Heart of Midlothian and Tottenham Hotspur contested a competitive and largely entertaining friendly in front of more than 15,000 at Tynecastle Park.

In the end, Steven Naismith's side were well beaten 4-1 by the Premier League side but had plenty to show for their efforts, in terms of on-field impressions and learnings from a useful outing.

The visitors went ahead through Brennan Johnson toward the end of the first-half. Hearts equalised straight after the break thanks to Lawrence Shankland but Spurs retook the lead, Will Lankshear scorning the goal. Mikey Moore, Djed Spence and Ashley Phillips scored goals three, four and five as the game drifted following a raft of subs.

Worthwhile workout

The Leyton Orient game was a tough watch. Hearts looked like a team who had a tough week of training in Tenerife playing on a pitch where the ball held up in the grass.

There was many more positives to take from the match with Ange Postecoglou's side, certainly the first hour. There was a greater tempo and vibrancy about the team and the play with a lot of nice passing move. But it may be out of possession which brought the greater benefits. It was a realistic test as to what the team could face in Europe. A side of athletes with individuals who you could class as elite. There were spells out of possession where the team had to be organised and robust. It was a reminder that mistakes are punished and you need to be careful with the ball. Possession can't be given up carelessly.

Steven Naismith will likely have learned plenty from the first 60 minutes before a raft of changes saw the game become disjointed and open up with Spurs' pace and quality taking full advantage.

Gerald Taylor

There was only one new boy for Hearts fans to get their first glimpse of against Tottenham Hotspur and they were likely salivating at the promise of their new Costa Rican defender Gerald Taylor.

Everything Steven Naismith spoke about in terms of being direct and aggressive was there to see early on. He will have no problem handling the physical demands posed by Scottish football on this showing. He demonstrated his strength early on to protect the ball going out for a goal kick. Shortly after he spotted a short pass from Spurs, anticipated and pounced, stepping into it and driving forward. Before long he was denying a certain goal at the back post to turn a brilliant low cross behind for a corner.

It was his willingness and ability to put pressure on the opposition and eat up ground which was most encouraging. Some excellent work down the right drew huge applause from the crowd when he not only won the ball back deep in Spurs' half but clipped a lovely cross only for Tagawa to steer wide. He was at it against later when he sprung forward as Hearts countered. Yan Dhanda slid him down the right, he delayed his cross before offering a tantalising cross to the back post only for Tagawa to shoot wide despite it looking easier to score. Lawrence Shankland, sitting on the Hearts bench, will have no doubt been encouraged by the prospect of another great crosser in the team.

What more? That was all in the first-half alone.

Tagawa chances - and Shankland

You got the feeling, with Lawrence Shankland given extra time off due to international duty, that it was Kyosuke Tagawa's chance to impress and carry on the form he showed at the end of last season. There was a well-taken goal in a squad game while in Tenerife but against Leyton Orient and Spurs there wasn't much of a return.

Aside from the chances missed against the Premier League side, he didn't offer enough as a focal point in attack. The natural comparison is Shankland. It is hard to reach those levels but when the ball goes into his feet it is not consistently safe, he needs to protect it better and that goes for reading a ball in the air or a bounce as it approaches him. 

As for Shankland. This is where I'm tempted to just type out: 'HAHAHAHAHA'. Ludicrous. On the pitch less than a minute. Two touches. Goal. 

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Grant as a 6?

One of the questions following the signing of Yan Dhanda and Blair Spittal revolved around Jorge Grant. Where does he fit? There would have been a number of fans who wondered if he could possibly be on his way out of Tynecastle Park. He is a player with undoubted talent and the ability to play different midfield roles. And you wonder if he could be used as a No.6 or a deeper-lying midfielder. A role he has played down south.

Against Spurs, he did well in the position. On both sides of the ball. He was tenacious and good at winning back possession, doing so a couple of times on the edge of the box to snuff out attacks. In possession, he brought composure and used the ball... mostly. He was guilty of a couple of wayward passes in the second half. While his underlying numbers were very good as an attacking midfielder they didn't quite translate to assists and big chances created on a consistent basis. But he is someone you are happy to have on the ball and dictating play, especially if Beni Baningime is missing.

Crowd and tickets

A crowd of 15,646 were in Tynecastle Park this evening. Hugely impressive considering the cost of an adult ticket was £30. No Scottish football game, outside maybe a semi-final, final, or big derby match, should cost as much. And certainly not a friendly. It is a bonkers amount to pay for a fixture with little riding on it. Yet, once more Hearts fans, helped by a decent away following, showed their willingness to back the team.

Now, there is a premium to be paid to host a Premier League side. In modern football, it is not cheap and there was plenty of meaning behind it due to the club's 150th anniversary and Spurs providing the opposition 50 years ago for the centenary match.

Thankfully for Hearts their pricing for games at Tynecastle Park is largely very good. Yes, there was a season ticket price increase this season but for those sitting in the silver sections, for example, it works out less than £20 per home league game. Very reasonable. £30 for a friendly is not.