Hearts B were left frustrated on Friday night as they were held to a goalless draw by a resolute Cowdenbeath side at Ainslie Park.
Angus Beith made four changes from the weekend defeat to Albion Rovers as Jamie MacDonald, Lucas Smith, James Wilson and Dom Plank all came into the starting 11.
The Wee Jambos were looking for a response following a disappointing afternoon in Coatbridge on Saturday and they started on the front foot, dictating the tempo and creating the majority of the early openings.
Much of the men in maroon’s joy was coming through the pace and directness of Plank and it was the winger who had the first chance of the night, cutting in off the left wing, before curling wide after seven minutes.
It was one-way traffic in the first half with Cowden struggling to live with Plank, who fired his next effort straight down the throat of stopper Ruaridh Lynch.
The returning Smith was next to go close, after tenacious play down the left, he forced a good stop from Lynch, before heading just wide from the resulting corner.
For all the men in maroon’s dominance however, they hadn’t found the net as the clock ticked closer to half-time. More positive running from Plank saw the Jambos break upfield and after he laid the ball into the path of Callum Sandilands, he curled over, after chopping back inside onto his left foot.
The best chance of the half turned out to be the final opening before the break. A beautifully weighted ball over the top from Kai Smutek picked out Gregor Crookston. The full back got to the ball before Lynch and while he was subsequently wiped out by the Cowden stopper, his effort was put behind for a corner as Hearts’ penalty claims were waved away.
Half-time: Hearts 0-0 Cowdenbeath
The Blue Brazil have been somewhat of a bogey team during the men in maroon’s time in the Lowland League and they were once again proving a difficult nut to crack as the game passed the hour mark.
While the visitors’ main threats were coming from set plays, the Wee Jambos almost opened the scoring through one of their own as Kai Smutek rose highest in the middle, but it was a brilliant instinct stop from Lynch, to raise a strong hand and keep his header out.
As much as the men in maroon had dominated the game, substitute goalkeeper Jack Lyon had to be on his toes to keep out Samuel Newman, after the defender was played clean through on goal on 68 minutes.
One final chance arrived in stoppage time for Hearts to snatch all three points. Substitue Bobby McLuckie found space on the left wing, and after a great touch to bring the ball under his spell, he fired his shot into the side netting to round off a frustrating evening.
Hearts: MacDonald (Lyon, 62), Smith, Nair (James, 62), Smutek, Stevenson (McLuckie, 78), Wilson (Ross, 62), Sandilands ©, Plank, Gillies, Crookston, Tait
Subs: Lyon, McLuckie, Duncan, Ross, James
Cowdenbeath: Lynch, MacPherson, Jordan, Hill, Newman, McNab ©, Whyte, Walker, Docherty, McDonald, Sutherland
Subs: Blair, Kerr, Haston, Denham, Burke, Trialist, Fusco
