First Team

Braves look to break Hearts once again

8th February 2023

After a tight affair earlier in the season, the Braves travel to Ferguson Park tonight as they hope to make it two wins from two against Hearts B in the league.

 

In our previous match, an extra-time winner from Marc Kelly helped the Braves proceed through to the next round of the South Challenge cup after a nervy and exciting battle against Bo’ness United. With the game being evenly matched, Ricky Waddell’s side showed their grit and determination to get over the line and set up a fifth-round tie against Threave Rovers.

 

Despite the result on Saturday, the Braves come into the Hearts B match winless in our past two league games. However, with the performance that was seen at the weekend, there should be no motivation problems for this young side who have demonstrated many times this season that they do not give up.

 

Hearts B made their Lowland League debut this season as they were permitted to enter a squad and compete in the league. The club currently sit 13th in the table, winning their previous fixture 6-0 against Berwick Rangers. Steven Naismith’s side has shown a lot of promising moments throughout the season and has always been a tough side to play against.

 

One to watch for the Wee Jambos could be Northern Irish youth internationalist, Mackenzie Kirk. The 19 year old centre forward will be a big goal threat for the Braves defence to be wary of this evening, having already registered 12 goals in 18 Lowland league appearances making him the club's top scorer this season.

 

In the last outing between the two sides, the Braves were able to defeat the Edinburgh side 3-2, thanks to goals from Scott Cusick, Jamie Watson, and Zac Butterworth. Although Hearts B scored in the opening and final few minutes of the match, it was still a very comfortable and convincing performance from the Braves.

 

Speaking to Braves TV, the manager outlined his thoughts ahead of tomorrow night's trip and what he expects from his side.

 

He said: “Wednesday is going to be tough. We just need to go at it and battle and commit to the game. We must do that all the time to get that intensity and we play at our best when we have that.

 

“For Wednesday’s match, we’ve got a full squad to pick from, and going into that match with a positive mind frame from the weekend's game is what we need for it.”

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