Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

The young Jambos will face Hibs or Rangers for a shot at glory after they edged past Caley thanks to substitute Mackenzie Kirk’s late winner at Tynecastle. The youngsters looked nervous at stages, but settled down after the interval to get the job done in front of first team boss Robbie Neilson.

“Overall, it’s a really good night getting to a final,” said Naismith. “If we are being hypercritical we would like the boys to show a bit more calmness in their structure and to enjoy the occasion.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Aw it’s good to get to a final’, but I was saying to the boys these are the occasions you need to enjoy. It’s a showcase and people turn out to see you. Yes, you want to win, and 100% that’s the main focus, but you want to show how far you’ve come.

“In the first half especially we struggled to deal with the occasion and that stopped us from playing any sort of good football. I thought in the second half we were better, nowhere near as good as we can be, but we started to be comfortable taking the ball, taking the ball on the half turn and playing forward passes through the lines. We caused them problems and we scored two good goals.

“It was a lot of the boys first time [playing at Tynecastle], and a lot of the boys are still at school. I maybe sometimes miss that point, that some of the boys were at school this morning, then they’ve come straight here to play in this, and that is a big ask.

“I certainly believe they are more than good enough to have a professional career but the mental toughness it takes to play week in week out professionally, this is a small taste of that, and that’s the part I am trying to say to them after the game ‘Try and get rid of the nerves and that anxiousness when you go into the game, because you are here on merit, so go and show your talent’.”

Hearts goalkeeper Liam McFarlane produced two big saves in the opening 15 minutes to keep Caley at bay. Firstly, he made an excellent diving stop to deny striker Ethan Cairns, before thwarting Calum McKay’s effort.

The home side had got themselves into dangerous positions without testing Caley keeper Danny Gillian. The visiting keeper couldn’t do anything to stop striker Murray Thomas from firing Hearts into a 29th minute lead, however, as he ruthlessly tucked away Callum Sandilands’ low cross.

McFarlane produced another big save after 33 minutes, the imposing keeper scampering back to his line to flap away Alasdair Riddle’s deflected goalbound effort.

Caley’s equaliser after 36 minutes was very much deserved. Winger Riddle, on the left, picked out Cairns at the backpost with a low ball flashed across the face of goal and he cut inside onto his left and fired into the roof of the net.

The visitors looked the more likelier of the two sides early in the second half but Hearts grew stronger, and after Ewan Simpson came close, Kirk, who looked the part after coming off the bench, showed great composure to set himself before rolling the ball into the net out of Gillian’s reach.

Hearts: McFarlane, Friel, Aitken, Flatman, Tait, Pollock, Thomas, Sandilands (Kirk), Forrester (Simpson), McLuckie (Drysdale), Ruthie

Inverness: Gillian, Carnihan, Nicholson, Strachan, Nixon, MacInnes, Mackay, Thompson, Cairns, Barron (Nicholson), Riddle (Willox)

Hearts Under-18s set up potential Scottish Youth Cup final clash with Hibs - Steven Naismith has his say on win