KELTY Hearts made the brave decision to move Saturday’s East Super League clash with Boness United to Newtown Park after Central Park failed an inspection on Friday.

And by time-up they would have been wondering if it was all worth it as the champions beat Hearts for the second time in four weeks.

Like the Scottish Junior Cup tie, when United edged home by the odd goal in three, this was a very tight game.

But the home side defended superbly to keep a grip on the Hearts dangermen and they sneaked the win to give Kelty their first Super League defeat.

However, Hearts are still top of the table and are, indeed, 12 points clear of United but with two more games played.

Hearts are five ahead of Newtongrange Star with one game more played so there is no need for any panic from Hearts and they just need to ensure they pick up all three points from Sauchie this weekend.

Hearts had a couple of pre-match shocks when Chris Hughes failed a late futness test then Shaun Greig was injured in the warm-up.

The teams were cancelling each other out in the early stages with both defences tight and little space available in midfield but on the 15 minute mark Hearts top scorer, Stuart Cargill, had a fierce drive bravely blocked by a defender and moments later Craig O’Reilly had a drive blocked.

Hearts had seldom been troubled but three minutes from the break Boness got a bit closer to a breakthrough when a set piece saw a shot deflected behind for a corner. From a short corner the ball was swept into the box and a powerful header was cleared off the line by Cargill and on the interval Kelty player/boss Thomas Courts had to go off with an injury.

Kelty immediately forced a couple of corners after the break, however, these were dealt with comfortably by the home defence but Bo’ness were starting to dominate the midfield and they broke the deadlock just before the hour mark.

The hosts won a corner and from the set piece the ball was not cleared and a twenty yard shot went into the bottom corner.

The home side continued to contain Kelty well and it took good work by the Hearts defence to keep the Super League leaders in the game.

Just before full-time Kelty midfielder Mark Morrison received his second yellow as the visitors’ frustrations grew and they finished with ten.

Hearts boss Thomas Courts (above) felt that his team failed to find the form that took care of Linlithgow the previous week, “There was plentyof endeavour but we just did not create enough, especially in the second-half.” The overnight frost put paid to the other fixtures and the Boness-Kelty game was the only one played in the East Region.

Saturday’s fixtures, McBookie.com East Super League, Sauchie Athletic v Kelty Hearts, Bonnyrigg Rose v Hill of Beath Hawthorn. McBookie.com East Premier League, Dundonald Bluebell v Dundee North End, McBookie South Division, Crossgates Primrose v Lochgelly Albert. McBookie.com North Division, Newburgh v Lochore Welfare (all games 1.30pm).