Hendrie hat-trick a joy to watch

Hutchison Vale and Tynecastle served up a six-goal classic to wow the Wardie crowd, with Vale edging the game by 4-2 to climb over their rivals in Lothian Buses South East Region under-16 Division 1.

Hutchie talisman and captain Taylor Hendrie gave a dazzling individual performance and struck all four of his side's goals, but a post-interval Tynie resurgence made the home side work for their victory until the final whistle.

Both sides struck the woodwork in a whirlwind opening 20 minutes. Hutchie's Hne Wilson struck a dipping drive that bounced onto the bar and over, then Tynie full-back Jamie Tubby swung a pendulum-like left boot from fully 30 yards out but saw the ball cannon off the corner of woodwork.

A minute after the latter near-miss, Hutchie took the lead with a spectacular piece of skill by Hendrie. The dominant No.?9 stooped to meet Jack Thomson's tantalising cross from the left and sent a diving header low past Neil Fairnie from six yards out.

Hendrie's double came shortly after half-time - pouncing on a defensive mix-up to seize the ball and roll it calmly into the net.

A panicky Tynecastle suffered a loss of assurance after the goal, continually misplacing passes and struggling to keep possession from their rampant rivals. It was no surprise when Hutchie added a third four minutes later, then, with Hendrie exhibiting another type of goal from his glittering repertoire of strikes. This time, from 20 yards out, his choice of accuracy over power worked to great effect and sealed Hendrie's hat-trick as a long-range shot arrowed into the bottom left-hand corner via the post.

Having looked down and out at 3-0 down, Tynecastle then suddenly raised their game to counter twice in the space of eight minutes. Referee Jim Sim adjudged Hutchie's Jack Allison's tackle on the edge of the box to be illegal, and Tynie No.?9 Kevin Dyet swept a glorious, arching free kick from 20 yards into the net off the right-hand post. Ross Dray then converted a low cross from the left to reduce the deficit to one, and a once-strutting Hutchie were reduced to now keeping their resilient opponents at bay.

Fortunately for the home side, Hendrie still had a trick up his sleeve, settling the game at 4-2 with his and Hutchie's fourth with a simple finish from inside the box. A delighted Vale coach, Alan Lucas, said: "That's one of the best games I've seen in a while. It's great to see the kids from both teams enjoying their football."

Hutchison Vale: Gregor Amos, Martin Lackie, Mathew Joint, Daniel Brown, Colin Jeffrey, Marc Berry, Christopher Hendrie, Taylor Hendrie, Hne Wannie Wilson, Connor McGregor, Jack McIntyre, Jack Thomson, Jack Fyvie, Richard Hutton, Shaun Green, Jack Allison, Dylan Rooney

Tynecastle: Neil Fairnie, Ben Hughes, Jamie Tubby, Daniel Graves, Liam Peden, Jamie Pearce, Kevin Dyet, Peter Reilly, Liam Connaghan, David Gebbie, Jamie Henderson, Martin Innes, Coll Donaldson, Kieran Muirhead, Ross Dray.