Kelty denied late but run continues

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dinburgh City grabbed a stoppagetime winner to deny Kelty another three points but the Maroon Machine is still seven points clear with two games in hand.

They looked to be coasting to victory after building up a two-goal lead but City had other ideas and are now a point clear of Stirling in fourth place.

Kelty manager Kevin Thomson was furious with his side and described the City goals as schoolboy errors.

“At times we were very good and scored two goals but I though Edinburgh were stuffy, especially in the first half.

“To concede the way we conceded for a team that’s sitting at the top of the league was in my opinion, real schoolboy stuff.

“I’ve said that to them but I haven’t had to say it very often but I want people to take responsibility and be streetwise,” said Thomson.

He added: “Overall, they would be quite happy with a point and I suppose that from the perspective of us being two-up, to concede the way we did was bitterly disappointing.

“I’m not saying I’m happy with a point but I think that you have to be fair, if you don’t defend properly and don’t kill teams off, you always leave yourself open and that’s what we did.”

It was all-action from the start with Innes Murray almost scoring for City after only three minutes but his shot skimmed the bar and then in the 12th minute Daniel Finlayson should have put Kelty ahead but he had to watch his 12-yard shot go inches past the post.

The visitors started to dominate play and they had several good chances with Anthony Mcdonald shooting past in 21 minutes and a minute later he did the same with a free kick from just outside the box.

But it was Kelty who went in front in the 27th minute when Joe Cardle fastened on to a Kallum Higginbothan ball and fired into the net from 10 yards to break the deadlock but it earned the goal hero a yellow card for excessive celebrations.

Cardle doubled the home side’s lead 10 minutes after the turn when he hit a fierce shot from 15 yards low into the net to make it 2-0 and Michael Tidser headed narrowly past in the 70th minute.

City were getting back into the fray and in the 75th minute Daniel Handling hit the back of the net to make it 2-1 and set up an exciting ending.

It was a storming finish to the game with Alfredo Agyeman’s second attempt blocked by the City defence in the 87th minute, a minute after his shot was well-saved by the visiting keeper Brian Schwake.

But pressure told and in the third minute of stoppage time Jack Brydon rose for a cross ball and headed into the Kelty net for a share of the points.