. The pre-season match against Leeds kicks off at 15..00 this afternoon. The morning had been miserable with rain pouring down but after lunch it seemed to clear up a bit. Having not doing much exercise in the morning I decided to leave early and go for a walk before heading to a Tynecastle. I left home around 13.10 and walked along the canal to Allan Park, from there I walked along Slateford Road then Hutcheson and Gorgie Road before arriving at Tynecastle around 14.05. I have moved my season ticket seat to Section R in the Main Stand but could not get my new seat for this match. I took my seat in another seat in the row which was marked on my ticket. I was embarrassed when just before kickoff someone else came only with a ticket and I found I was in the wrong row. I moved to the correct row just before kickoff.
Hearts have had an interesting close season to say the least. Thninterim management trio at the end of last season of Steven Naismith, Frankie McAvoy and Gordon Forrest had been retained as the management team. However as Naismith does not have a Euro Pro licence he cannot manage the side in European competition. As result he has been appointed as Technical Director, Frankie McAvoy as Head Coach (he has a Euro Pro licence) and Gordon Forrest as First Team Coach. On the playing side Michael Smith and Ross Stewart have not been offered new contracts and while Josh Ginnelly was offered a new deal he decided to move to Swansea City. Thus far three new players have been brought in. The trio are Michael McGovern as backup goalkeeper, previously with Norwich City, Frankie Kent, a central defender, from Peterborough and Calem Nieuwenhof a midfielder, from Western Sydney Warriors. Two forwards are also believed to be signing one from Japan and the other from Costa Rica but I will leave naming them until paperwork is completed. Liam Boyce and Beni Baningime have recovered from long term injuries and have taken part in pre-season matches although neither was included in todays squad. Craig Gordon and Craig Halkett both remain sidelined but are expected back before Christmas.
Leeds had a poor season last year and were relegated from the English Premier League. They have been successful in retaining the bulk of their squad. They had three different managers last season in Jesse Marsch,Javi Gracia and finally Sam Allardyce although during the summer they have appointed Daniel Farke, previously at Norwich City. Farke had taken Norwich twice from the Championship to the Premier League during his spell as their manager and has the necessary experience of the qualities required to gain promotion.The have a number of internationals in their side including Patrick Bamford who has been a regular goalscorer throughout his career. He started with Chelsea, where he did not get a game although scoring regularly during loan spells elsewhere, before joining Middlesborough and then Leeds. He has won one England cap. Archie Gray is also an interesting player. His father Andy Gray played for Leeds and won two Scotland caps under Bertie Vogts while is grandfather Frank Gray also played for Leeds among other sides and was also a Scotland International. Franks brother Eddie also played for Leeds and Scotland. Young Archie has ‘bucked the trend’ and has played for England at both U16 & U17 level.
Kickoff was delayed for about five minutes as the linesman on the Wheatfield stand side had to be replaced, due to injury I assumed. The game eventually started with Leeds having most of the possession. Even Liam Cooper, who I never rated as a Scotland defender, looked comfortable on the ball. As a former work colleague, Pete, said - ‘20 minutes in, we haven’t had the ball, they could throw another on, but Leeds will just keep that one too’. Despite have the bulk of possession Zander Clark did not have a save to make until around the ten minute mark. Some excellent passing play saw Leeds feed the ball to Kuis Sinisterra who had a shot from almost on the byeline. Clark got down well to block his shot at the near post. Leeds had a number of corners and as clearing crosses was a major defensive problem for Hearts last season it was good to see the defence working well to clear the danger from the corners. Leeds went ahead after thirty-eight minutes when Sinisterra fed the ball to full-back Luke Ayling on the right hand side in the penalty. Ayling shot past Clark and into the net despite a valiant sliding attempt by Kent to clear off the goal-line. Bamford, who had come on as a substitute for the injured Georginio Rutter, then took the ball round Clark in the penalty area but was forced wide. His shot from a tight angle was pushed away by the recovering keeper onto the crossbar and out for a corner.
The second half started much as the first and Sinisterra had a shot from inside the penalty blocked by the diving Kent. Dan James then thought he had clinched the game for Leeds when he headed in a cross from the right. Thankfully the stand side assistant referee raised his flag for offside although from where I was sitting it looked a good goal. Yutaro Oda had Hearts best chance around the fifty minute. He gathered the ball in midfield and set off towards the penalty box. From just inside the box on the right he sent in a low shot towards the goal. Ivan Messier in the Leeds goal got down well to push the ball away from goal. The ball fell to Jorge Grant on the edge of the area but his shot was deflected away off a Leeds defender for a fruitless corner. Leeds were still on top and Wilfred Gnonto headed narrowly wide from an Ivan Poveda cross before Shankland at the back post volleyed over the bar after a Hearts corner. The game began to peter out as both sides brought on a number of substitutes including Mateo Joseph for the injured, previous substitute, Bamford. Hearts had an excellent chance late on when substitute Connor Smith was fouled about five yards outside the penalty box in the centre of the goal. Smith and Stephen Kingsley, a free-kick expert, lined up over the ball. Kingsley however deferred to Smith and the substitutes attempt was blocked by the Leeds defensive wall and cleared.
After the final whistle I headed towards the exit and found that being three rows lower down in the stand than previously leaving the ground was a lot easier. As I walked home I mused on what I had seen today. Hearts were beaten by a good side however there are not many sides in the SPL. If any, who can play as good football as Leeds showed todat. The new boys played well with Kent looking a strong solid defender and while Nieuwenhof took time to settle into the game he showed his passing skills and was also not afraid to work hard both in tracking back and moving forward. I arrived home about 17.15 disappointed with the result but looking forward to the season ahead.
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