Kirkcaldy & Dysart: YM boss Craig Ness irked at not benefitting from penalty or red card for opposition defender in defeat at Glenrothes

The hosts raced into a 4-0 lead within 26 minutes thanks to strikes by Blair Smart (2), Stuart Cardle and Fionn McLeod-Kay, with Lewis Anderson’s volley on the half hour and a last gasp Stevie Jeffries bicycle kick from a corner making the final scoreline more respectable for Craig Ness’s visitors.

The game was played exactly four weeks after the YM were defeated 5-2 by Glens in the sides’ previous East of Scotland League first division encounter at Kirkcaldy on February 11.

YM boss Craig Ness thought his side should have been awarded a penalty for a second-minute challenge on Jay Bridgeford with the score goalless. The referee instead awarded a free-kick and only booked the offending Glenrothes player.

“Jay went through and was fouled on the edge of the box,” Ness told the Fife Free Press. “I felt it was a penalty and a last man challenge so I thought Glenrothes should have been reduced to 10 men.

"The referee gave a free-kick and booked the guy which perplexed me.

"We feel a bit harshly done by with that one.

"We missed a great opportunity as well. Daryl Falconer put one over the bar from inside the six-yard box with only the keeper to beat (with Glens leading 1-0 after nine minutes), we had one cleared off the line from a header in the first half.

"But there’s no getting away from the fact that defensively we were shocking and that’s putting it mildly.

"Two free headers in the box, another free header from an open play cross and then our centre half decided to try and dribble out on the edge of the area and the guy has run through and put it in.

"So the four goals were massively avoidable but Glenrothes deserved to be in front at the break. They were the better team, they wanted it a wee bit more.

"In the second half we had chances, Glenrothes had chances, and on another day we could have scored three or four ourselves.”

Kirkcaldy & Dysart, seventh in the league table with 32 points from 21 fixtures, are in league action this Saturday when they host Leith Athletic with kick-off at 2.30pm.