The long wait for a Dalbeattie Star league win at home is over.
Not since their victory over Gretna 2008 on September, 2018, had Darren Kerr’s side picked up three points at Islecroft.
But that all changed on Saturday as they produced a stunning fightback to beat Kelty Hearts and take a giant step towards Lowland League survival.
And ironically the win came in the absence of both Kerr and assistant Gary Holden, who were in San Marino to watch Scotland. Instead it was former Star captain Ritchie Maxwell and Allan Jenkins who took the team.
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Maxwell said: “That’s the way it goes sometimes! We’d spoken before the game that if we went a goal down to remain confident and not to let the heads drop.
“I think in the second half of the first half we were the better team and we kept that up in the second half. We got the equaliser which settled us down and then went on to get the winner.
“I don’t think anyone outside the club thought we had much chance of picking anything up and the game was a bit of a freebie for us.
“We had them watched and we matched up to them, we went three up front rather than sitting back and it worked.”
Kelty, managed by Rangers legend Barry Ferguson, took the lead after a quarter of an hour when new signing Sean McKirdy shot home from the edge of the box with the help of a deflection.
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Star fought back and, after going close before half-time, they drew level early in the second half when Lewis Todd’s cross found Ben Irving who fired past goalie Scott Christie.
And 10 minutes from time they were on their way to their first league win of the year when Lewis Sloan’s tremendous cross was nodded home by Todd.
The win leaves Star eight points clear of bottom club Whitehill Welfare who have just four games left in which to overturn the deficit after they lost to Gretna 2008.
Maxwell added: “Once we got back in we were checking the scores and had seen our neighbours had done us a favour.
“We’re not quite over the line. I think we still need one more win.”
This weekend Star are at home again as they face Stirling University.
Maxwell was set to take coaching on Monday night with Kerr and Holden resuming normal duties in time for the weekend.
