Caledonian Braves vs Heart of Midlothian B

Despite a late comeback attempt, the Caledonian Braves recorded a valuable 3-2 win against Hearts B, to maintain their position at the summit of the Lowland League.

Two first half strikes from Ross McNeil and a second half goal from Ryan Murray saw us ascend into a three goal lead, before Hearts cut the defecit late on.

Braves gaffer, Ricky Waddell, said: "I thought Hearts' performance level in the second half was pretty good, and we dropped off a little bit, but it's a win in the bag which is good.

"We dropped off the mentality of doing what we're good at - getting on the ball, passing and moving it quickly.

"Ultimately it's about winning games, this time last year we're probably not winning that game, so it's about keeping that positive momentum."

Coming into the game, the Braves were looking to maintain their 21 game unbeaten run stretching from last season, and Ricky Waddell made one change from our midweek draw against Broxburn, with Cammy Breadner coming back in to start.

In the week, Ross McNeil only needed six minutes to open the scoring, and he didn't need long to repeat the act.

With 9 minutes on the clock, Breadner made a powerful run down the right wing, before cutting the ball back. Ross McNeil pulled the ball in, and finished with a low finish into the bottom corner, that gave Jamie MacDonald no chance.

That made it 13 goals in 14 games this season for our club captain, but didn't have to wait long for his fourteenth to arrive.

Ryan Murray - impressing on the left wing once again - picked up the ball in a central area. He slipped a left footed ball into Ross McNeil, who found space in between the Hearts defence with a smart run. Our number nine controlled, and cooly dinked over MacDonald, with an auditatious finish to make it 2-0.

A 14th goal, in his 14th game of the season, in the 14th minute - not bad for Rossco!

Few clear cut chances would follow in the remainder of the half. Ross McNeil came close to finding his hattrick, after he latched onto a Reg McLaren header, but he couldn't find the target with his finish.

Bernie White would also be called into action at the other end, but comfortably dealt with any threats from Hearts.

A convincing first half for the Braves, who knew the next goal in the game would be crucial. And we didn't have to wait long for third, which arrived 10 minutes after the break.

The lively Breadner picked up the ball down the right, and cut a low cross through the box. It ran all the way to Ryan Murray at the back post, who watched it all the way before firing home with a powerful finish - a first goal in Braves colours for Muzza!

However, Hearts would give themselves a lifeline just five minutes later. A long free-kick was looped into our box, and after a defensive mix-up, substitute Callum Sandilands got the final touch.

This gave the Wee Jambos a new lease of life, but the goal of Bernie White would remain mostly untested. With the minutes ticking away, the Braves looked as if they'd be securing all three points with minimal fuss.

As the clock turned 90, Hearts set up a late scare. A Ducan freekick was well saved by White, but the impressive James Wilson quickly grabbed the rebound, to fire home from a tight angle to reduce the arrears. 

But it proved to be too little too late, as the Braves held onto a well earned three points, over the course of the 90 minutes. With East Kilbride picking up three points in Berwick, we remain top of the table by three points, with 12 games played in the league.

Up next, a break from the league as we host Arniston Rangers at Alliance Park in the South Challenge Cup next weekend.

Man of the Match - Ryan Murray