Hearts put 10 goals past Cowdenbeath in Scottish Championship

Genero Zeefuik notched the third fastest hat-trick in Scottish football history as Hearts beat Cowdenbeath 10-0 to record their biggest league win.

The Dutchman, a January loan arrival from FC Groningen, secured the matchball after three minutes and 34 seconds of first-half mayhem, which included two penalties and a red card. 

Cowdenbeath were already 2-0 down when Lewis Toshney was ordered off and thereafter their rampant hosts showed no mercy as their relentless march back to the Premiership shows no sign of slowing. 

Hearts were in the ascendancy from the first whistle and Billy King rattled the goalframe with a stinging drive after doing well to work space on the edge of the penalty area.

The breakthrough arrived when Sam Nicholson's shot hit Nathaniel Wedderburn's hand and the ensuing penalty was clinically dispatched by Zeefuik (26).

The home crowd had barely re-taken their seats when Jamie Walker held the ball up before feeding Zeefuik who turned and fired a low shot beyond Robbie Thomson.

A difficult afternoon for the Blue Brazil assumed nightmarish proportions on 29 minutes when Nicholson was hauled down in the box by Lewis Toshney - who received his marching orders - before Zeefuik slammed home the spot-kick to match the club's record for a quick-fire treble; Andy Black setting the original mark against Arbroath in 1938, 

There was to be no respite for the beleaguered visitors as Nicholson (33) unleashed a rasping drive into the roof of the net before Nicholson turned provider, picking out Walker (39) who swept the ball in from 18 yards.

Morgaro Gomis was fouled in the box to bring about the third penalty of the afternoon and there was a familiar outcome as Gomis made no mistake from 12 yards before Alim Ozturk (61) found the bottom corner with a sweet hit.

There was to be no let up from the runaway leaders and Danny Wilson (68) got in on the act to make it 8-0 before Osman Sow's quick-fire brace (70 & 74) took the tally into double figures - and at that point the men in maroon declared, their 20-point advantage over city rivals Hibernian firmly intact