Kelty Hearts left Angus with all three points in dramatic fashion with a late 2-1 win.  Luke McCarvel opened the scoring before Kieran Freeman equalised for Montrose, but 10 man Kelty snatched a winner through Joseph Teasdale.

The opener came in the 17th minute with McCarvel’s first of the campaign.  A clearance from Jack Wylie bounced over two Montrose defenders and cleared a path for our winger to run goalwards.  He took his finish well, calmly slotting past the goalkeeper.

Montrose threatened for an equaliser and it eventually came in the 36th minute.  Blair Lyons’ cross missed everyone but Freeman was arriving at the back post.  The former Raith Rovers full-back converted his first time finish into the bottom corner.  

With the game at 1-1, Corey Armour made a crucial save to keep the scores level.  Ewan Louden latched onto a through ball and was one-on-one with Armour.  The on-loan Killie keeper made a vital block with his leg to keep us in it.  

The job was made even more difficult for the Maroon Machine when Jack Wylie was dismissed with just under 30 minutes left to play.  After making a challenge on Lyons, the defender was shown a yellow card before being shown another 15 seconds later.

For the rest of the match, it was one way traffic from the hosts.  Michael Tidser came close to a spectacular debut goal but his long range strike blazed over.  Substitute Matheus Machado had a chance at the back post for a tap-in, but could only find the side netting.  

However, it was Kelty Hearts who would find the winner.  Substitute Joseph Teasdale provided a moment of magic, his pace saw him blitz through the defence.  When he was through, he made no mistake placing a finish past the on-rushing goalkeeper.  

Reflecting on the dramatic match, Thomas O’Ware said “I have nothing but praise for the boys.  To go down to 10 men at a tough venue, to stand up to them the way we did, I’m over the moon.”  

Written by: Jamie Szmitz

Photography: Kevin Marshall (@KayemPhoto)