22nd August 2017 The Spartans v Kelty Hearts 3-2


Another Spartans match as I look to get value for money for my £35 season ticket. Normal admission is £7 so I need to get to at least six games for purchase to move into profit. As usual I walked to Ainslie Park where surprisingly no programmes were issued. I did however manage to get a team sheet. Met Alex and Jim and we took our seats in the stand.

Kelty are an interesting side who last season won the East Region Junior Super League. Along with other ambitious Junior clubs Kelty are keen to move into the SPFL. They therefore quit the Junior leagues at the end of the season and are now members of the East of Scotland League, the Lowland Leagues feeder league. By lower league standards Kelty have spent a lot of money and included in their squad were Kenny Adamson ex-Cowdenbeath, Stephen Husband ex-Hearts and Errol Douglas ex-Spartans. 

After even early exchanges Kelty took the lead when Sean O’Neil headed in a free kick. However just before half time Spartans scored two goals in thee minutes. Firstly a cross from Craig “Grinchy” Stevenson from the left was hammered home by Willie Bremner from close range. Then minutes later another Grinchy cross from a short corner was headed in by Jack Nixon. Shortly after a header from Michael Herd hit the bar and Spartans went into the break a halftime lead.

Spartans continued to press in the second half and after about an hour Scott Maxwell broke from his own half and drove into the Kelty penalty box. As the keeper advanced he squared the ball to Blair Atkinson who knocked it into an empty net. The rain was now pouring down as tackles went flying in. Without ten minutes to go sub Stuart Cargill pulled one back after a scramble in the Spartans penalty area. While Kelty tried for an equaliser the most interesting incident in the remainder of the match was when a misdirected clearance was hammered over the fence into the seated area. On the way over the fence the ball narrowly missed striking a toddler in a pushchair being wheeled along the front of the area. The rebound from the seats narrowly missed the childs mother who carried on walking as if nothing had happened. A good game however although I think Kelty now realise the step from the Juniors will be harder than they originally thought.

Another lazy journey home on a 27 bus.

Teams
The Spartans: Carswell, Herd, Stevenson, Tolmie, Thomson, Nixon, Wilson, McFarland, Maxwell, Atkinson, Bremner
Subs: Dishington, Brown, Guthrie
Kelty Hearts: Marley, Carstairs, Leighton, O’Neil, Adamson, MacKenzie, Husband, Greig, Douglas, Philp, McCabe
Subs: Cargill, Sheerin, Campbell

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