Hearts B head coach Liam Fox admits he was pleased with large parts of the Wee Jambos’ 5-1 victory over Gala Fairydean Rovers as the men in maroon move top of the Lowland League.
It was a fast start from Hearts, and they were three goals to the good inside half an hour thanks to a brace from James Wilson and an effort from Mackenzie Ross.
Gala pulled a goal back before the break, but Callum Sandilands and Gus Stevenson added a further two goals late on to round off a comfortable victory.
Speaking to the Official Hearts Website at full-time, Fox said:
“I thought for large spells of the first half, we were really, really good. We moved the ball really well, had good movement and scored some good goals.
“The only blip we had was the goal, which we concede right before half time, it totally shifted the momentum of the game, and it gave Gala something to fight for and a foothold in the game, which was disappointing.
“At the start of the second half, they came at us, and we had to defend a wee bit, but the longer the game went on, we managed to get a foot back on the ball. We started to pass it about again and we scored a couple of really good goals.
“So overall, really pleased with the result and pleased with a large part of the performance, but it’s still a new group, so we’re still trying to find that rhythm.
“As young players, it’s important to learn to stay in the game sometimes. Momentum in football can change very quickly. I thought we did that today, Gala had some territory, corners and shots from distance, but the good thing for me is we got through that and managed to start dominating the ball and score more goals. That’s another huge part of the development for these players.”
It's a busy week for the Wee Jambos, who travel to Linlithgow Rose on Tuesday, before welcoming Tranent to Ainslie Park on Friday night, a challenge the head coach is relishing.
“Every challenge is difficult for us at the moment, Fox continued. At this stage of the season, we don’t have lots of access to see the opposition, but what we do know is that Linlithgow and Tranent both have good, experienced players in this league.
“That makes it difficult and it’s always going to be a challenge for us. We’ve got a quick turnaround of games, so everybody in the squad will be utilised and it’s another great challenge for us.”
