Hearts B head coach Liam Fox praised his young Hearts side for coming out on top following two very different halves of football against Lowland League leaders East Kilbride on Friday night.
Just like they did in November, the Wee Jambos saw off Kilby by a 4-2 scoreline, thanks to braces from James Wilson and Callum Sandilands.
Hearts were on top from the off and hit the front after just nine minutes, when James Wilson converted a spot-kick after good play from Finlay Pollock.
Just two minutes later, the Jam Tarts doubled their advantage, Pollock was again involved, and his cross was flicked in from close-range by Sandilands.
Kilby pulled one back on 21 minutes with a spot-kick of their own, before Sandilands restored the men in maroon’s two-goal lead in first-half stoppage time.
East Kilbride halved the deficit once more on 53 minutes and although the Wee Jambos had to dig in for much of the second half, they wrapped up the points 14 minutes from time.
Substitute Bobby McLuckie burned past his man on the left wing before crossing low for Wilson to slide home his second of the evening at the back post.
Speaking to Hearts TV at full-time, Fox said:
“It was a really good performance. We showed a really wide-ranging variety on how to play tonight. I thought in the first half, we were really good, really slick. We passed the ball really well and we pressed them really well.
“In the second half, we didn’t manage to get the same rhythm that we would have liked. We didn’t have the same control, especially in possession. We had to really dig in and we showed some really good character.”
For a side so young, the Wee Jambos showed real grit and experience in the second half to get the job done, something that pleased the head coach.
“Absolutely, that is a big part of their development and their learning,” Fox added.
“I have to give credit to East Kilbride. They came out at us, were aggressive and throwing bodies forward.
“They are top of the league, so for us to beat them, it shows that we are improving, we still feel there are things we can improve on. Individually, there are still lots of things we can get better at, but tonight gives the players another shot in the arm.
“Every game of football is different. You can go ahead in games; you can go behind. Sometimes you need to fight through these moments, like when they got the second goal, but I’m really pleased with how we responded to that. We came through it and managed to get the fourth goal at the end, which was a brilliant team goal.”
