High-fives for on-fire Kelty

THRILLED Thomas Courts hailed the opening 45 minutes of his side's thumping win at Lochee as some of the best football of his managerial reign.

High-flying Hearts maintained their unbeaten record to move 10 points clear at the Super League summit after they dismantled the Taysiders at Thomson Park and the Kelty player/boss described playing in a scintillating first half as a "privilege".

Courts had anticipated a tough test at their mid-table hosts, who accounted for 2014 winners Hurlford United in this season's Junior Cup, but Kelty came flying out the blocks and took a 10th minute lead from Scott Dalziel.

A free week the previous weekend looked to have been of great benefit to the West Fifers when Dalziel made it 2-0 with half an hour played, and things got even better for the visitors before half-time when Stephen Husband added a third from a free-kick after Lochee goalkeeper Mark Fotheringham was dismissed for a foul on Dalziel.

Craig Thomson's stunning 30-yarder that flew into the top corner made it four in 65 minutes before former Pars hitman Jordan Moore completed the rout with a fine left-foot finish into the bottom corner of the net.

Courts commented: "Lochee is a tough place to go, especially when you look at some of their results and performances, and we knew have to be there or thereabouts at our best. It was a really electric start and when we got our noses in front and the second goal, the momentum was too much for Lochee to handle. It was almost like everything we had spoken about and planned came to the fore. The first 45 minutes was some of the best football we've played since I became manager and the players' work rate, intensity and togetherness meant it was a privilege to play with them.

"I hope it will plant a seed in their head that we are a difficult team to stop when we're in full flow. We're the only junior team in Scotland that is unbeaten, which I am proud of, but my job is to make the players realise that it is only three points. But I think we've got a gameplan and style to see us through the winter period; I've only spoken about it once but for them to apply how I want the game played in such spectacular fashion was really pleasing."

He added: "We've got two big season defining games coming up against Broughty and then Ashfield in the Junior Cup, so fingers crossed we can keep this run going. Other teams maybe will feel a bit of deflation coming off and hearing Kelty have won again, so we want to keep this wave of momentum going.

"If we can keep the squad fit, then I'd class us as contenders in all competitions because we have a talented group of players."

Blackburn United 1 Crossgates Primrose 3, DJ Laing East of Scotland Cup

PRIMROSE boss Andy Brown said that his side's surprise win at Blackburn United was one they were due.

The Humbug Park outfit dismissed their South Division rivals, and league leaders, from the East of Scotland Cup after coming from behind in an impressive display in West Lothian.

Ewan Herriot fired United ahead in the 26th minute but Liam Forbes pulled Crossgates level seven minutes before half-time.

The visitors took the game to Blackburn and were rewarded when centre back Mark Higgins headed in a double to secure their passage to the next round despite Darren Carroll being sent off for two bookings.

Brown said: "I did say that someone was going to get it; everything clicked and we played well. They went 1-0 up through a mistake from our centre half but he redeemed himself by scoring two goals, and we saw the game out really well.

"The boys worked their socks off and, when we played them at the beginning of the season (Blackburn won 3-1), they were really clinical. But we've improved a lot since then and I'm really happy with how things are going. I don't think the astroturf suits them; if you got at them with a bit of pace like we did then they can struggle. We handled everything they had up top and at half-time they were arguing with themselves. I said to the players then that I know we've got them.

"I think they underestimated us and thought they could rest of a couple of players, but I had to leave one out and was missing another five because of work and injuries. They're really playing as a team and for each other, and their work ethic is great."

He added: "You'd want a Kelty or Linlithgow away in the next round but I hope this gets their confidence up. The next step is to get points on the table but after Christmas we should be where I want them to be in terms of fitness and what's expected of them.

"If we win two games then we'll already have a better points tally than Crossgates have had in the last two years. It's going in the right direction."

Dunbar United 2 Oakley United 0

LEE RICHARDSON felt his Oakley United side were unlucky to leave Dunbar pointless after a first half double condemned them to defeat.

The Blairwood Park men travelled to one of the favourites for South Division promotion on the back of a run of four wins in five matches and gave as good as they got for long spells.

In what was a first league meeting between the clubs, Kevin Gollan struck the crossbar with a shot from distance for Oakley in the seventh minute but fell behind in the 16th minute when a mix-up between keeper Ross Harkness and Brian Breen from Steven Kean's cross left Darren Handling the simple task of tapping in at the far post.

The home side doubled their advantage just after the half hour mark when Handling again tapped in after Harkness saved Dean Ballantyne's shot but, despite Tony Doubleday forcing home keeper John Johnstone into an excellent reflex save with a header from a corner, Oakley couldn't find a route back into the match.

Richardson however remained upbeat and said: "We were really unlucky and the boys were devastated at the end, which is good for me to see because it shows there's fire in their belly and they're not happy at getting beat. We hit the bar twice and their goalkeeper made a great save from Kevin Gollan but we conceded a soft free-kick that their boy took up the line, they crossed it and our goalkeeper and centre half got in a mix-up and it dropped to the back post for their boys to tap in. Then the same boy scored again after Ross made a good save from a decent strike so we were two down against the run of play.

"In the second half we were playing against the wind but we played a lot of good stuff. Their keeper made a great save from Tony Doubleday's header but their two centre backs were class and saw the game out. They've only lost one goal at home which shows you how tight their defence is.

"We felt a wee bit hard done by but it's good to go to Dunbar and do ok. They're the best team we've played so far and I think they'll win the league, so I don't think we're far away."

Rosyth 1 West Calder United 2

ROSYTH co-manager Kevin Smith was left deflated after West Calder took home all three points from Recreation Park.

Smith had to do without six members of his squad for the game but lamented what he described as a "laboured" performance that sees their winless run in the South Division stretch to three games.

Stephen Fyffe and David Lowe fired West Calder 2-0 ahead and, although Stevie Slimmings scored an excellent consolation, a Rosyth team that finished with 10 men were beaten.

Smith said: "It wasn't a very good game but we were the better team until they scored. Then we got a man sent off and after that there was no competition; they went 2-0 up but then we got it back to 2-1 with a really good goal between the players. At 1-0 they weren't any better than us but we were laboured and can't win or perform consistently, which is why we are where we are. The team who works hardest and makes the least mistakes in this league wins the game but we made too many mistakes. I was disappointed in our discipline to have a man sent off; the first booking was for dissent and at this level you're always going to mistime a tackle.

"It's not an excuse but we were missing six players, which is too much. There was no room to change players or the shape of the team and every week we're missing one or two boys. We need a reaction on Saturday in terms of performance and having a full squad available."

Saturday's fixtures (kick-offs 2pm): McBookie.com Super League - Kelty Hearts v Broughty Athletic. McBookie.com South Division - Oakley United v Easthouses Lily, Stoneyburn v Rosyth, West Calder United v Crossgates Primrose.