Kelty Hearts 3 Fauldhouse United 0

THOMAS COURTS hailed the contribution of Jordan Moore after his late double sealed yet another Super League win for Kelty Hearts.

The former Pars loanee, who has twice battled skin cancer, joined the league leaders in August and his fifth and sixth strikes of the campaign finished off a battling Fauldhouse United on Saturday to maintain the Jambos’ relentless march towards a second title in three seasons.

Stuart Cargill’s 13th of the season put Kelty ahead just after the half-hour mark but, despite controlling the play for long periods, it wasn’t until Moore’s appearance off the bench that they clinched their 14th victory in 15 league matches.

His first came in the 75th minute via a deflection before showing great technique to add Kelty’s third five minutes from the end, taking a touch to fool the covering defender before clipping home from 12 yards with his right foot.

A delighted Courts told Press Sport: “At 1-0 we had a precarious lead and I didn’t want the game to fizzle out so I introduced Jordan; he’s got great composure, good feet and a deft touch. He rattled the bar as well but we’ve not been able to fully unleash him yet. We’re trying to get mileage in his legs, not so much on the artificial pitch but on the grass, and we need to be patient. He’s fitted into the dressing room well and because we’ve got people who can play up front and some good strikers, we’ve been able to introduce him gradually.

“He’s on a learning curve in terms of adapting to the junior game but I’ve no doubt he’ll go on to be a big player for us.”

He continued: “At some point we hope the pressure on the other teams chasing us will be too much but if not, we’ll go head-to-head with them.

“We’ve got Musselburgh away on Saturday who had a dramatic victory on Saturday (at Lochee United in the Junior Cup) so they’ll be on a high. It’s a tough place to go but these are almost season-defining games.”

ETXH Energy Scottish Junior Cup third round: Luncarty 3 Rosyth 2

ROSYTH bowed out of the Junior Cup at Luncarty but co-manager Kevin Smith was left to rue a controversial decision that tipped the balance of this match against them.

The Recreation Park side finally saw their third round tie go ahead at the third time of asking against their North Division opponents but fell behind in the first half thanks to Richard Miller’s opener.

The visitors responded after half-time and equalised through Blair Duff’s smart finish before the contest’s defining moment arrived when the Perth side retook the lead.

A set-piece delivery was not dealt with by the Rosyth defence but, as the ball bounced around inside the box, it appeared as though Jonathan Reid used his hand to scoop the ball into the net.

Despite protests from the visiting players, the goal stood and Richard Doig added a third to put the tie beyond Rosyth, despite Mark McCulloch’s well-taken free kick late on.

Smith said: “It wasn’t to be but I felt we deserved a draw. It was a decent game to be involved in but it’s frustrating because for their second goal, their player scooped it in with his hand, and the only person who didn’t see it was the referee. It was a bit of a stramash and it’s disappointing we didn’t get the big decision but in saying that, we didn’t defend the set-piece well. We had a warning before that and if we had taken on board the lesson then we wouldn’t have been in that position.

“They play at a high tempo, worked hard off the ball and were streetwise but we came out for the second half like a house on fire. Their second goal came at a time when they were on top in the game and after that we were pushing and chasing to get back into the game. There were positives to take; it was great we competed after three weeks without a game and we’ve signed Scott Gilfillan from Kelty. He buys into what myself and Barry (Cockburn) are trying to do.”

Smith has also also brought in Matt Dawson, a midfielder formerly with Evo Stik Northern Premier League First Division South Coalville Town, while John Duffy has left the club.

Crossgates Primrose 6 Livingston United 0

PRIMROSE boss Andy Brown was delighted with his men after they hit Livingston United for six to register their first home win of the season.

Crossgates had gone five South Division games without picking up three points at Humbug Park but they turned on the style to complete a fine double over their West Lothian opponents on Saturday.

Hat-trick hero Liam Forbes fired them ahead after just 13 minutes. He added number two five minutes later to put the hosts firmly in control and by the interval they were four goals to the good; Ethan Anderson netted the third in 38 minutes before Forbes secured the match ball on the stroke of half-time.

With the points sealed, Crossgates didn’t score again until Stephen Stark’s 77th-minute penalty before the rout was completed five minutes later by Greg Pearson.

Brown said: “Everything went right for us. There were some good performances in there, especially from young Matthew Christie, who got man of the match.

“It was good to get a victory for them and get the hoodoo off our back and our first home win!

“We’re growing as a group, getting better and sharper. We’ve got a difficult game at Dunbar this weekend but they play football, which should suit us. I’ve got a plan for the game, like we had a plan against Blackburn (East of Scotland Cup) and hopefully it works as well as it did then.”

Saturday’s fixtures (kick-offs 1.30pm): McBookie.com Super League – Musselburgh Athletic v Kelty Hearts. McBookie.com South Division – Dunbar United v Crossgates Primrose, Oakley United v Stoneyburn, Rosyth v Edinburgh United.