Goals galore in pre-season opener at Hearts

Pre-season got off to a fine start as we breezed to a 5-1 win at Heart of Midlothian in Edinburgh on Wednesday night.

Taking on the Scottish Premiership side as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations, we took a 1-0 lead just before the break through Brennan Johnson, conceded straight after the interval to Hearts' striker Lawrence Shankland but then pulled away in a one-sided second half to win comfortably, Will Lankshear, Mikey Moore, Djed Spence and Ashley Phillips all netting their first senior goals for us.

There were also first appearances in our colours for Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall as Ange Postecoglou gave match minutes to 25 players over the course of the 90 minutes. Both looked very bright, with Gray a confident, calming presence at the back in the first half and Bergvall providing the assist for Moore's goal to cap a fine display.

Further good news saw a first appearance since last September for Manor Solomon following a long-term knee injury, a first senior start for Academy product Jamie Donley and first team debuts for Under-21 midfielder Max Robson and goalkeeper Luca Gunter in the second half.

All in all, it was a useful workout for the team in front of a healthy following in the away end.

A plethora of Hearts legends were also in attendance as both teams came together before kick-off to remember the late, great Dave Mackay.

Both sides had near misses in the opening exchanges while Gray, who starred on the same ground for former club Leeds United last pre-season, shone in a makeshift centre-back role over the course of the first half, although we needed a superb save from Brandon Austin to keep out Yutaro Oda's header after a corner was only half-cleared with just under 20 minutes gone.

Kyosuke Tagawa squandered two great chances for the hosts, missing the target from inside the box on both occasions, while our captain Heung-Min Son saw his effort pushed over the bar by goalkeeper Craig Gordon following a slick move in between those attempts. Donley impressed in an inverted left-back role as we probed for an opener, which eventually came on 39 minutes when James Maddison exchanged passes with Dejan Kulusevski before crossing from the left for the arriving Johnson to convert from close range.

We made 11 changes at the break but a mistake at the back within 34 seconds of the resumption saw Shankland fire home with a shot-on-the-turn but we regained the lead on 55 minutes, Spence playing the ball through for Lankshear - top scorer in our title-winning Under-21 squad last season - to find the net with a characteristically clinical finish from inside the box.

Hearts had no real response after that as we continued on the front foot, extending our lead on 66 minutes when Alfie Devine played forward to Bergvall who in turn found Moore, the 16-year-old producing a trademark solo run and low finish from inside the box. Devine looked bright in the central areas and had a hand in our fourth goal six minutes later, spraying the ball out to Timo Werner, whose low cross from the left took a touch off goalkeeper Zander Clark and fell kindly for Spence to tap home at the far post.

Devine's subsequent shot was blocked, while Alejo Veliz steered over the bar before we wrapped up the scoring five minutes from time, a short corner routine seeing Bergvall send in a cross for Dane Scarlett whose header was brilliantly saved by Clark, with Phillips on hand to bundle the loose ball over the line at the back post.

Match data

Goals: Hearts - Shankland 46; Spurs - Johnson 39, Lankshear 55, Moore 66, Spence 72, Phillips 85.

Referee: Matthew MacDermid.

Venue: Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh.

Weather: Sunny intervals, gentle breeze, 19 degrees.

Attendance: 15,646.