'One of our best': Steven Naismith hails Hearts B after victory over Rangers

Steven Naismith has described Hearts B team’s performance in their 3-2 Lowland League victory away to Rangers as one of their best of the season.

The visitors raced into a 3-0 half-time lead at Dumbarton Stadium thanks to goals from Makenzie Kirk, Luke Rathie and Bobby McLuckie and although Rangers rallied in the second half, Naismith’s youngsters saw out the game out for a deserved three points. It continues an impressive run of form for Hearts, who have won five of their past seven games, drawing with Spartans and losing by a goal to high-flying Tranent in the other two matches.

Hearts lost 3-2 to Rangers B at Ferguson Park in October in a match Naismith believes his team really should have won, but the B team boss was delighted to see his side make progress. “When we played them at the start of the season, we played some really good stuff, but individual mistakes or naivety cost us. On Wednesday I thought we played even better,” he said.

“The conditions at times were windy and the rain was coming down, but we continued to play like we do all the time. When they tried to stop us in certain places, we found another solution. We scored three goals in the first half, but we had six or seven really good opportunities to get another goal.

Luke Rathie scored the second goal for Hearts in an emphatic first-half performance. Picture: Craig Foy / SNS

He added: “Towards the end of the game we managed the game very well. The goals we lose our probably cheap, but overall the performance was up there with one of our best this season.”

Harry Stone, Finlay Pollock, Murray Thomas and Kenzi Nair replaced Liam McFarlane, Leo Watson, the suspended Arron Darge and the injured Callum Sandilands in the starting line-up, Naismith setting his team out with a back three and wing-backs. Kirk put Hearts in front after after 18 minutes. Rathie got across the front post to flick home low Murray Thomas corner just three minutes later. Aiden Denholm slipped in McLuckie to smash home a third in the 33rd minute.

Arron Lyall pulled one back for Rangers and Ross McCausland snatched a second with a minute left but Hearts held on. The B team remain 13th in the table and host Cumbernauld Colts in their next Lowland League match at Ferguson Park on January 7.