Hawick Royal Albert 0
EoS FIRST DIVISION
JOHN SLORANCE reports from Woodside Park
Both sides had lost their two opening games of the season, and neither had managed to score a single goal.
Therefore a victory and goals were vital at Wood
side Park. And it was Kelso who produced both.
After plodding their way through the first half, the Tweedsiders cantered through the second, easily brushing Hawick aside with a five-goal blitz.
For United, this could be the beginning of a wake-up call. On their showing, however, Albert have a lot of wakening up to do.
In bright sunshine, Kelso squandered an early chance to open the scoring, when Chris Black headed wide on meeting a well-flighted Steven Pusledzki cross. Then Derek Burnett went close to notching an opener for the homesters by twisting and turning his way out of a tackle before firing inches wide.
Hawick replied with a move that saw Michael Smith spray a pass to the feet of David Knox, who fired in a shot which was well saved by Kelso keeper Elliot Turnbull.
After Albert number one Scott Dowie pulled out the stops, leaping to the left to hold a Pusledzki free-kick, Kelso broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute.
Although looking suspiciously offside when fastening onto an inside pass, Burnett didn't hang about to wait for the sound of referee Andy Rooney's whistle and the big striker surged forward to fire past Dowie.
It was the first of a foursome for Burnett. Minutes later, the woodwork robbed Albert of an equaliser, when Smith rattled a powerful drive against the post, after being fed by David Knox pass.
Having replaced Greg Laidlaw with Keith Kettles at the start of the second period, Hawick soon found themselves further behind.
Burnett whipped over a low cross which Dowie reached, but couldn't hold onto, and Pusledzki prodded in the loose ball.
At the other end, Sean Owens had an opportunity to reduce the leeway but failed to connect with a Gary Knox cross with the goal at his mercy.
With the Albert defence now looking extremely shaky, United added to their tally in the 57th minute through a cracking free-kick from Burnett that looked a goal as soon as it had left his boot.
Four minutes later, Burnett did it all again, completing his hat-trick with another cracking drive which left Dowie helpless.
United were now on the rampage and in the 65th minute Daniel Rennie put the struggling Teries into further arrears by slotting away a Pusledzki pass.
After Hawick had brought on substitute Douglas Prowse for substitute Keith Kettles, the Tweedsiders went further ahead in the 82nd minute.
The full article contains 461 words and appears in Southern Reporter newspaper.
