Hearts result is one of our best says East Fife boss Darren Young

The Fifers drew 1-1 with the Premiership side in their final Betfred Cup match and the point gained after winning the penalty shoot out was enough to see them through to the next round of the competition.

Young said: “As the season has gone on we’ve got better and better.

“It was great the way it ended, obviously we didn’t win the group and had to hold on for the Dundee win the next day, but that was great as well.”

The Fifers improved as the game went on, and Young admitting they had been under the cosh for the first 20 minutes.

“I think they just had to believe in themselves a wee bit more,” he said, “I think we maybe showed Hearts a bit too much respect.

“Don’t get me wrong, they’re a good team, but we dug in and I think that’s the sign of a good team – when you’re not playing well but you’re still putting bodies on the line. It was great to see.”

Rangers will visit Bayview in the next round, with Young saying: “It’s a good draw for the fans and everyone connected with the club. You’ve always got a chance but I think if you stay at home it helps that bit more.”

Saturday will see the Fifers kick off their League One campaign with a tricky away tie to new boys Clyde.

“I said to the players that we’ve done well so far but the real work starts now,” Young said.

“Like every team that’s just come up from a lower division, they’ll want to prove that they deserve to be in this division.

“So it’s up to us to go and perform like we have in our last three matches.”