B Team: Hearts 2-4 Stirling Uni
30 October 2022Manager, Steven Naismith, made three changes to the side that drew with Gala Fairydean Rovers last weekend. Rocco Friel, Ethan Drysdale, and Bobby McLuckie came in to replace Macaulay Tait, Arron Darge and Leo Watson.
The visitors got themselves ahead after just 4 minutes. A long throw from the left was flicked on at the near post and Jake Service’s looping header crept in via the post.
The students continued to assert their dominance and they doubled their lead after 15 minutes. Hearts cleared their lines from a free kick, but Ben Heal returned it with a sweet volley which found the bottom corner.
The Wee Jambos were struggling to get much of a foothold in the game, but they halved the deficit six minutes from the interval. McLuckie did well on the left, before jinking inside and finding Makenzie Kirk, who was able to poke the ball past Ben Fry.
Encouraged by that goal Hearts levelled the scores just four minutes later. A cross from the right was cleared only as far as Murray Thomas, who did well to shift the ball on to his left foot before finding the bottom corner.
That goal set up an exciting second half and the visitors once again took the lead on the hour mark. Good territory was made on the right and the cross fell perfectly for Cameron McKinley who was able to prod the ball past McFarlane.
The students were in control by this point and restored their two-goal lead after 66 minutes when Ben Maciver-Redwood found the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
This young Hearts side continued to work hard, and they almost halved the deficit for a second time after 87 minutes, but Fry spread himself well to thwart Kirk at the back post.
That was the way it stayed as Stirling saw the game out with relative ease.
The Wee Jambos will need to dust themselves down and go again as Dalbeattie Star visit Ferguson Park on Wednesday.
Hearts: McFarlane, Friel, Crookston (Hambrook, 64), Kirk, Thomas (Ross, 80), Gordon, Drysdale (Duncan, 64) , Forrester, Rathie ©, Sandilands, McLuckie (Nair, 64)
Subs: Stone, Duncan, Hambrook, Ross, Chisholm, Nair
Stirling: Fry, Thompson, Service, Lavery, Berry (Gilmour, 90), Heal, Jarvis (Russell, 74), McAninch, McKinlay (McGill, 88), Redwood (Mirszalimov, 88), Stokes
