Crawford gets trialist run as Hearts edge past Arbroath
Aidan Keena and Ross Callachan scored to secure victory for Craig Levein’s newlook Hearts in the Arbroath sunshine. The Irish forward struck two minutes from the interval in the Edinburgh club’s first pre-season friendly. Callachan converted the second on 85 minutes before substitute Kane Hester’s consolation for Arbroath.
Nine often new signings were involved for Hearts, who could have won by won by a greater deficit having struck the crossbar twice. That said, the visitors needed their American trialist goalkeeper Kevin Silva to produce two excellent saves during the first period.
The deadlock was broken two minutes from the interval by teenage Hearts striker Keena. He fastened on to an intelligent clipped pass from Ali Crawford – the former Hamilton Accies man was another trialist given a start by Levein – in behind the home defence, then steadied himself to drive a low finish into the far corner of the net.
Hearts enjoyed most of the possession and eventually stretched their advantage five minutes from time. Bobby Burns cut the ball back from the left and Ross Callachan planted a neat finish low into the corner.
That should have completed a decent night’s work for those from Tynecastle. However, Arbroath substitute Hester’s marauding run down the left ended with a tidy finish past the Hearts reserve keeper Kelby Mason in stoppage time.