East of Scotland: Leith boss happy with young team's effort against leaders

Leith Athletic joint-manager Leighton Jones says he was delighted with his side's application despite the 2-0 defeat by Kelty Hearts at Peffermill.

First-half headers from Errol Douglas and Conrad Courts wrapped up the points for the Fife outfit – the current leaders of the East of Scotland League.

It’s the first defeat Leith have suffered in the league this season. However, the Capital side remain in second spot in the table – eight points behind Kelty, who have 12 wins from as many matches.

“They came out really strong in the first half and we struggled to get a foothold in the game,” Jones said. “This was a big step up for the guys from what we’ve played so far this year. I think we showed too much respect but we were excellent in the second half and we really took the game to them.

“We were far more aggressive so myself and Steve [Chalmers] were really pleased. The oldest player we had in our squad on Saturday was 22 and we had a goalkeeper on the bench who is 17.

“So we’ve learnt a lot from the experience and I’m sure we’ll be a lot better for it the next time we play them.”