Hearts B were defeated 4-2 by East Stirlingshire at Ochilview on Friday night.
First-half goals from Che Campbell, Fin Malcolm and Stephen O’Neill put the hosts firmly in control, giving The Shire a 3-0 lead at the break. Campbell added his second early in the second half to make it four, leaving the Wee Jambos with a mountain to climb.
Second-half strikes from Stanley Wilson and Josh Radcliffe gave Hearts hope heading into the closing stages at 4-2, but the comeback ultimately fell short as they were beaten in the Lowland League.
Angus Beith made six changes from the side that lost to Clydebank last time out. Brothers Alfie and Stanley Wilson returned to the starting XI, alongside Charlie Sanders, Jaedon Donkor and Jayden Mathie. Alfie Osborne, Connor Dow, Josh Radcliffe, Euan Banks, Tommy North and Taylor Hogarth all dropped out.
There was also a proud moment for 16-year-old Allan Clark, who made his first start for Hearts B in the Lowland League.
The Wee Jambos made a nightmare start, finding themselves 2-0 down inside the opening ten minutes.
In the third minute, O’Neill weaved into the box and was brought down by Robbie Flockhart, with the referee pointing to the spot. Campbell stepped up and calmly slotted his penalty into the bottom-left corner.
Just three minutes later, Malcolm’s scuffed effort from inside the box deceived Lyon and trickled into the net to double The Shire’s advantage.
The hosts extended their lead again before the break, as O’Neill exchanged a neat one-two with Malcolm before finishing from close range to make it 3-0.
Half-time: East Stirlingshire 3-0 Hearts B
The Shire struck again within a minute of the restart. O’Neill drove into the box from the left and forced a save from Lyon, but the rebound fell kindly for Campbell, who tapped in to make it 4-0.
Hearts responded on the hour mark. Cantley’s clearance fell to captain Stanley Wilson, who fired a superb effort from just outside the box into the top-left corner.
With 15 minutes remaining, the Jam Tarts grabbed a second. A low corner from the right caused confusion in the box, allowing Josh Radcliffe to fire home into the bottom-right corner.
Despite showing signs of a late comeback, Hearts B were unable to find another goal, as East Stirlingshire held on to secure the victory.
Speaking to the Official Hearts Website at full-time, Angus Beith said:
“We asked for a reaction. A lot's obviously happened since Clydebank and because there's been 19s games, it's pretty much the same squad for both, but we asked for a reaction from both Bonnyrigg and Clydebank because we knew that we could compete better.
“Apart from the first opening of the game, we have a brilliant move that nearly leads to a goal from Jayden Mathie. We end up conceding three really, really cheap goals in a short space of time, so it's really disappointing. The manner of those goals were extremely disappointing as well, just far too easy to get shots away and get into our box. So disappointing.
“I think that the boys after that, I think they worked away and they didn't give in, and I think we managed to swing the momentum again in the first half and get some sort of control and momentum and get a few chances as well.
“I think we were always a threat and looked to threaten the first half, and we just weren't clinical enough, unfortunately. Good to finish the game, like finish the second-half 2-1, if you want to look at it that way, so like a decent response, the boys kept plugging away, but I think overall we expect to be harder to play against. We expect more quality from the boys and better decision-making over the course of the game.”
Beith discussed the triple substitution in the second-half and the impact of Josh Radcliffe, Euan Banks and Connor Dow.
“Yeah, I think the three of them did really well when they came on, particularly Josh and Ewan. I thought Ewan played some really high-quality forward passes when he came on, looked to be positive all the time, and I think he ran hard as well, which is obviously what's required when you're in that position as a team.
“Josh did the same as well, and obviously he gets a goal as well for us. So a real positive impact for them, which was good to see and what we need from all the subs.”
With two Lowland League games remaining, Beith discussed his expectations for his young side against Albion Rovers and Cowdenbeath.
“I think first and foremost, it’s obviously our last season as the B Team in the Lowland League. We talked about this a few weeks back, like representing the club in the right manner and making sure that we show the standards that are expected from a Hearts team.
“We've probably not managed to do that consistently, and as consistently as we would have liked to, particularly in the last three games, which is frustrating, but I think for these boys, they just need to keep attacking these challenges head on.
“Obviously, it’s a young group. We had two 2010s playing in the back line tonight, two boys that aren't even full-time, so there's no doubt that's a challenge for them, and there are a lot of these other boys as well. It's not like they've had a lot of minutes or appearances this season in the Lowland League and a lot of exposure, so hopefully they can just use these experiences to maximise their learning over the last two games.”
East Stirlingshire: Cantley, Coutts, Walker, Inglis, Stevenson, Gomis, Campbell, O’Neill, Malcolm, Macdonald, McCafferty
Subs: Mitchell, McFadden, Flynn, Tapping
Hearts: Lyon, Flockhart, Muirhead (Banks, 56’), Wilson, Sanders, Kelly, Wilson ©, Donkor, Mathie (Robb, 75’), McMeekin (Dow, 56’), Clark (Radcliffe, 56’)
Subs: MacDonald, Dow, Radcliffe, Banks, Robb
