Kelty Hearts 2-0 Falkirk: Early strikes down below-par Bairns in Fife

First-half strikes from Joe Cardle and Scott McGill earned the home side a first-ever victory at this level of football, with John McGlynn’s side paying the ultimate price for a lacklustre start to the match.

A well-drilled Kelty held on after the interval against a Falkirk side that had most of the possession, but struggled to break down a resolute backline – and looked devoid of any creativity.

The warning signs were there early on with Kallum Higginbotham going close with an effort on eight minutes after a defensive slip-up.

Falkirk’s best spell in the first half actually came after that chance.

Rangers loanee Juan Alegria saw a well-timed volley go just wide of the far post, while Callumn Morrison saw an effort flash just by the post from a tight angle.

On 18 minutes, however, Kelty took the lead after the Bairns couldn’t clear their box.

The ball bounced back to former Dunfermline winger Cardle after a decent stop from Nicky Hogarth and he blasted home from close range.

It got worse for Falkirk seven minutes later when Hearts loanee Scott McGill made it two for the hosts, scoring from a tight angle.

Hogarth made a complete mess of his save down low and the effort slipped out of hands and into the back on the net.

It was a terrible first-half display from the Bairns, and boss John McGlynn brought on Ola Lawal and Rumarn Burrell at the break.

They had a decent impact on the game, and the away side enjoyed most of the possession.

However, they struggled to create anything clear-cut in front of a large travelling support.

Lawal had a pop shot at goal from outside the area just go over the bar on the hour mark, while a great move from Morrison saw him test goalkeeper Darren Jamieson on the angle.

Despite Falkirk’s dominance, it was John Potter’s men who looked most likely to score next.

On 73 minutes, substitute Jordon Forster arrowed a header just wide from a corner kick.

Seven minutes later, Higginbotham also went close with volley after he was left free on the edge of the area.

Late-substitute Alfredo Agyeman went through one-on-one late on too but he fluffed his lines shooting straight into Hogarth’s hands.

Falkirk now face Alloa Athletic at home next Saturday as they look to bounce back from a poor performance in Fife.

Teams

Kelty Hearts: Jamieson, Thomson, Hill, Bell, Martin, Barjonas, Tidser, Lyon, Cardle (Agyeman 80), Higginbotham, McGill (Philp 65).

Subs not used: Logan, Forster, McNab, Cameron, Hunter, Campbell.

Falkirk: Hogarth, McGinn, Henderson, Donaldson, Morrison, Alegria (Burrell 45), Nesbitt, McGuffie (Lawal 45), Yeats (Hetherington 55), McCann (Oliver 72), Mackie.

Subs not used: Martin, Ross, Sneddon, Carroll.

Referee: Mike Roncone.

Attendance: 1,203.