Published: Thursday, 9th October, 2008 10:50am

Kelty flops face the axe

by Simon Harris

Comments (0) | Print | Email

KELTY HEARTS stars are fighting for their futures after another Super League setback.

The Jambos were well beaten, 2-0 at Forfar West End on Saturday, and that could spell the end for some of the players with management duo Stevie Leighton and Craig Smart losing patience.

Leighton tore into his players last week after a cup defeat to Bo"ness and said the game against Forfar would go a long way to making up his mind about some of his under-performing players.

Leighton was abroad this week but assistant Smart told Press Sport, 'The players are playing for their futures, to stay at Kelty Hearts.

'We need to bring players in who can work hard. The ball"s in their court now – it"s up to them.

'They"re at a fantastic club but they maybe won"t realise that until they"ve left.

'It"s a great club and they get looked after really well by the management and the committee. I"d just like them to show that on the football field.

'We still had enough good players to certainly get a result up at Forfar but they whupped us.

'You"ve got to work as hard, if not harder, when you"re not in possession of the ball as when you"re in possession but our workrate when we didn"t have the ball on Saturday was quite poor.

'Unfortunately, it looks as if there will be changes in playing staff just now and it"s possible there will be changes on Saturday.

'We have high expectations and we always have done – not just at Kelty but wherever we have been, in our own playing careers as well.

'Guys have really got to stand up and be counted.'

After four matches without a win, the Jambos couldn"t face a much tougher assignment than Linlithgow Rose at home but Smart said, 'I don"t think we could have better opposition because they are a good side and we will have to work hard.'

New signings Craig Hutt and Dale Bouglas made an immediate impact as Rosyth Recreation ended Kirkcaldy"s 100 per cent record to go third in the East of Scotland Central League on Saturday.

Hutt, a goalkeeper signed from Burntisland Shipyard, and Bouglas, a sweeper who"s joined from Super League side Hill of Beath, both played the full 90 minutes in Rosyth"s 2-1 home win over Kirkcaldy.

The win was all the more satisfying for co-bosses Jock Lumsden and Paul Mooney as another new signing, Czech striker Ondrej Koc showed signs of nearing full fitness by scoring the first and setting up the second in his side"s win.

'It was a game of two halves; the first belonged to us but they came out with a different system in the second half and then scored to make it 2-1 but the boys did well,' Lumsden said.

'I was pleased with the result and with the first-half performance and also with the way the defence coped with the pressure.

'The two new boys fitted in very well and had a big impact on the result.'

Rosyth are third with a game in hand on leaders Kirkcaldy and Lumsden added, 'Everything is starting to knit together on and off the park with all the hard work being put in by the committee and the coaches at the club.'

Lumsden was also delighted that Czech Koc found the net and he said, 'He is doing really well.

"We are playing him wide on the left, which he"s enjoying as he"s getting to run at boys, and that was his best game since he came to us.

'He"s approaching 100 per cent fitness and is looking dangerous.'

Recs go into Saturday"s league match at Bankfoot with a fully fit squad from which to choose with the exception of long-term injury victim Ally Grieve (knee).

Managerless Oakley suffered a 3-1 defeat at Newtongrange Star to leave them struggling at the bottom of the East Premier League despite Peter Bannantyne"s consolation goal.

Crossgates Primrose face a replay in the Scottish Cup after drawing 0-0 at Premier League side Blairgowrie, while Steelend lost 3-2 in the Central League to Jeanfield Swifts.

Saturday fixtures: East Region Super League – Kelty Hearts v Linlithgow Rose. East Region Premier League – Oakley United v Dundonald Bluebell. Scottish Cup, first round replay – Crossgates Primrose v Blairgowrie. East Region Central League – Bankfoot v Rosyth Recreation, Steelend Victoria v Luncarty. (Kick-offs 2.30pm).