Heart of Midlothian B are on a difficult run, with no wins from their last five matches.

The latest, a 2-0 defeat to Broomhill, came courtesy of a first-half own goal and a second-half strike from former Hearts youngster Michael Aitken.

It gave Zander Diamond’s men all three points but Hearts B boss Liam Fox was pleased with his players’ application, even if they again came up short.

Here are some takeaways from the 2-0 defeat at Ainslie Park on Friday night.

Hearts’ early goal threat

Adam Forrester and Henry James – who has recently changed his surname from Lister – were often drifting inside as inverted full-backs. The former came close to opening the scoring when he collected the ball midway inside the Broomhill half and, from a central position around 25 yards out, he hit a low drive that bounced back off the post.

Hearts B had the ball in the net when James Wilson anticipated a Bobby Mcluckie ball across goal and flicked the ball past the keeper – though the celebrations were cut short when the assistant raised her flag. On or off, it was a tight call but the striker looked onside.

From a similar cross, with almost identical off-the-ball movement from Wilson, the striker again beat the static Broomhill defence to the ball but the shot was saved by goalkeeper Stephen Barr.

Wilson had the ball in the net again in the second half, this time finishing after Forrester slipped him in, but the flag was again raised.

Competitive debut for young keeper

In the absence of experienced custodian Jamie MacDonald, recently turned 16-year-old Jack Lyon – who has grown up supporting the club – started in goals.

Lyon looked confident with the ball at his feet, though he was let down for the opening goal when his defence was caught trying to play the ball out and a cross was turned into the net by a team mate.

The shot-stopper made a great save around 10 minutes before half-time when Cameron Rowley danced into the box and shot through a sea of legs. Lyon got down quickly and got a firm hand on it to turn it around the post.

After the match, Fox said: "I thought he was great. He didn't have any chance with the goals. We've got two young keepers we rate very, very highly.

“There were a couple of wee moments of nervousness early on but that's understandable, the kid's 16 years old. He showed good composure, his distances for coming out to clear, the small things.

“He spoke really well, his communication was really good. He is definitely one we have high hopes for and I am pleased for him tonight."

Macaulay Tait

The playmaker started in the centre of the midfield three and his anticipation saw him collect many second balls before finding a team-mate.

Hearts’ looked to get the ball down and pass, with their opponents taking a more physical approach, and Tait was at the centre of most of it, dictating play and acting as the team's fulcrum.

The second half was quieter for the midfielder, as Broomhill made a point of marking and closing down the 19-year-old more. 

Another defeat

The visitors sealed the points when former Hearts youngster Michael Aitken got two attempts and his second, a half volley, planted low into the net.

The defender enjoyed his celebration, sticking his fingers in his ears as team mates surrounded him.

Hearts B, to their credit, kept going and manager Liam Fox made positive changes. Two second-half substitutes combined when Mack Ross slipped in Gregor Crookston but Barr was equal to his shot.

It’s the fifth match without a win for Fox’s side who after an excellent start now find themselves in mid-table.

"I think over probably the last month we haven't been firing,” said Fox. “I still think we've been creating chances but we've not been clinical at putting them away.

“We've also given up cheap goals over the past month. You can probably see the players have had a wee dent in confidence over that. Being a footballer is difficult, you are going to have ups and you are actually going to have far more downs.

“It's a difficult period but we need to keep working away. They will be better coming through this and they will come through this, there is no doubt about that.”

Hearts B (4-3-3): Lyon; Forrester, Smutek, Smith, James; Stevenson, Tait, Duncan; Plank, James, Mcluckie.
Subs: Tas, Gillies, Ross, Crookston, Muirhead, Osborne, Burn.