Match Report: Hearts B 2-2 Civil Service Strollers

B team manager, Steven Naismith made six changes from the midweek draw with Cowdenbeath. Scott McGill was brought in for his first appearance of the season and Harry Stone returned in goal. Midweek substitutes, Murray Thomas, Jaden Ferguson, and Callum Sandilands were all brought in from the start, alongside Bailey Dall.
 
After very little goalmouth action in the opening period of the match the visitors got themselves in front courtesy of Innes Lawson. The Strollers number 9 picked the pocket of Hearts skipper Arron Darge, before curling the ball past Stone to open the scoring after 19 minutes.
 
The Wee Jambos should’ve responded immediately with two quickfire chances being spurned. Firstly, Finlay Pollock sprung the offside trap on the right. His cutback was met by Ferguson, who saw his low shot saved by MacAllan Whyte, before Darge almost redeemed himself when heading over from a corner.
 
After a sluggish opening quarter of an hour, the men in maroon were growing in stature, but they were dealt a sucker punch five minutes from the interval as Strollers doubled their advantage on the break. This time, Lawson was denied by Stone, but the rebound fell to Robbie Cole to tap into the empty net.
 
Hearts again came back firing, but they were denied by Whyte. Pollock’s cross found McGill and his volley was well held by the Strollers stopper.
 
The Wee Jambos continued to huff and puff in search of the goal that would halve the deficit and after Rathie’s diagonal pass, Pollock volleyed over nine minutes into the second period.
 
It was Pollock who was at the heart of everything the men in maroon were creating and after showing great pace to skip past his man, he whipped in a deep cross for substitute Bobby McLuckie, but he couldn’t sort his feet out and the chance was gone.
 
Finally, Hearts got the goal they craved on 71 minutes. A throw-in found it’s way to Ferguson, who with a neat touch knocked the ball past his man and rifled the ball into the bottom corner.
 
The Wee Jambos had their tails up at this point and Whyte did well to get down low to stop a Denholm strike that would’ve crept in at his near post.
 
In stoppage time, Hearts got the equaliser they deserved, and it was no surprise to see Pollock was the provider. A clever freekick caught out Whyte at his near post, as The Wee Jambos snatched a point in dramatic circumstances.

Hearts: Stone, McGill, Darge, Tait, Pollock, Denholm, Ferguson, Thomas (McLuckie, 45), Dall, Rathie, Sandilands (Gordon, 62)
 
Subs: McFarlane, Gordon, McLuckie, Chisholm, Nair
 
Civil Service Strollers: Whyte, Irving, Valentine (Smith, 88), Ozturk, Cole (Duffy, 90), Lawson (Young 76), Laird, Kennedy, Kasa, Balatoni, Cunningham (Guthrie, 76)
 
Subs: Shaw, Guthrie, Smith, Young, Duffy, McKenzie, Moffat