Under 20s: Seven-Up! Dawson at the fore with four as Spartans go nap

Posted on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017

Teenage hitman Cameron Dawson netted four times to take his season total to 35 goals as Spartans u20s beat Tynecastle 7-2 in the Development League at Ainslie Park on Tuesday evening.

With the Spring Equinox kicking off the new season some 24 hours previously, the merry band of supporters in attendance felt like the clocks had turned back to Winter as a biting chill cut through the clear North Edinburgh sky as the second league encounter between this sides this month got underway.

Just twelve minutes into the game and Spartans looked almost certain to break the deadlock when Dawson saw his effort crash off the crossbar only for Murray Hand to be eased off the ball as he set himself up to guide the rebound home.

Hand almost atoned himself for his earlier miss when he unleashed an effort that was partially saved by Watt in the Tynecastle goal.  Adam Corbett was first to react only for Watt to scramble across his line to smother at the second attempt.

Finally, midway through the half, Matt Brady was sent sprawling by Watt on the six yard line, leaving Referee Mark Rennie with the easy task of pointing to the spot.  Dawson stepped up and calmly sent the keeper the wrong way.

The visitors almost grabbed an equaliser with six minutes of the half remaining with the dangerous Jack Cowan sending his header over Jordan Pettigrew’s bar.

Instead of going in level at the break, Tynie found themselves two behind moments later following a subliminal solo run by Lewis Hall who sent a left foot humdinger into the top corner to extend the advantage.

That lead was then halved when Cowan was adjudged by Rennie to have broken the offside trap and beat Pettigrew from close range.

HT: Spartans u20s 2-0 Tynecastle u20s

The half time Bovrils had barely a chance to adjust to the outside chill when Spartans restored their two goal lead.

Matt Brady scoring his second of the season – his last was against the same opposition in September – finishing off a quick break with aplomb and drawing warm applause from the home support.

Whilst the action was exciting at one end in terms of goals scored, the home back division decided to add an extra bit of excitement to proceedings with some hairy passing moves between them that saw Gaffer Atkinson almost watch from behind the dugout!

His heart-rate was restored to normal levels when Dawson sent a swooping, looping header beyond the despairing dive of Watt into the net to make it 4-1.

With twenty minutes of a highly entertaining game left, Tynecastle’s Cowan bagged his own brace with a well taken effort that whizzed past Pettigrew.

Lewis Temple entered the fray at the expense of scorer Hall with a quarter of an hour left on the clock whilst Owen Logan came off the bench to replace Liam Currie as Atkinson looked to freshen things up in a squad that has played a barrow-load of games in the last couple of weeks.

Mikey Allan was unlucky not to make it five when his sweetly struck drive grazed the top of the crossbar as Spartans threatened to add to their lead.

Brady was the next home player to be offered the chance to clock-off early and Callum Wales came on for his second appearance off the bench in as many games.

Dawson grabbed his fifth hat-trick of the season when he powered in on goal to slip his shot under Watt then three minutes later he added his fourth – and Spartans’ sixth with his easiest effort of the night, a tap in from a yard and his own header came off the bar and landed at his feet.

Tynecastle’s night went from bad to utterly miserable when Rennie made a double despatch to the sheds in one fell swoop when he sent off Sonny Swanson and Scott Easton in the same draw of the red card.

With the final play of the game, Murray Hand made it a magnificent seven, racing on to a pass deep inside the Tynecastle box to ram home.

 FT: Spartans u20s 7-2 Tynecastle u20s