Hearts B and Linlithgow Rose played out a competitive 2-2 draw at Ainslie Park on Friday night.
Liam Fox made one change to the side that drew with Caledonian Braves last time out. Bobby McLuckie came back into the side on the left wing in place of James Wilson, who dropped to the bench.
It was a lively opening to proceedings with both sides flooding forward in numbers in the early transitions.
The Wee Jambos had the first opportunity of the evening after seven minutes. Ryan Duncan’s inviting corner from the left was met by Luke Rathie and his goalbound header was cleared off the line by a Rose defender.
The men in maroon did take the lead seven minutes later. Rose lost possession on the edge of their own box and Mackenzie Ross was clean through on goal. His initial shot was stopped by Lewis McMinn, but the rebound came straight back to the striker, who kept his cool to slot the ball into the empty net.
The visitors weren’t behind for long however and they were level out of nothing four minutes later. Jack Ogilive received the ball on the edge of the Hearts box and rifled the ball into the top corner to restore parity.
Rose went ahead on the half hour mark. Sean Heaver’s free kick caused confusion in the Hearts box and Connor McMullan was first to react to prod the ball home from close range.
The Wee Jambos almost hit back seven minutes before the interval. Macaulay Tait drove forward and weighted a lovely pass through for Ethan Drysdale and when his shot was well saved by McMinn, Bobby McLuckie tapped home the rebound, only to be denied by the long arm of the linesman.
Half-time: Hearts 1-2 Linlithgow Rose
The first half had been fairly even and the second 45 started in similar fashion, with neither side able to sustain controlled periods of pressure.
The first chance of the second period fell to Makenzie Kirk, just before the hour mark. After latching on to a ball through the middle, his volley was well stopped by McMinn.
However, there was no stopping the Hearts number 10, two minutes later. Receiving the ball 30-yards from goal, he turned and let fly with a right-footed effort which swerved away from McMinn and flew into the top corner.
The equaliser was the least the Wee Jambos deserved and in the final moments, both sides had chances to snatch all three points.
Firstly, Heaver curled wide for the visitors after being sent clean through on Liam McFarlane’s goal before Callum Sandilands latched on to a ball over the top from Adam Forrester, but his volley went inches wide.
A point apiece was a fair outcome and that was the way it ended. The men in maroon are back in action on Tuesday night, when they travel to play Berwick Rangers.
Hearts: McFarlane, Tait © (Stevenson, 90), McLuckie, Sandilands, Kirk, Nair, Drysdale (Dall, 80), Forrester, Duncan, Rathie, Ross (Wilson, 56)
Subs: McConnell, Dall, Wilson, Stevenson, Friel, Smutek
Linlithgow Rose: McMinn, Webb, Thomson, Skinner, McMullan ©, Heaver, McKenzie, Ogilvie, McKirdy, Sneddon, Gillespie
Subs: Shyngle, Rae, Cunningham, Allan, Riley, Trialist
