Heart of Midlothian B19s were defeated 14-0 by Ross County in a KDM Evolution Trophy fixture at the Global Energy Stadium on Saturday. The heavy loss for the development side came against a Ross County team featuring experienced professionals, including first-team regulars and new signings.
Game progression
Heart of Midlothian B19s fell behind quickly, trailing 3-0 after just 16 minutes. The task became harder when Robbie Flockhart was sent off in the 34th minute for denying a goalscoring opportunity. By half-time, the deficit had grown to six goals. Ross County added eight more goals after the break against the 10-man young Heart of Midlothian side.
Ross County scorers
Kieran Phillips scored four times for the hosts, while Chris Hamilton, a former Heart of Midlothian academy player, netted a hat-trick. Ricco Diack added a brace, with Luke McCarvel also scoring twice and Jamie Lindsay completing the scoring. The match was part of Ross County's pre-season preparations, allowing manager Stuart Kettlewell to assess his squad.
Heart of Midlothian B19s lineup and absences
The young Heart of Midlothian side, missing several players due to commitments with loan club Stenhousemuir, switched to a 5-2-3 formation. Euan Glasgow, Robbie Flockhart and Carson McGauley formed a back three, with Jayden Mathie and Cormac Daly operating as wing-backs. The front three consisted of Jaedon Donkor, Tommy North and Connor Dow. The B19s are managed by Liam Fox, who is preparing the team for the upcoming Lowland League season.
Ross County manager Stuart Kettlewell gave his reaction after the match.
Heart of Midlothian B team coach Liam Fox acknowledged the difficulty of the match. Fox stated.
The result stands in stark contrast to the first team's strong Premiership form. Steven Naismith's senior side sit third in the table with 13 points from seven games, having taken ten points from their last five matches. The full first-team squad list is available on our squad page.
This story first appeared at rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk
