Penicuik Athletic 0 Kelty Hearts 1

THOMAS COURTS hailed his 10-man side’s dramatic victory at Penicuik as one of the most satisfying in their stunning opening to the Super League season.

Captain Shaun Greig lashed home a 91st-minute winner to make it nine wins out of nine for Kelty, who had midfielder Stephen Husband sent off for a second booking with 16 minutes of a tight contest left.

Player-boss Courts admitted that his side were far from their best, particularly in the opening 45 minutes, but was thrilled at the way in which they battled to maintain their 100 per cent record.

He told Press Sport: “It took the sending off for us to click into gear but when Shaun Greig scored the winning goal in 91st minute it was sheer elation. It was an enormous three points because I think Penicuik will have a say in the destination of the league. It is one of the most pleasing victories we’ve had so far.”

He added: “In the first half we were well below par and made a lot of basic errors. At half-time there were a few choice words exchanged but it is great testament to the lads.

“It gives us a massive platform to go against Newtongrange on Saturday and put daylight between ourselves and our rivals who are playing in cup competitions. We won’t take anything for granted but any opportunity to do that has to be taken.

“There will have been people who saw Kelty scored in the 91st minute and it might have deflated them. It is still early but we’ve had a great start and gives us something to fight for.”

ETHX Energy Scottish Junior Cup: Arbroath Vics 4 Crossgates Primrose 4

CROSSGATES PRIMROSE will have to battle for a place in the next round of the Junior Cup after being denied a late victory on Saturday.

Andy Brown’s side were just two minutes away from knocking out their North Division opponents until Charlie Wilson’s equaliser ensured that the teams will replay at Humbug Park this weekend.

Crossgates fell behind in the 12th minute through Lee Jones’ penalty but Liam Forbes headed the visitors level just five minutes later.

Stuart Donaldson’s 25-yarder then turned the game on its head in the 38th minute before Ricky Gillespie pulled Arbroath level minutes later.

The second half was just two minutes old when Donaldson grabbed his second to put Primrose ahead for a second time, however, the hosts equalised once more five minutes later through Lloyd Hester.

Forbes then completed his brace as the game ticked into the final 15 minutes before Wilson’s goal in the dying moments denied Crossgates victory and earned a replay for Arbroath.

Lochgelly Albert 0 Oakley United 2

OAKLEY boss Lee Richardson admitted his team enjoyed some good fortune in their South Division win at Lochgelly Albert, but praised his players’ fighting spirit.

Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Gardiner’s Park was a notable success for United, who registered their first three points on the road against a side who sit just two points behind joint-leaders Dunbar United and Blackburn United.

Their cause was aided by a controversial sending off for Albert keeper Lee Wilson in the 10th minute after he was deemed by the referee to have handled outside the penalty box. In a double-whammy for the hosts, Oakley striker Lee Celentano stepped up to fire the resulting free-kick into the net to open the scoring.

The Blairwood Park men survived strong home claims for a penalty five minutes before half-time but Celentano clinched victory with his second goal 20 minutes from time.

A delighted Richardson said: “I am really happy because I was struggling to put a team out; we got a couple of lucky breaks but they showed great fighting spirit and it was a battling performance. I thought we deserved it against a top Lochgelly team.”

The win was Oakley’s second in a row and Richardson added: “We’re getting them fitter and into a shape where we’re hard to beat. The guys are buying into it and the improvement they’ve made in the last two or three weeks has been brilliant. We’re not getting over-excited and I still feel I need a few players but it is good to see the boys, whose heads were maybe down four weeks ago, are really enthusiastic. Sometimes when you join a club some players can rebel but they’re all working their socks off in training and it has given us a platform to build on.”

Rosyth 2 Blackburn United 0

ROSYTH co-manager Kevin Smith believes his team have finally been rewarded for their performances after they beat high-flying Blackburn United.

The Recreation Park side had lost four in a row in the league prior to their meeting with the leaders on Saturday but Ciaran Chalmers gave them the perfect start with the opening goal after two minutes.

He added his and Rosyth’s second just after the hour mark to seal an impressive win and Smith said: “The players have been playing well but it’s been up to them to cut out the individual mistakes and stop the hard luck stories.

“We played some great football and that’s been coming. Hopefully it’s a wee statement from us and is the fruits of our labour.”

Bottom dogs Kirkcaldy YM are up next for Rosyth but Smith cautioned: “We’ve beat a top team and worked really hard but we almost had nothing to lose. We’ve got everything to lose this Saturday and this is a much bigger game. There will be a totally different mindset and a different challenge; they’ll go back to front really quick but we proved against Blackburn we can work as hard, play some good football and create chances.”

Saturday’s fixtures (kick-offs 2.30pm): ETXH Scottish Junior Cup, replay – Crossgates Primrose v Arbroath Vics. McBookie.com Super League – Kelty Hearts v Newtongrange Star. McBookie.com South Division – Kirkcaldy YM v Rosyth, Pumpherston v Oakley United.