Hearts' back on the winning trail

Meanwhile Hill of Beath Hawthorn won again to keep their hopes alive of a top six finish and Dundonald Bluebell won another key three points.

Kelty Hearts 4,

Penicuik Athletic 0.

HEARTS bounced back to top form in this important Super League game on the Central Park astro turf.

The visitors are always awkward opponents but credit to Kelty who came out of the traps fast and they put Athletic on the back foot from the start.

Home hero was striker Stuart Cargill who was back among the goals with a superbly taken hat-trick.

Hearts were looking to take the lead from the kick-off and the Penicuik goal had a close shave before the opener came.

After the ball had been worked into the danger area Cargill produced a trademark finish to beat the ‘keeper in only two minutes.

Penicuik were struggling to win a lot of quality possession and they seldom posed any problems for Hearts and after six minutes Brian Ritchie gave them a 2-0 lead.

There could have been more before the break as Penicuik struggled to contain Kelty.

Athletic tried to mount a fight-back at the start of the second period but did not create much and Hearts went back looking for goals and the key third came from another good Cargill finish.

It was now damage limitation time for Penicuik and they defended pretty well, but late in the game Cargill bagged his hat-trick with a superbly taken finish.

Hearts need a lot of work to be done to get back into the title picture. They lie third on 46 points, eight behind leaders Bonnyrigg Rose with a game in hand, and a win at Sauchie on Wednesday is needed.

Hill of Beath Hawthorn 3,

Camelon 1.

THE Haws’ desire to finish in the top six of the East Super League table was heightened by this fine performance and result against Camelon at Keir’s Park.

Haws are closing in on the top six clubs and this was an impressive show against a team that have been picking up points steadily all season.

The opening stages of the match saw the Falkirk side have some decent possession without really threatening the home side.

Then with the first quarter coming to an end Scott McCrindle opened the door for Calum Adamson who raced into the Camelon box and fired an unsaveable shot into the net from an acute angle.

Camelon hit back and Haws’ ‘keeper Stuart Hall saved superbly from a good shot and then the visitors hit the bar.

But shortly after Lee Bryce’s cross was perfect for Adamson and his header made the break score 2-0, although Lewis McKenzie scorned two golden chances to make the interval lead more emphatic.

The second period saw McKenzie go through but he shot wide and gradually Camelon came back into the game and in 70 minutes they pulled one back after a set piece had not been properly cleared by the Haws.

The home side saw two good efforts cleared off the line as the pressure built on Camelon and the safety goal eventually came when a home defender knocked the ball into his own net.

Hill of Beath manager Bobby Wilson was happy with the overall result although he felt his team have played better: “Some of our passing was not as good as we can achieve but we still created several very good chances.

“We now have to look to win as many as we can in the run-in and if we can get three or four results we will be up their competing for a top six spot.”

Dundonald Bluebell 2,

Bathgate Thistle 1.

THISTLE were awkward opponents for East Premier League leaders Dundonald Bluebell at Moorside and they had to defend well in the closing stages to ensure the win.

Bathgate opened the game pretty solidly and asked a couple of questions of the Dundonald defence but it was not long before Bluebell were looking for goals.

And they took the lead when a Bathgate defender handled in the box and Calum Young converted the penalty.

Thistle were dangerous at times and James Lennox had a couple of good saves to ensure the hosts went in at the break a goal to the good.

The second period saw Bluebell have a couple of good chances early in the half and when Scott Lawrie was fouled in the box Young again converted from the spot.

But Bathgate were not for giving up and they pulled one back but Bluebell went for the safety goal they needed and Young came close to getting his hat-trick being denied by a fine save.

The Thistle last line pulled off another could of good saves but the points stayed in Dundonald.

The result means that Bluebell lead the table and with Lochee United failing to win the advantage is even stronger now, but no one is getting carried away at Moorside.

Said manager Craig Morrison: “Bathgate are a team that makes you work hard for the three points but we did just that.

“The defensive work was good when it had to be and over the 90 minutes we were worth the win.

“There is still a lot to be done but we are in a good position which we aim to maintain.”

Lochgelly Albert 3,

Livingston United 0.

THE Berts continued their bid to get into the top five of the South Division with a comfortable win over Livingston.

It was all Albert right from the start and in the early stages Robertson went close and then Connor Schiavone rounded the ‘keeper but his shot was cleared off the line.

A goal had to come and on the half hour it came when Scott Gibson hit a first time volley from 22 yards which flew into the net.

It was all Lochgelly and a minute before the break they went two up when Schiavone beat the advancing Livi ‘keeper to shoot home.

The second period saw Lochgelly continue to have the upper hand and Livi were lucky not to concede more goals but on the hour John Ferguson got the third when he latched on to a cross from the left and swept the ball into the net.

Berts continued to have most of the ball and created chances but some great goalkeeping kept the score down.

However, it finished 3-0 and the points keep Lochgelly in seventh place but closing in on the top six.

Lochore Welfare 1,

Kinnoull 3.

A DISAPPOINTING result for Welfare as they never really looked like dominating play in this North Division fixture.

Short of several regulars through work commitments Welfare had manager Lee Dair and player/coach John Cusick in the starting line-up.

And the home team made a great start scoring early in the game when from a McMillan cross James Adam headed home.

For a spell Lochore looked capable of getting away from Kinnoull but the Perthshire team held on and five minutes from the break squared the game when a corner-kick deceived the home defence and the ball went straight in.

This gave Kinnoull all the momentum they needed and in the second period they controlled much of the play and it meant a lot of hard work for the Welfare defence.

For a long time it looked like they would hold on and Craig McGuire twice went close at the other end with 25 yarders but in 80 minutes Kinnoull got in front and a third with five minutes left ensured an away win.

The result pushes Lochore down to seventh and player/coach John Cusick said that having so many regulars out was too much to overcome: “We were too short of our strongest squad to really compete in this game.

“We defended well for long spells but the longer the game went we started to run out of steam and the second goal was the killer.”

Wednesday’s fixtures: East Super League: Sauchie Athletic v Kelty Hearts. North Division: Lochore Welfare v Glenrothes. Saturday’s fixtures: McBookie.com East Super League, Kelty Hearts v Tayport, Newtongrange Star v Hill of Beath of Beath Hawthorn.

McBookie.com East Premier League, Dundonald Bluebell v Montrose Roselea.

McBookie.com South Division, Lochgelly Albert v Stoneyburn. McBpookie.com North Division: Lochore Welfare v Dundee North End (all games 2.30pm).

Final qualifier

THE final qualifying event of the West Fife took place in the Silver Birch and despite a lower than usual

turn out some quality darts were thrown.

Ian Cochrane beat Stevie Mitchell in the final.

The finals will take place on Saturday May 21 in the Junction Bar.

First Round: Quarter Finals:

P Griggs 4 - J Quinn 1: P Scott 3 - S Mitchell 4: I Cochrane 4 - S Hutton 3: E Jeffery 4

S McKenzie 0: Semi Finals :P Griggs 0 - SMitchell 4: I Cochrane 4 - E Jeffery 3: Final: S Mitchell 1 - I Cochrane 4: