Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Rovers boss blasts errors in Kelty loss
ALBION ROVERS .................................. 0
KELTY HEARTS ...................................... 3
Albion Rovers boss Brian Reid reckons Nathan Austin won’t get an easier hat-trick after he insisted it was his side’s individual errors that played a major factor in their defeat to Kelty Hearts.
Leaders Kelty inflicted a fourth defeat in five League Two outings on Rovers and Reid believes his side were a bit jittery up against the only unbeaten side in the division so far.
Austin hit a perfect hat-trick to see off Rovers, latching on to a Kallum Higginbotham ball over the top to rifle in the opener after 11 minutes and then heading home unmarked at the back post for his second of the day nine minutes later.
Just after the hour mark he completed his treble with a left-foot strike after pouncing on Aldin El-zubaidi’s poor defensive header.
And Reid groaned: “we didn’t do the basics right and Nathan Austin won’t get any easier hat-trick in his life.
“That’s the disappointing thing. Defensively, they are really soft goals.
“We switched off, didn’t track runners, things like that, that’s the big problem.
“You can’t do that at any level, never mind against Kelty, who have got a big squad, experienced players.
“The unfortunate thing is Kelty have got a wee bit of quality and when you make these mistakes you get punished.
“Austin is a good striker, he takes his chances and hurts us.
“But, for me, it was self-inflicted. “I thought up until they scored we were very much in the game, it was fine margins. We had opportunities, but we never had the belief to punish them.
“I think there was a wee bit of nervousness about us because we were playing the league leaders.
“We were snatching at things and, with a bit more composure, we could’ve made the goalkeeper make a save.
“That’s what I mean about nervousness. There was a lack of self-belief and it seemed to affect us.
“We didn’t defend the moments properly.”
Scott Roberts hit the crossbar in the first half at 2-0, and late in the game David Wilson’s free-kick had the Cliftonhill faithful cheering a consolation, only for them to realise it had drifted narrowly wide after hitting the goal supports and nestling on the wrong side of the net.
But Reid takes some heart from the display to take into next week’s trip away to Forfar, who sit three places above Rovers in fourth.
“It’s a lesson for us,” reid added. “Apart from the crossbar, some sclafs and the final ball, our general play was okay. We just need to make sure we recover and bounce back from it.”