Skipper's dismissal makes life hard for Hearts
Published 8 Feb 2012 08:00
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ONLY one junior game beat the freezing weather at the weekend and after missing out the previous week in controversial circumstances Kelty Hearts got an East Super League outing at Boness.
But the the home side held on for a narrow win which has left Hearts struggling to get their league campaign bandwagon back on the road.
The other scheduled games were all victims of the frost of the previous few nights and these were scrubbed after morning inspections.
Boness United 1, Kelty Hearts 0.
HEARTS were furious last week when the referee chose to postpone their home game with Musselburgh due to a frozen touch line and at Boness they found a surface probably in worse shape than their's was.
But the referee decided it was game-on and in the opening stages neither side really created any good openings.
Then Boness got a break when Clark Kay and Roger Duffin got in a right old mix-up which left a United front man with the easiest of chances to open the scoring.
Worse was to happen for Kelty soon after when skipper Tom Courts slid into a challenge and came away with the ball but the whistler was of the opinion that he had got the man first and produced a red card.
The ten men were stunned and Boness had one or two decent chances but Kelty survived and at the other end Conrad Courts saw the home 'keeper produce a brilliant save from his fierce shot and then Darren Smith saw his effort finger-tipped over.
Hearts could have been level at the interval so they were still in the game but Boness looked to get a key second goal and produced one or two good attacks without worrying the visitors too much and the more the game went on the more the short-handed visitors dominated possession.
United were very well organised in defence but they should have struggled to keep a clean sheet when Robbie Henderson broke clear but instead of using spare men either side he went himself and his shot was saved.
Hearts kept working hard and late on there was another chance when the ball bobbled around the Boness six yard box and Graham Findlay, Duffin and Nelly McCabe all had shots blocked.
Kelty could just not get the goal which would have earned them a point.
Hearts boss Keith Burgess was very disappointed with the outcome. He said, "The goal we conceded was a bad mistake and the sending off was strange because Tam clearly got the ball.
"But even with only ten we had the much the better of possession and had a number of good chances.
"It was very frustrating to lose such a game after having so much of the play and our unbeaten run now seems so long ago.
"We will have to re-group for we have Linlithgow at home this weekend so it does not get any easier."
Saturday's fixtures: East Super League, Kelty Hearts v Linlithgow Rose (2pm). East of Scotland Cup, Dundonald Bluebell v West Calder, Hill of Beath Hawthorn v Blairgowrie (2pm).
East Premier League, Ballingry Rovers v Newtongrange Star (2pm). Central League, Lochgelly Albert v Jeanfield Swifts, Lochore Welfare v Thornton Hibs, Steelend Victoria v Crossgates Primrose (2pm).
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