Civil Service Strollers 2

EoS FIRST DIVISION

KEVIN JANIAK reports

from Woodside Park

JUST a few opening matches have been played, but it's already clear that Borders sides will have to be at their best this year to get out of what must be one of the toughest leagues in the country.

And Kelso, who were well beaten by Gretna but really should have taken something from this game, will have to sharpen up in the red zone.

The home side enjoyed a lot of possession – especially in the second and fourth quarters, but were unable to take advantage due to some poor finishing and terrible final balls.

There was no controversy about the first goal. Civil Service came out like a bullet and launched several attacks. One of them ended with Steven Tait dumping former Peebles player Paul Greenhill in the box. Referee Paul Hanlon pointed to the spot and Ross Alexander thumped the ball home with a low shot to the bottom left corner.

Then Kelso started to come more into the game and got the ball into the net. Danny Rennie passed to Paul Young, who beat the keeper, but not the offside rule. However, if he was offside, it can't have been by much.

Home keeper Elliot Turnbull kept his side in the game five minutes before the break with a cracking save from a Ross Miller header.

But all Kelso's hard work was undone nine minutes into the second half. Russell Hogarth sent in a wicked cross, which beat Turnbull, but not Tait. He looked to have cleared the ball off the line as Kevin Fettes bore down on him, but Mr Hanlon was the only man on the pitch to see the ball cross the line.None of the Strollers players shouted for a goal, and after it was given, the Kelso players were adamant it was not a goal. Turnbull was so effusive in his discontent that he was booked for dissent.

It sparked off a list of cautions for the men in black and white. Derek Burnett, Young and Chris Baillie all saw yellow for fairly innocuous challenges and Strollers seemed to be getting away with murder.

When Kelso did pull themselves together, they went close on several occasions to narrowing the gap, with Burnett and Chris Black looking the most likely, but it was not to be.

After losing both his opening First Division matches, Kelso boss Jim McLean told TheSouthern: "That's two weeks in a row that we have played decent sides and played OK.

"The only complaint I have is that we gave the penalty away cheaply.

"The second goal was controversial to say the least. My boys swear it was never over the line.

"I think we are playing well. I think we have perhaps played the favourites for the league in the past two games. We need to gel a bit more – we are a new team – but overall, I have no real complaints about how we played, we made some good chances."

Kelso United: E. Turnbull, D. Burnett, triallist (C. Edwards 63 mins), L. Henderson, S. Tait, C. Baillie, S. Pusledzki, P. Young, D. Rennie, C. Black and P.