Cove Rangers were beaten 3-0 by an accomplished Hearts side in the Premier Sports Cup at Tynecastle.
Andy Halliday and Liam Boyce had the hosts 2-0 up at half-time, with Hearts fans back in their stadium for the first time in more than a year.
Gary Mackay-Steven rattled in a third in the second period, with the newly-promoted Jambos having little to worry them in seeing out the win.
Peterhead are next up for Cove on Saturday at Balmoor, after they were beaten on Tuesday night by Caley Thistle.
Cove made four changes from the 3-2 defeat to Stirling Albion, with Kyle Gourlay, Mitch Megginson, Connor Scully and Leighton McIntosh in for Stuart McKenzie, Rory McAllister, Ryan Strachan and Broque Watson.
A near-2,000-strong crowd were back in Tynecastle for the first time in 494 days, relayed with understandable glee by the stadium announcer and delivering a noise which has been sorely missing since March 2020.
They saw a Cove side start with little fear, with McIntosh having one effort blocked and another acrobatically cleared off the line by Michael Smith.
Paul Hartley’s side had given Hearts’ Edinburgh neighbours Hibernian a scare in this competition last year; on that occasion Daniel Higgins gave them an early lead with a spectacular free-kick.
This time they found themselves behind with 11 minutes gone, with the Cove defence affording Halliday too much time and he found the bottom corner from 25 yards.
The visitors were still short on players and match practice. Only three outfield players were named on the bench, while Cove had also missed a good chunk of pre-season – including three friendlies, due to Covid issues.
Strachan’s injury on Saturday meant moving Ross Draper to centre-back, where he played on occasion for Inverness, but there was a clear lack of options for Hartley on his return to his former club.
Hearts upped the ante mid-way through the first half. Teenager Finlay Pollock, making his first start, had already hit the outside of the post when Liam Boyce saw a rising shot deflected over the top. Only an instinctive block from Gourlay prevented Smith adding a second.
Gourlay, who finished last season starting for Hamilton Accies in their relegation from the Premiership, was called into action again before the interval as he gratefully collected Gary Mackay-Steven’s attempt from the edge of the box.
But the Cove stopper will have to shoulder some of the blame for the home side’s second on 45 minutes, punching a cross straight to Boyce who was able to turn home.
The resistance put up by the Aberdeen side was starting to wane. Josh Ginnelly and Mackay-Steven had slashed at opportunities, when greater composure might have brought them greater reward.
Mackay-Steven had to wait less than a minute to make amends. Vigurs was caught in possession by Halliday just outside his own area, with the ex-Aberdeen and Celtic winger teed up. Mackay-Steven’s finish was assured, wrapping it into the bottom right corner.
Draper headed over in what was a rare foray forward for the away side in the second half. They had to again count on Gourlay to keep the score down as he was able to get in the way of a Ginnelly strike.
There may be further concern for Cove on the injury front too, with Scott Ross coming off in the second half and Harry Milne – just back from a long lay-off with an ankle injury – treated on the field before walking off to be replaced by young defender Rhys Thomas.
Substitute McAllister almost diverted a driven cross by Fraser Fyvie inside the near post, however there was little denying Hearts’ superiority on a much-welcomed homecoming.