Tom Renaud capped his Hearts debut with a goal, but the Jambos suffered a 2-1 defeat to Livingston in Scott Pittman's testimonial match at Almondvale on Friday night. Over 3,000 fans turned out to honour Pittman, who marked 12 years at the club with an assist in a 60-minute run-out.
Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken fielded a mix-and-match lineup featuring four summer signings, including Renaud, MJ Kamson-Kamara, Josh McPake, and Calvin Miller, while Claudio Braga led the line amid intensifying transfer speculation. The team never quite clicked, struggling to find cohesion against a well-drilled Livingston side.
First-half struggles
Livingston took the lead in the 23rd minute when Sam Culbert and Robbie Muirhead combined on the right, and summer signing Cammy Palmer rose unmarked at the back post to head back across Ryan Fulton. The hosts doubled their advantage before half-time when Pittman took advantage of an Oisin McEntee error to whip in a cross, and Tyrese Fulton's diving header squirmed past the Hearts goalkeeper.
Hearts pulled one back three minutes before the break through Renaud, who netted after Calvin Miller's close-range shot was parried by Jerome Prior. The Frenchman, signed from third-tier side Versailles, showed energy in midfield, nipping into tackles and breaking forward to create chances.
Second-half pressure
Hearts pressed for an equaliser after the break, with Miller again denied by a fine Prior save before the keeper turned an Adam Forster drive over the bar. However, a raft of changes in the final 20 minutes, which saw eight youngsters introduced by Vrancken, took the sting out of the game. Elton Kabangu skewed wide when clean through with minutes to go, summing up a night where Hearts never quite clicked.
Five talking points from Almondvale
Pittman's night
Scott Pittman's standing at Livingston was celebrated by a bumper crowd of 3,563. The midfielder, now entering his 13th season after joining from Bo'ness United in 2014, holds the club record for appearances (470) and is their all-time top scorer with 56 goals. David Martindale once jokingly called him "Livingston's Frank Lampard" and hailed him as "pound for pound one of the best signings the club has ever made." Pittman chipped in with an assist in his 60-minute appearance.
Renaud revving
Tom Renaud is the type of signing Jamestown Analytics were brought in to identify. The 25-year-old lined up at the base of midfield alongside Tomas Magnusson and looked tidy, dragging an early shot wide and forcing a good save from Prior. He will be tasked with filling the void left by the departures of Cammy Devlin, Beni Baningime, and Marc Leonard.
Kamson-Kamara's debut
MJ Kamson-Kamara, a 20-year-old defender with just one EFL Trophy appearance for Lincoln City, started at right centre-back alongside Oisin McEntee. He looked composed on the ball but was raw defensively, with two headers from his side leading to Livingston's goals. He settled after the break but may face a wait for a starting spot when the real action begins.
Miller time
Calvin Miller, who finished last season with the league's top assist figures for Falkirk, looked sharp in the number 10 role behind Braga. He laid on chances for Renaud and Braga early on, forced an incredible goal-line clearance from Jack Wilkie, and set up Renaud's goal. Miller was the pick of the new signings, while Josh McPake had a quieter game on the wing.
Two friendlies in one day
Hearts played two friendlies on Friday, with a different squad beating Kilmarnock 3-1 earlier in the day. That match featured new signings Sabri Guendouz and Malachi Fagan-Walcott, who scored, along with Landry Kabore, Alexander Schwolow, Jamie McCart, Stephen Kingsley, Blair Spittal, and Sabah Kerjota. Stuart Findlay also made his return from ankle surgery off the bench.
