14-0 Hearts B thrashing 'no good for youth development'

Hearts B's 14-0 humbling by Ross County in the KDM Evolution Trophy on Saturday "doesn't do anything for development" of young players, former Scotland internationals Willie Miller and Callum Davidson have warned. The visitors had some players on youth international duty and had 16-year-old centre-back Robbie Flockhart sent off 34 minutes. But the League 1 leaders were already four goals ahead by that time. "It sounds like they must have been down to the bare bones and obviously getting a man sent off as well," former Aberdeen manager Miller said on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound. Why does Robbie Ure have Robbie Ure on his Scotland shirt? Hibs take winger Matondo on trial - gossip Who has your Scottish League 1 club brought in & let go? - Summer 2026 "You would hope there would be some kind of mechanism to actually postpone these games if there was international duty to be taken into consideration. "Because that doesn't do anything for development and that's the idea of the B teams - it is about developing players. "That can only set players back I would suggest - and not just players - coaching staff as well. If you are in charge of a B squad and you take that kind of a beating, there's bound to be questions coming from above on why." The KDM Evolution Trophy, formerly the Challenge Cup, has been expanded this season to 50 teams - 30 from the lower three tiers of the Scottish Professional Football League, 10 B teams from Premiership clubs and 10 from the Highland and Lowland leagues. It is currently in the six-game, 40-team Champions League-style league phase and Dundee, Hibernian and Motherwell B teams sit bottom with no points from five games. Hearts B had, though, won two of theirs, despite also having 13 young players out on loan, before the long journey to Dingwall. Former St Johnstone manager Davidson pointed out that County have a strong, confident squad determined to return to the second tier after relegation last season. "You've got to be really careful," he said of the heavy beating. "It will affect a few of the young lads. "You want to see them compete at this level - and they have been competing. It is just one of those games you would rather not see or witness. "You just want to make sure you protect them a little bit but also expose them to that kind of level as well. "So the ones that did play will maybe say 'right, this is the level we have to get to because we were so far off it'. With one set of games left, Lowland League West side Clydebank are the surprise leaders, one point ahead of County, Airdrieonians, Elgin City, Cove Rangers and Peterhead, while Alloa Athletic and Queen of the South have also booked their places in the last 32. Visit our Hearts page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Hearts news notifications in the BBC Sport app