■ Marcus Campanile (15) heads home to make it 3-0 to Tynecastle

Tynecastle produced a brilliant team performance to cast aside a lacklustre Hutchison Vale side and storm into the last sixteen of the Scottish Cup.

And yet after just 35 seconds Tynie were reduced to 10 men when Cameron Young was red carded for tugging the jersey as last man in an early Hutchie attack.

But it was the men in maroon who controlled this game and went onto overrun Hutchison Vale in the second half when the winning margin could have been greater.

A large crowd had congregated around the sun-bathed Wardie pitch for this eagerly awaited Scottish Cup tie between two of Scotland largest and most successful youth clubs. But within 35 seconds of the kick off it looked like the game might be over when Tynecastle’s Cameron Young was red carded by Jim Sim for pulling back on a Hutchison Vale attacker as he bore down on goal.

Hutchie must have thought they would go on and win this match with their opponents having to play 69 minutes with one less player. And for 15 minutes or so they were in the ascendency as Tynecastle struggled slightly to adjust to the early setback.  But it still took them fully 13 minutes to test Tynecastle’s goalkeeper, Cameron Tulloch, when a free kick by Scott MacKenzie was floated in towards the far post where it evaded Dylan Moore and Ryan Beveridge before being tipped over for a corner by Tulloch.

Hutchison Vale’s impotency in attack was to go on to be a feature of this game and they very rarely threatened in any consistent and aggressive way. Their old foes were simply first to get to every ball all over the pitch, galvanised by the sending off of their teammate so early on. In attack they were more direct with captain Jordan Sinclair prompting things from the middle of the park.

And as they grew in confidence they started to probe and ask questions of an increasingly stretched Vale defence. Urged on by a passionate sideline the young Tynie players took control of this game and thought they had taken the lead after 16 minutes when Sean Elliot had the ball over the line only for the “goal” to be disallowed for offside.

On 19 minutes Hutchie suddenly sprang to life when Dylan Moore skipped past 3 lunging tackles on the right wing before playing a terrific cut back into the path of Ritchie Cleeton but his side volleyed effort was too direct at Cameron Tulloch and he saved comfortably on his line.

But  it was the boys in maroon that were in the ascendancy and on 25 minutes they scored a fine opener of a goal. A corner on the left wasn’t fully cleared and when it broke to George Hunter just outside the box he steadied himself before unleashing a high looping shot that sailed into the top right hand corner of the net.

Hutchie’s supporters thought they had equalised almost immediately when the ball nestled in the corner of the net and stanchion from a direct free kick by Jamie Redpath but their celebrations were short lived as referee Jim Sim pointed for a bye kick as the ball had whistled inches past the wrong side of the post.

A minute before half time and Tynecastle scored a crucial second goal from the penalty spot. Jordan Sinclair was brought down on the left edge of the box as he weaved his way towards goal and the Tynie captain dusted himself down to wrong foot Ross Cairney and send his side in two up at the break.

Half Time 0-2

35 minutes to go and you probably would have expected Hutchison Vale to have a real go at Tynecastle who would likely tire the longer this game went on. But it wasn’t to be. Not that Vale didn’t  attempt to gain a foothold. Substitutions were made and at times it looked like it was almost 2-4-4 that they were playing but Tynecastle’s big three at the back – Gregor Lockhart, Neil Martynuik and Mikey Hamilton - were in full command of things giving Cameron Tulloch little to do but take on board the coaching from the sidelines about his bye kicking technique!

Indeed it was Tynecastle who continued to pour forward in ever greater numbers and they almost snatched a third just 3 minutes into the second half when Marcus Campanile, who had a terrific game, surged down the right but found no takers for his low cross that whizzed beyond the face of the goal.

Then on 44 minutes Sean Elliot looked to have extended the lead when he found himself with the ball in the centre of the goal about 6 yards out. But he couldn’t quite get the ball out of his feet quickly enough and his resultant shot was tame and easily saved.

By now Tynie were swarming at will all over Hutchie Vale with Campanile and Connor Brydon increasingly influential and it was the former who put this game beyond any lingering doubt on 51 minutes. A free kick on the wide right was swung in left footed by captain Sinclair towards the back post where it was headed home by Campanile going back across goal into the bottom right hand corner.

The goal was wildly celebrated around the big Wardie pitch and no more so than by the Tynecastle players themselves as they knew their place was now assured in the next round. Collectively they had pulled together after the initial early sending off and had produced a remarkable performance.

Hutchie hadn’t given up quite yet however and it took a magnificent last ditch tackle by Andrew McBride to thwart Gavin Reid as he sprinted in on goal. Then the boys in black and gold had an even better chance to haul themselves a lifeline when a free kick was floated into the box and fell to Ryan Beveridge just 8 yards out but his poked shot went past the post and a rare opportunity went awry.

Tynecastle closed out this game on 66 minutes with the goal of the game. Marcus Campanile took the ball into feet midway inside the Hutchison Vale half. He played the ball into Jordan Sinclair who then sent Campanile clear down the left channel with a delightful threaded pass.

The young Tynecastle player tore into the box before squaring the ball past the recovering Vale defence where it was met at the back post by Aiden Thomson who had the simplest of jobs of passing the ball into the empty net.

It was a terrific end to an excellent fast paced game. One that Tynecastle bossed more or less from start to finish and they deservedly take their place in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.