The Hibernian Development squad containing Otso Virtanen and Jordon Forster beat Kevin Thomson’s (pictured) Tranent Juniors 3-1 last night at Foresters Park.
An own goal from Tranent’s Darren Smith gave Hibs an early lead then Aaron Dunsmore made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after being brought down inside the area.
Teenage left back Sean Mackie had to leave the field of play following an injury sustained in a challenge before Jamie Gullan smashed in a volley from the edge of the box to give the youngsters a comfortable lead at the break.
Tranent scored the only goal of the second half when a cross from the right hand side of the box took a deflection off Kevin Waugh, sending it into the top corner, away from the wrong-footed Virtanen.
After the game which was watched by Neil Lennon, Development Squad boss Grant Murray told Hibernian media: “I think they’ve done well over the last six games and I thought in the first half of the game against Tranent they put in a good performance, but I felt they tired a bit in the second half, but it was a good shift from them.
“It’s a learning experience for them and it’s great. These games are about fitness, but they’re about the physicality and learning the other side of football as well and I think we have adapted to it in these games, albeit in the second half I thought we slowed the game down a wee bit, but credit to Tranent because they came out and changed things around.”
Hibernian XI: Virtanen, Donaldson, Forster (Smith, 59), Porteous, Waugh, Crane, Mackie (Murray, 52), Dunsmore, Gullan, Shaw, Allan (Watson, 70). Unused substitutes: Combe, O’Connor.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
