Kelty Hearts 2 Camelon Juniors 0: Technicality should gift Mariners semi-final place

The scorer of the first goal and creator of the second, Chris Dodd, has already appeared for Jeanfield Swifts earlier in the competition, therefore rendering him ineligible to play – a fact which Kelty had overlooked until the day following the match.

Initially, the Fifers wanted the match to be replayed but, given the decision made when Bo’ness were kicked out of the Alex Jack Cup final for fielding an ineligible player in the semi, that seems unlikely.

An official decision will come this week but it’ll be a major shock if the result is anything but a default victory for the Mariners.

When that decision arrives, it will be confirmation that Camelon remain in every competition they have entered until February.

Manager Gordon Herd said: “People are looking at it and saying Camelon must be so lucky, but we are not the ones breaking the rules.

“Would it have been a different game if Chris Dodd hadn’t been playing? Who knows.

“The main thing was that we went there and gave a really good account of ourselves – if we had taken our chances in the first half we could have been a couple of goals up.

“That’s all ifs, buts and maybes but the main thing is Kelty have broken the rules and we are the beneficiaries of that.”

Camelon made it to the break goalless against the Lowland League high fliers, and missed big chances through Kieran Anderson, before Alan Docherty missed a big chance in the second half.

The game plan, though, was executed well.

“We definitely gave a really good account of ourselves.

“They came out of the traps second half and caught us off guard but we were delighted with the game plan that the boys carried out to great effect,” Herd added.

Kelty Hearts manager Barry Ferguson, however, thought his side could have won the match more comfortably – a fact Herd disagreed with.

“I read the comments and I don’t think he gave us the respect we were due. For the big money they are spending, I felt we really matched them.”