Steven Naismith issues passionate defence of Hearts B team after Reserve League launch

Steven Naismith firmly believes Hearts have made the correct choice in joining the Lowland League despite a new SPFL Reserve League being launched.

The Hearts B coach oversaw his side’s second league match of the season on Tuesday evening as the young Jambos were brought back down to earth with a thump following their stunning 6-0 win over Berwick Rangers on opening day with a 1-0 loss at Spartans.

After having everything their own way at Ferguson Park on Saturday, the visitors were largely frustrated by Dougie Samuel’s side, who limited them to a smattering of chances across the 90 minutes. When they were able to threaten the Spartans goal, they found keeper (and former Hearts youth player) Blair Carswell in inspired form.

The match took place on the same day it was announced the SPFL had created a new Reserve League for the 2022/23 season after the previous one was originally shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hearts B team coach Steven Naismith is a firm believer the club have made the right choice by joining the Lowland League. Picture: SNS

In applying to field a colts team in the fifth tier, Hearts, along with Celtic and Rangers the season before, stated their motivation was to give the best and brightest youngsters a chance to develop further in the gap between under-18s and first-team football. With the news of the reintroduction of reserve football, many supporters questioned the wisdom of playing in the Lowland League.

Naismith, however, remains insistent the Tynecastle club have done the best possible thing to help develop their prodigies.

"For me, the biggest thing for young players is competitiveness,” the former Scottish international told the Evening News.

"When I was coming through we had the reserve league, which was brilliant for me personally, but I was playing against seasoned pros, five or six of them, in every reserve game. Nowadays that doesn't happen. If you're playing in a reserve league – and you can call it a reserve league, you can call it a under-23s league, under-21s league, whatever you want to call it – that's still youth football.

"These guys playing tonight for Spartans, off a bad result at the weekend, are desperate to win. You see that at the end in the way they're cheering after the game. That's much more valuable to any young player now than playing in a game that doesn't really have any meaning. If you win the reserve league does that really mean much? I don't think so.

"As a club we've went down this route and we're delighted with it.”

Hearts would have won a point in stoppage time if not for an unbelievable stop from Carswell, who reacted with cat-like reflexes to stop substitute Calum Burns from inadvertently heading into his own goal. For Naismith, this piece of individual brilliance shows the quality of the division should not be underestimated.

"Brilliant. Honestly, a brilliant save,” he said. “The goalkeeper didn't have much time to react and it just shows you this league is full of good players. Some are older and experienced, some are young at the start of their career. Our players have got to soak all that in because this is football.

"Whether they're going to have a good career or not will depend on how well they can do at this level and everything they can pick up this year.”

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