Crossgates Primrose earn derby win over Kirkcaldy and Dysart

PRIMROSE stretched their unbeaten run to five matches after a "hard-fought" derby success over Kirkcaldy and Dysart on Saturday.

Alan Campbell's in-form team sit fourth in the First Division table - just three points behind early pacesetters Newtongrange Star, who are the only team so far to beat them, on the opening day - after a third league win of the season.

James McAteer's goal inside three minutes gave Crossgates the initiative at Humbug Park, which Scott Hynd doubled with a fine strike from 20 yards that found the top corner of the net.

Kerr Honeyman reduced the arrears for the visitors just after the hour mark but, after chances at both ends, Primrose saw out the match to pick up three points.

"We were really happy with the result," Campbell commented.

"It was probably the most pleased we've been with a result this year, just given the way the game went. It was a tight game, hard-fought.

"We obviously got off to a brilliant start. I think it was about three minutes where we scored from a set play, the second week in a row that we've done that, which is really good.

"The first half was quite even, then we scored a brilliant goal just before half-time, Scott with a shot out of nothing from about 20 yards right in the top corner.

"It settled us down a bit. We found ourselves at half-time in a position we've been in a few times this season already, being one or two up, and you just know that if you go and get the next goal, you kill the game completely.

"We didn't manage to do that, but I think it was more down to Kirkcaldy. They came back into the game, they changed their shape, caused us a lot of problems.

Primrose came out on top in Saturday's derby. (Image: David Wardle.)

"They got one back - a bit of a scrappy goal from our point of view from a corner - and they were very unlucky not to get a second. The boy missed a great chance at the back post, which would probably have given them a draw, which they might've deserved over the piece.

"Having said that, I thought later on in the game, we wasted a lot of opportunities to kill the game. We had a lot of three on threes, two on twos, just breaking away, and we should've found the third goal, but we didn't do it.

"It was a wee bit of a nervy finish, but the players saw it out, and got another win, which is good."

Leith Athletic 0 Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts 1

NEW Swifts boss Gary Sibbald picked up his first victory in charge with a one-goal success at Leith Athletic.

Liam Kelly's goal eight minutes into the second half was enough for Inverkeithing to take all three points home from Meadowbank in what was Sibbald's first match in the dugout.

The former West Calder United manager couldn't attend their previous match, a South Challenge Cup tie with Lesmahagow, following Jason McCrindle's departure due to work commitments.

Although his new side exited the competition, after seeing a two-goal lead overturned, he has set his sights on achieving a top half finish in the First Division, and Saturday's success moves them on to seven points from five league matches.

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He said: "It's good to start off with a win.

"The weekend before, I was working, so I couldn't make the Lesmahagow game, so it's good to start off with a strong defensive performance, and getting a clean sheet, which the team's not had until now.

"The clean sheet was massive, considering the goals that we've been leaking recently, so that was a big area that we were looking to improve on. Don't get me wrong, at times we rode our luck, but there was loads of things that we'd talked about in the short space of time that I've spent with the players that they managed to put into their performance.

"If you look at the goal that we scored on Saturday, it was the perfect example of us attacking in numbers. We got a lot of bodies into the box and that was a message that I put to the players before the start of the game.

"I said, yes, we want to defend, we want to be solid, but when we get the ball, we want to make sure we've got enough bodies going forward to hurt teams, and the goal was a perfect example of that.

"It just gives us a really good platform to build on now going into a busy week."

Burntisland Shipyard 1 Oakley United 1

PETER GOLDIE has praised his Oakley United team for their start to the campaign but urged them to be more clinical after Saturday's draw at Burntisland Shipyard.

The Blairwood Park men are unbeaten in their opening five Second Division encounters so far, following relegation last term, and sit just four points off leaders, Armadale Thistle, having collected nine so far.

Scott Bruce gave the visitors an early lead but that was cancelled out midway through the opening period by Kris Murphy.

Oakley finished with 10 men, after Sean Preston was red carded following a clash with Ben Anthony early in the second period, and Goldie commented: "Saturday's game, again, we started really well.

"I think we scored in six minutes, so you're then on the front foot. Then, second half, we get a man sent off, and you're thinking 'oh, here we go', I'd take a point at that stage.

"I thought second half we actually played really well. We actually played better with 10 men, and you come away from it kind of disappointed you've not taken three points, but, on the other hand, you're thinking a point's probably a fair result, considering we went down to 10 men, and we weren't really at our best first half.

"Over the course, you'd have taken a point, but their goalie made three or four really decent saves in the first half, which we could've been out of sight with.

"I said that to the boys. It's the same message - you need to take your chances when you're on top. If you don't, this is what can happen.

"Obviously, going a man down, you're thinking, well, we got away with one there. We've come away and we've maybe scraped a point, and that point could be massive come the end of the season.

"It continues that unbeaten run in the league as well. Overall, it's a mixed bag, but you're in a good place again."

Saturday's fixtures (all kick-offs 2.30pm): Alex Jack Cup, second round: Crossgates Primrose v Whitburn, Oakley United v Heriot-Watt University. Scottish Junior Cup, second round: Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts v Beith Juniors.