A crowd of 1,500 watched the victory, which saw Neil Critchley’s side lift the Ronnie Swan pre-season trophy – named for the sad passing of the Edinburgh-based team’s honorary president in 2014.
Of course, many of Critchley’s charges have jetted off to the United States for the senior-side’s pre-season tour, forcing the U23’s manager to opt for a youthful selection.
Critchley was had to make do without the likes of Rhian Brewster, Ryan Kent, Adam Lewis, Curtis Jones, Nathaniel Phillips, Liam Millar, Ki-Jana Hoever, plus the injured trio of Caiomhin Kelleher, Anderson Arroyo, and Paul Glatzel.
Instead, players such as Isaac Christie-Davis, right-back Neco Williams, Herbie Kane, Pedro Chirivella, Swindon Town-linked Shamal George, and of course goalscorer Bearne featured in the match.
The match commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the Edinburgh side’s charity, the Spartans Community Football Academy.