Hearts won the Youth Cup with a comfortable 4-0 win over Queen’s Park at Hampden Park.
It is the capital club’s first success in the competition since 2000, the team back then featuring club legend and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Goal heroes in the present day were midfielder Euan Banks and forwards Tommy North, Connor Dow and Jayden Mathie. The four-goal advantage was a fair reflection despite coming up against a Queen’s Park side which knocked it about well too, but they lacked a cutting edge.
Both sides showed their intent early on to play attractive football with the ball on the deck, but it was Hearts who had most of the pressure and territory.
Jaedon Donkor and North both had chances, the latter denied by a smart save from goalkeeper Archie Aitchison.
They also had a number of set-pieces from which to try and score from with towering captain Alfie Osborne the target for most of them, although Queen’s Park coped with them pretty well.
Just as the men in black and white started to settle and try and impose themselves on the game, they found themselves behind.
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Dow made a bursting run into the box before trying to square for the waiting North. Goalkeeper Archie Aitchison stuck out his foot to divert it away, only to see Euan Banks arriving to fire high into the net.
Dow had a chance to double the advantage before the break, controlling on his chest but firing his effort into the side netting.
That meant it was all to play for in the second half despite Hearts’ dominance.
However, two minutes into the second 45, Queen’s Park conceded a penalty kick when North made his way into the box with the ball and Liam Smith dangled a leg to bring him down. The Hearts number 10 dusted himself down to tuck the ball into the bottom corner, despite Aitchison guessing the right way.
Just before the hour mark it was three, and this time Dow was the scorer. North flicked on a long throw into the box for his strike partner to sweep a right-foot volley which squirmed under Aitchison and in.
Two substitutes combined late on to add further gloss to the scoreline. Taylor Hogarth whipped a cross in from the right with his left foot, with Mathie arriving in front of the goalkeeper to bundle it home.
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