Early goal enough for Hearts XI victory over Spartans as pre-season preparations continue

Hearts posted pre-season friendly win in two consecutive nights with a 1-0 victory over Spartans at Ainslie Park.

Euan Henderson’s early goal was enough for Robbie Neilson’s men to defeat their hosts on Wednesday evening, though it was a much more frustrating evening than the one they enjoyed the night prior with a 7-0 victory over East Fife.

The young attacker was left with a simple tap-in after Cammy Devlin’s sliding back-post shot was only partially saved by Spartans keeper Blair Carswell.

The visitors had the lion’s share of possession but struggled to create chances consistently throughout the match.

The match took place at Ainslie Park, home of Spartans. Picture: SNS

“I thought we were a bit slow in the movement of the ball,” said Neilson. “They played last night and were miles better. But this is pre-season and that’s what happens sometimes but we need to get ourselves ready.

“We have worked the boys really hard. They had a hard week in Spain and a lot of the boys played last night.”

A starting XI with a mixture of experienced players and youngsters before all ten outfield players were swapped out a few minutes into the second half. Only goalkeeper Harry Stone, largely a spectator across the evening, played the full 90 minutes.

There was another run out for trialist Joe Wright, who came on as a substitute and had the best second-half chance to double the advantage.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.