It was a difficult night for the Wee Jambos on their Lowland League opener as Tranent left Ainslie Park with all three points in a 5-1 victory.
On both sides' first competitive outing of the season, it was a scrappy beginning, with both sides perhaps lacking a little match sharpness, but the first opening fell to the men in maroon on four minutes. Dom Plank’s dangerous cross from the left wasn’t cleared by the visitors and when the ball dropped to Gus Stevenson, he forced a smart stop from Kelby Mason down to his right.
Tranent opened the scoring on 15 mintues, with their first real opening of the match. Jack Lyon did well to keep out an initial effort from Samuel Jones, but Harry Girdwood was first to react to the rebound, to fire home from close range.
The Wee Jambos hadn’t done a lot wrong in those early exchanges, but they found themselves two behind, just two minutes later. Girdwood this time latched on to a ball over the top and kept his cool to finish low past Lyon.
It was almost three on 20 minutes, Girdwood again found himself in behind the Hearts backline. He got a toe on the ball to lob the onrushing Lyon, but Euan Glasgow got back to head the ball off the line.
The Jambos were spooked, and the visitors looked a real threat from crosses into the box. Henry James was next to clear the ball off the line after Cameron McKinley did well to improvise, with a quick swivel and shot inside the box, but the left back was in the right position to hack the ball to safety.
Things went from bad to worse for the Wee Jambos as Aiden Haddow was forced off just before the half-hour mark, he was replaced by Alfie Osborne.
The Wee Jambos began to find their feet after a 15 mintue wobble and they halved the deficit in really fine fashion through Callum Sandilands. It was a clever run from the midfielder down the right, but the diagonal pass to pick him out from Glasgow was out of this world. Sandilands brought the ball down well and finished across goal from a tight angle on 35 minutes.
Half-time: Hearts B 1-2 Tranent
That goal before the break gave the Wee Jambos a lift and they should really have levelled the scores early in the second half. Glasgow was again involved and after controlling the ball inside the box, he saw his effort saved by Mason, when perhaps the pull back to the unmarked Sandilands may have been the better option.
The men in maroon were punished for that missed opportunity within 60 seconds as Girdwood again found himself through on goal and he bagged his hat-trick to restore the visitors’ two-goal lead.
The football gods really weren’t shining on the Wee Jambos and when a cross from the right ricocheted in off Gregor Crookston, the game was all but over.
Girdwood wasn’t finished there as he added a fifth for the visitors, turning home a long throw at the back post to cap off a cruel night for the Wee Jambos.
Angus Beith’s side will look to bounce back on Wednesday as they travel to Raydale Park to face Gretna 2008.
Hearts B: Lyon, Crookston, James, Smutek, Gillies (Walker, 80), Haddow (Osborne, 28), Plank (Ross, 80), Glasgow, Stevenson, North (Dow, 66), Sandilands ©
Subs: MacDonald, Osborne, Ross, Dow, Walker
Tranent: Mason, McIntyre, Hutchings, Jones, McKinley, Watson, Girdwood, Brett, Gray ©, Doan, Aitchison
Subs: Lovell, McGarry, McGinness, Viola, Miller, Handling
