Pollock pounces as Hearts sail on
TEENAGER Finlay Pollock claimed his first senior goal as Hearts secured their place in the knockout stages of the Premier Sports Cup with a game to spare. A wonderful moment of quality from Gary MackaySteven provided a first-half opener for Liam Boyce, with 17-year-old substitute Pollock scoring the second with a tap-in late on in the match. With Cove Rangers winning 3-1 against Inverness, Hearts returned to Edinburgh having won the group ahead of their final pool game against Caley Thistle. The opening chance fell in the first minute to the Binos, as Dylan Bikey forced the returning Craig Gordon into a low save. Stirling goalkeeper Jordan McGregor was then called into action with an excellent block to prevent Boyce scoring the opener for the away side. Hearts’ dominance in possession paid off when they broke the deadlock on 31 minutes, with MackaySteven’s slick back-heeled pass putting Boyce through for his third goal in three games. Hearts’ rhythm was disrupted early in the second half as Gordon had to come to his side’s rescue to block from ex-Hearts man Dale Carrick. Hearts brought on Pollock and Armand Gnanduillet as they looked for a second, with the teenage midfielder tapping in from MackaySteven’s cross to seal the win with 16 minutes remaining. Hearts boss Robbie Neilson said: ‘The Pollock family will be delighted, and that’s his first competitive goal, but I thought he did really well. ‘I considered starting Finlay but we just felt that it’s important, because we’ve started him the last few games, that he’s fresh when he comes in. ‘He’s positive, he’s got great energy and he brings that to the team which is important, so I was pleased for him tonight, but he’s still young and he’s still got a lot of improvement to come.’