Heart of Midlothian B maintained their flawless start to their Lowland League campaign - but they had to work for it. They came from behind twice to win 4-3 in an action-packed game against Linlithgow Rose.

It was the home side who came out of the gates flying as they found themselves two goals to the good - and it was the least they deserved. After the break Hearts levelled through goals from James Wilson and Adam Forrester before trailing 3-2.

The Wee Jambos left further heroics to the end, Callum Sandilands scoring twice in the space of a couple of minutes to continue his fine start to the season.

Disaster of a Start 

The Wee Jambos looked like a shade of themselves in the opening 45 as they were outclassed and outfought by Linlithgow. Head coach Liam Fox reckoned it was "as poor" as he had seen the team. There was a failure to transition the ball up the park and many moments of being sloppy in possession. Beyond that, the team didn't do the basics well enough and it culminated in a disappointing first-half performance. The only positive was Jamie MacDonald, he was the standout in the opening exchanges as the experienced shot-stopper demonstrated his quality producing several excellent saves to keep his side in it. As the sides went in at half-time the 2-0 scoreline flattered the team.

Roller-coaster of a game for Forrester

The right-back had been an influential performer in the first two league fixtures of the season, playing a key role in the team's build-up, drifting into an inverted full-back position and getting up in support of the attack. Tuesday night, however, will likely be one of his more eventful games. It all started in the opening 10 minutes. The B team captain was in an advanced position when Linlithgow got possession and looked to break. In an attempt to recover the ball, Forrester brought down the Linlithgow attacker which resulted in a penalty and the opener. At the other end of the park, he was involved in the first equaliser for the Wee Jambos, Forrester made a darting run to the back post where he was found by a delightful, lobbed cross, from Finlay Pollock which allowed the skipper to head home the second goal for Hearts. Only moments later a ball through caused chaos for Forrester and Jamie MacDonald. A mix-up in communication saw the ball fall perfectly to Laurie Devin of Linlithgow who made the game 3-2.

 Resilience Throughout the Squad 

With 20 minutes to go the game almost looked dead and buried but the sheer resilience throughout this squad shows you that they will never give up. Goals in the 72nd and 82nd minute respectively made it look like it was a comeback complete until a goal straight from kickoff from Linlithgow felt like it halted all the momentum that had been building. However, it only took six minutes when a mistake from the Linlithgow keeper allowed Callum Sandilands to tap the ball into an empty net. You could tell that the drew wasn’t enough. A brilliant bit of skill from Finlay Pollock saw him beat two men out on the wing before finding Callum Sandilands in the box who found his initial shot saved but, on the rebound, did enough to bundle it into the net to score the winner.

Duo continue to push

Was it the best evening for Sandilands and Pollock? No. The former struggled to get into the game in the first half despite his willingness to get about the pitch and try to get involved. The latter grew frustrated with the home side nullifying space or penning Hearts back for periods. Yet, their qualities shone through in the end. For Pollock, there can be few players as exhilarating as him in the Lowland League when he's running at defenders. It's pace and power. As the game wore on he constantly ran at the left-back and constantly got the better of him. His run and cross to set up Forrester was excellent but his second assist saw him beat two men for pace over just 10 yards to then find Sandilands. Speaking of Sandilands, he is now in talisman territory for the B team. His output is incredible - four goals and two assists in three league games - but it's his ability to be in the right place at the right time that stands out.

Linlithgow tough on Tait

"They absolutely melted him. For 85 minutes he was kicked that way, this way and another way."

Alan Sinclair said the above when speaking to Hearts Standard about Macaulay Tait's journey to become a Hearts first-team player. The game he was referencing came in the Lowland League two seasons ago. But it could easily have been last night in Linlithgow. The diminutive ball-playing midfielder was on the end of a few late challenges. Some warranted a yellow card, others a foul. But perhaps the most outrageous - a scissor motion 'tackle' - went unpunished. No foul, no card. Tait also had to change his shirt at half-time because it had been ripped by an opponent as they held on when he drove into the box. No penalty was forthcoming. It was a tough night for Tait in terms of the treatment. But it never stopped him from getting on the ball and trying to direct the team.

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Dom Plank

Against East Stirlingshire Dom Plank scored an incredible solo goal. Against Linlithgow, he almost set up a goal following another mazy run which started on the left and finished in the box. The summer signing from down south is a talent. There is little too him. He's small and doesn't look like he has much in the way of muscle the way someone like Luke Rahthie or Finlay Pollock do. But, boy, can he dribble. He's the type of winger that you don't see all that often now but one fans love to watch. He just likes being direct, taking players on, able to go left or right, outside or inside, this way or that. 

Flawless League Start Continues

Although leaving it late, this win means that the perfect start to the league continues as Liam Fox’s side sit top of the league on nine points after three games played. Hearts B and Berwick Rangers are the only two sides to have won all three of their opening games.  The Wee Jambos next game is against Tranent Juniors on Friday, August 9 at Ainslie Park.