Kelty Hearts 0 Alloa Athletic 1

KELTY HEARTS saw their penultimate home game of the season on Saturday end in defeat as Connor Sammon provided a sting in the tail for the Wasps.

The sides looked set to be heading for a share of the spoils when, in stoppage time, the experienced forward headed home a Luke Strachan corner to seal all three points for Alloa Athletic.

Visiting boss, Brian Rice, hailed his side's success as "a great three points", and believed his side "dominated the full match" against a home side that had little to play for other than pride.

In their first game since it was announced that manager, John Potter, would leaving at the end of the campaign, after just one season in charge, along with managing director and general manager, Dean McKenzie, and sporting director, Andrew Barrowman, the 'Maroon Machine' went in search of their first victory in eight outings.

They had failed to win since a 3-0 success at home to Queen of the South on February 25, picking up four draws and suffering four losses, and had failed to score in any of their previous three outings.

Those matches – at Falkirk, on the weekend that their survival in League One was secured, Dunfermline and at home to Clyde – had yielded a point in each ahead of facing an Alloa side that had lost their previous two outings, after a run of three successive wins.

The visitors, sitting in fourth, were keen to make up for their defeat to Queen of the South, who had moved to within three points of Alloa, in the final promotion play-off spot.

Kelty, who had drawn twice with their Clackmannanshire opponents, having lost the first meeting of the season between them, looked unlikely to finish anywhere other than eighth, and needed Darren Jamieson in goal to push Stefan Scougall's powerful effort over the bar.

Joe Cardle, still searching the 100th senior goal of his career, sent an effort from distance too high in response, before Jon Robertson headed Daniel Church's cross off-target for the Wasps.

Ross Philp, under pressure from an Alloa defender, was unfortunate not to do better with a Cardle centre after the interval, before Darren Lyon shot over after good play between Jamie Barjonas and Cardle to set him up.

Lyon went even closer late on, shooting just wide from the edge of the box, whilst substitute, Jordan Hunter, forced Jay Hogarth into a decent stop from a shot across goal.

However Sammon, who had earlier been denied by Jamieson, won it for Alloa with 16th goal of the campaign to inflict a 15th league defeat from 33 outings for Kelty, who are nine points adrift of seventh-placed Montrose, with three games to play.

Kelty Hearts: Jamieson, Megwa, Thomson (Philp 36), Milne, Peggie, Darge, Barjonas, Tidser (Graham 90), Lyon, Cardle (Hunter 72), Agyeman.

Subs not used: McCulloch, Shearer, Kamgna Junior, Campbell.