Rosyth 0 Harthill Royal 7

ROSYTH are looking for a new manager after they parted company with Barry Cockburn in the wake of the loss to Harthill Royal.

Club secretary Alfie Blair confirmed to Press Sport that Cockburn had left by mutual consent and that captain Ryan O’Connor had been placed in caretaker charge.

Cockburn and fellow coach Kevin Smith were handed the Recreation Park reigns in the summer of 2016 after Lee Richardson left to join Dundonald Bluebell before Smith left his role in February last year.

That left Cockburn in sole charge and the team finished eighth in the South Division and, after starting the current campaign with two successive defeats, Rosyth rallied to win four of their next five league games.

They have taken maximum points in seven of their 15 games and are ninth in the table but, after this home humbling to the team directly below them, Cockburn is no longer in charge.

Blair confirmed: “It was by mutual consent. We’ve got a decent squad but it has been depleted over the last few months; we had 25 players but are now down to 13. We’re down to the bare bones and that’s down to some long-term injuries and people who want to move on, and that happens in football.

“Captain Ryan O’Connor is taking the reigns at the moment until the committee get together to decide where we go next.”

A young Rosyth team were two goals down – despite the visitors having a penalty saved – when they were awarded one of their own just after the break, which led to the dismissal of the Harthill goalkeeper.

Unbelievably, the visiting man who missed from 12 yards donned the gloves and saved the spot-kick before his team moved forward quickly and added a third.

Two further quick goals helped consign the hosts to a chastening defeat, and Blair added: “We had a 16-year-old keeper playing who was outstanding; he kept the score down and saved a penalty.

“We got a penalty and their keeper was sent off and the boy who missed theirs went in goal and saved it. At 2-1, we maybe could’ve got a draw or gone on to win, but they went straight up the park and scored. They got two quick goals after that and it was about trying to keep the score down.

“We had a few 17-year-olds playing and it’s a helluva leap up to junior level but they don’t seemed awed by it.”

Crossgates Primrose 3 Oakley United 0

THE derby spoils stayed on home soil for Crossgates Primrose as they saw off Oakley United’s challenge comfortably on Saturday.

Alan Campbell’s side were playing their first match of the new year – and their first in the South Division since a 4-1 win over West Calder United in mid-November – and moved up to seventh in the table with a deserved victory.

Opposite number Lee Richardson admitted that the Humbug Park outfit were worthy of the three points, which reversed United’s 6-1 victory over their rivals at Blairwood Park in September.

It was a 90 minutes in sharp contrast to the previous week for Richardson, when he watched his team enjoy derby day glory against Rosyth, as they got off to the worst possible start.

Just five minutes were on the clock when, from a kick-out from goalkeeper David Manderson, Oakley’s attempt to play an offside trap failed as veteran striker Andy Watt fired the home side ahead.

It got better 10 minutes later when midfielder Dale Allan netted a second goal to leave Oakley with a mountain to climb.

It proved to be insurmountable as, on the hour mark, Primrose wrapped up the win – their seventh of the league campaign – with a third goal through Mark McKenzie.

Having played three games less, Crossgates find themselves just nine points adrift of second-top Edinburgh United ahead of this weekend’s trip to Easthouses Lily but it was disappointment for Oakley boss Richardson, who commented: “I was disappointed on Saturday because we didn’t perform. The heavy conditions didn’t suit us and we probably tried to play too much football and it didn’t work.

“Crossgates played to their strengths and hit us with two early goals. The first one is criminal; I said before the game about the goalkeeper and that he kicks well, and we tried to play offside. For the second one, we thought the ball was going out the park and four of them stopped.

“The second half was a bit better and we huffed and puffed but it was a derby and Crossgates rolled their sleeves up and we never.

“Fair play to Crossgates – they deserved the three points. If two or three players don’t turn up then you might have a chance but seven or eight of ours didn’t turn up, or Crossgates stopped them from turning up.

“Everyone knows that we’re better than what we showed on Saturday. I’m putting it down to an off-day; I want a big reaction from the players against Kirkcaldy on Saturday.”

SFA South Region Challenge Cup third round: Kelty Hearts 2 Threave Rovers 2 (aet Threave Rovers win 5-4 on pens)

THOMAS COURTS hailed what he described as his team’s “most complete display of the season” – despite going out of the SFA South Region Challenge Cup.

South of Scotland League leaders Threave Rovers eventually booked a quarter-final place after a penalty shoot-out in a topsy-turvy clash that saw the hosts have Murray Carstairs sent off before the interval.

The result was not ideal preparation for this weekend’s huge East of Scotland League game at Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale – like Kelty, boasting a 100 per cent record – but Courts found reasons to be pleased with their performance.

Hearts took the lead when Conrad Courts’ cross was poorly defended and played to the feet of Scott Dalziel, who crossed low for Jordyn Sheerin to net inside the six-yard box.

Stephen Husband fired warning shots towards the Threave goal as the hosts searched for a second but their hopes were hit when they were reduced to 10 men.

There seemed to be little danger when a loose Courts pass deep inside opposition territory was hoofed hopefully upfield but Carstairs, in trying to deal with the high ball under pressure from forward Roman Soltys, brought the striker down in a last-man challenge.

Dalziel was inches away from connecting with Sheerin’s low centre after the break as Kelty continued to push but the visitors drew level when Steven Couper shot low across Christie’s goal after being found well by Soltys.

Still the home side attacked and Sheerin was unlucky to see a header land on top of the net after beating goalkeeper Jake Gemmell to a cross while Sean O’Neil should have done better than head wide from a pinpoint Husband set-piece.

The game went into extra time and only a brilliant flying stop by Gemmell prevented sub Errol Douglas from putting the home team ahead.

They were made to pay for those missed chances when Scott Wilby’s speculative volley from the edge of the area landed in the bottom corner of Christie’s net to give Threave the lead in the first period of extra time but, in the second, Dalziel hammered home from a headed knockdown to equalise.

Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t force a winner and Ross Philp’s saved penalty proved the difference as Threave netted all five of their kicks to go through.

Courts said: “That was probably our most complete display of the season. What an effort and performance from the 10 men.

“I wanted that for the boys so badly but a cruel loss. All the best to Threave in the next round.”

Saturday’s fixtures (kick-offs 1.45pm): McBookie.com South Division – Easthouses Lily v Crossgates Primrose, Oakley United v Kirkcaldy YM, Pumpherston v Rosyth. East of Scotland League – Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale v Kelty Hearts (2pm).