Kelty Hearts 0 Montrose 2
MICHAEL TIDSER is hopeful that his Kelty Hearts team will learn from a "bitterly disappointing day" on Saturday after they were knocked off the League One summit.
The New Central Park player / manager said his team's defeat to Montrose - who have won on all five of their league visits to the ground - was "tough to take" but felt it was the right outcome.
Two second half goals in six minutes from substitutes Matheus Machado and Ben MacIver-Redwood did the damage to consign Kelty, who ended the game with 10 men after skipper, Tam O'Ware, was sent off late on, to a third league defeat of the season.
"I thought Montrose deserved it," Tidser reflected.
"They probably schooled us in terms of, not so much football because they didn't really play a lot, if truth be told, but in terms of that other side of the game. You'll get more of that in Scottish league than you will anywhere else, just that picking up second balls, that turning down channels, or turning down channels, or pressing at the right time, being defensively resolute.
"I thought they managed the game better than us, and the first goal's always crucial.
"I said to the lads before the game, score the first goal, you give yourself a chance. Scotty (Scott Williamson) goes through one v one, takes his eye off the ball. Tam hits the post, there's your two chances, and then before you know it, you're a goal behind.
"Overall, it's a bitterly disappointing day, one we'll hopefully learn from. I said that to them in there. You can roll your sleeves up, and you can realise that football is not all pretty because, yes, I do believe we're one of the best footballing teams in the league, but there's plenty of ways to win a game of football, and Montrose showed certainly today how to do it."
In a first half of few chances, a heavy touch from Williamson, after former Montrose man, Craig Johnston, had robbed Blair McKenzie on halfway and sent his team-mate clear on goal, denied him an opportunity as goalkeeper, Cammy Gill, raced from his line to block.
O'Ware struck the post with a header in first half stoppage time, which came after the hosts were indebted to their goalkeeper for saving a 29th minute penalty.
On-loan Dundee United centre back, Sam Cleall-Harding, was penalised for a challenge on Kane Hester, but Ruairidh Adams, also with Kelty on a temporary basis from the Tannadice club, saved Graham Webster's kick.
Both teams were cancelling each other out until the 68th minute, when Andrew Steeves' low ball across the box was finished off by Machado.
He then turned provider shortly afterwards, sending over a dangerous cross that MacIver-Redwood headed home from close range, to seal the points that saw Montrose leapfrog Kelty in the table.
They went top, before Alloa's win at Stenhousemuir, who Kelty visit on Saturday, saw them move to the summit, two points clear of Tidser's third-placed side.
Their disappointing afternoon was completed when O'Ware, who had been cautioned for a foul on Machado six minutes earlier, was shown a second yellow card seven minutes from time for a challenge on Steeves in the Montrose penalty area.
"Silly. Silly from Tam," was Tidser's observation of his skipper's dismissal.
"I think he should have more experience than that. I told him a minute before it to calm himself down, because emotionally he was all over the place, but, yeah, I think it was hard for me to see, but I think it's a second yellow.
"When you're on a yellow, you don't dive in for things, so he knows better than that. He knows better, and he knows my thoughts on it.
"We'll miss him. I think it's a one game suspension, so we'll miss him for next week. It's up to him, whether he's captain or not, it's up to him to see if he can get himself back in the team now."
Although he felt there wasn't a lot in the match until the opening goal, Tidser said another home loss to Montrose "hurts", adding: "It was kind of a wee half-chances and crosses in the box, but nothing clear cut, so yeah, the first goal is always important.
"Listen, Stewart Petrie's done a fantastic job there. They've not been beat here, which kind of hurts me, and it tells me something about us probably.
"But as I say, they're a good side, and once they go a goal ahead, they shut up shop, they've got a big enough squad where they can make subs, and like for like. They've got height and presence, and that's League One football in Scotland, and I've been here long enough now.
"It's a real tough one to take, but for the right reasons, because I thought overall we didn't deserve anything for the game, truth be told."
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