Hearts B head coach Liam Fox admits his young players will continue to learn from their experiences in the Lowland League as he reviews a mixed bag of results from the opening nine league matches of the season.
The Wee Jambos currently sit 7th in the standings, seven points off league leaders Caledonian Braves, following a disappointing home defeat against Bo'ness United last time out.
Fox is currently nursing an extensive injury list, with the likes of Luke Rathie, Ethan Drysdale, Kenzi Nair and Callum Sandilands all sidelined, whereas Owen Muirhead and Gregor Crookston are still working their way back to fitness after time out.
That has resulted in some Lowland League introductions being handed out to some of the younger members of the group and while acknowledging that this is earlier than perhaps originally planned, Fox insists it’s the overall purpose of the B Team.
“Ups and downs is a fair assessment,” he told the Official Hearts Website, when asked for his opinion on the league campaign so far.
“There’s been some really good moments and some poorer moments, in the sense that we’ve not picked up as many wins as we would’ve liked. We’ve had some good performances, but at times we just haven’t converted the chances that we’ve created.
“The results are never the main driver for the B team, it’s about progressing and the individual development of these players. A lot of these younger players have been exposed to a lot of B team minutes already this season and that’ll continue to be the way.
“It’s a challenging league. A lot of these kids have come straight out of the under-17s and into the B Team, missing out Under-18s altogether. So, there’s a lot of learning that takes place, a lot of moments where they’re stressed and they’re tested, but that’s why we’re in the Lowland League and why we’re playing these younger players in these situations.
“There are always going to be some erratic performances and results but longer term, for their development, it’s a brilliant period of time for learning for these younger kids.
“We’ve had a few injuries, but injuries always give opportunities to others and in our case, a lot of the younger lads. Matty Gillies has come in, Gus Stevenson has played a lot of minutes, we’ve managed to involve the likes of Taylor Hogarth, Charlie Sanders both young keepers in Lyndon Tas and Jack Lyon, whereas Alfie Osborne also started his first B team game for us last week. All of that is really positive from our point of view.”
Wednesday, 21st August was a dark night for the Wee Jambos, a 6-1 defeat at Raydale Park against Gretna 2008 would’ve come as a surprise to any person who has watched or followed the team over the course of Fox’s tenure.
Reflecting on the defeat and asked if it was important for young players to experience difficult nights such as that, to be able to learn from them, he replied:
“In the cold light of day, we always want to win. I’ve made that perfectly clear previously. That’s something which is built into us as competitive players and staff. That will always be there.
“The Gretna night was a really strange game,” he continued. “It could’ve ended 6-6. We had loads of chances, but we gave away far too many goals and ultimately the level of performance that night from us defensively was nowhere near the level we expect.
“We said to the players after the match that they’re going to have nights like that in their career, everybody has tough results and difficult nights, but it’s about how you bounce back from them and how you react.
“We used that as a reset for everybody, myself included. That was a sore night for everyone. Totally unacceptable, but I think the response over the piece to that has been good. We maybe haven’t had the results that we would’ve liked, but the time that we’ve had to reflect on our culture and how we want to be as young individuals, still learning the game has been positive.
“The reality is that as young, professional footballers, you’re always going to have these difficult moments and moments of disappointment and it’s always going to be about how you react to them and how you get back to basics.”
As if the defeat itself wasn’t enough, the men in maroon also lost one of their most creative players that night to injury, Callum Sandilands. An attacking midfielder, mainly deployed centrally, but can pop up in wide areas, with a trademark late run into the box, Fox believes he’s the benchmark for others to try and follow in regards to the way he carries himself in training.
“The thing that Callum Sandilands has is that not only is he a talent on the football pitch, but his attitude, his desire to improve and to make the most of every day is a real benchmark for any of the young kids who come in, they need to look at Callum Sandilands.
“How he prepares, how he recovers. He’s the first player on the training pitch, he’s the last one to leave, he’s at the front of every warm-up, he does everything right. Everything you want from a young professional footballer to be. So, for all the young kids, they need to look at him and if you can, copy him.”
The Wee Jambos are back in action on Friday, 20th September as they welcome Broomhill to Ainslie Park.
