While international week placed the Premiership on hiatus, a couple of burgeoning Dundee United starlets still had plenty of cause for celebration.
A victory on the road.
A clean sheet.
Roaring back to the summit of League One.
Goalkeeper Ruairidh Adams and powerful centre-back Sam Cleall-Harding continue to thrive on loan with Kelty Hearts, with goals from Scott Williamson and Connor Allan securing a fine 2-0 victory at Annan Athletic on Saturday.
The pair are mainstays in a side that now leads Arbroath on goal difference in the race for the title.
Courier Sport made the trip to Galabank to cast an eye over the duo’s progress with the well-oiled Maroon Machine.
Cleall-Harding: The starting point for Kelty’s attacks
The hackneyed assumption is that teenage talents are sent to the lower leagues to “toughen up”.
While not entirely inaccurate, Michael Tidser’s side are no hammer-throwers. Quite the contrary. Cleall-Harding completed more progressive passes than he contested aerial challenges.
He showcased plenty of composure and technique to play out from the back, as demanded by Tidser; zipping the ball into the feet of Billy Owens and Ross Cunningham with regularity.
The vast majority of Kelty’s attacks began with a Cleall-Harding pass into the engine room.
His stats for pass completion and touches will be through the roof.
To allow a wistful tangent, those numbers were being compiled by Berwick Rangers legend Eric Tait, working for data giants Opta Sports.
He lined up for the Wee Rangers against Jim McLean’s Tangerines in the Scottish Cup third round of 1975, securing a shock 1-1 draw at Tannadice before losing out 1-0 in the Shielfield replay to a side including Dave Narey, Walter Smith and scorer Andy Gray.
Small world.
The bread and butter
Defensively, Cleall-Harding was tenacious and aggressive, while bringing the mobility to a centre-back pairing with the vastly experienced and vocal Thomas O’Ware.
An early foul on Annan danger-man Aidan Smith showed the nous of a veteran. The old notion of “letting him know you’re there” might prompt a roll of the eyes, but it set the tone for an afternoon during which Smith got little joy from that battle.
A fine Williamson strike – against the run of play, albeit the Galabankies did little with their possession – broke the deadlock, before he turned provider for a Connor Allan tap-in moments later. A 2-0 lead at the interval.
And when the teams emerged for the second half, Cleall-Harding was playing right-back due to an injury to former Dunfermline and East Fife man, Scott Mercer.
As such, he was less involved. But no less solid.
Although caught a little narrow a couple of times (understandable for a centre-back), he snapped into tackles and made one particularly good block when Gibson looked set to fizz a delivery across the face of goal.
Cleall-Harding ‘could go to the very top’
Speaking on Open Goal recently, midfielder Scott Allan – player/coach at Kelty Hearts and a man who knows what it takes to emerge through the United ranks – lauded: “I think he (Cleall-Harding) could go to the very top.
“He’s been outstanding. He’s 18, six-foot-two, a good passer of the ball and is good in one-on-one situations. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was knocking on the door at Dundee United.”
And boss Tidser is similarly fulsome in his praise, telling Courier Sport following the win over Annan: “Sam has been first class. I genuinely mean this; he’s got a right good future in this game.
“I think that for a few different reasons. He listens and takes on board information. Even on Saturday, he starts at centre-back and shifts to right-back at half-time – comfortable, no issues. He can defend.
“Sam’s brave on the ball as well. I told him that on the first day he came in; “you’ll need to play football”. And he’s loving it here.”
A calming influence and another shutout
Your reporter is acutely aware that, at around 650 words and counting, Adams is yet to get a mention.
That’s not a slight on the stopper. It is testament to the work done in front of him by Cleall-Harding and the rest of Tidser’s team.
Adams had no cause to seriously dirty his gloves at Galabank.
Nevertheless, he caught a couple of whipped deliveries by Gibson and, when he opted not to come for a cross, his communication was outstanding. For a young player, he is loud and clear.
There was a hairy moment when his low pass into Owens was robbed by Gibson, allowing the Annan boss to hare through on goal and smash the ball over the bar. “Even Dessers would have scored that,” came the cry from one punter.
The Rangers striker is even catching strays in the Borders.
Adams has enjoyed more dramatic afternoons during his loan spells – this is a man who SCORED for Edinburgh City last term, after all – but he can be satisfied with a laudably routine clean-sheet; his sixth in 19 appearances.
“Big Ru took a bit of a doing last season when he was at Edinburgh City, but I knew he was a good goalkeeper,” continued Tidser.
“We are drumming it into him to use his feet more – his kicking is getting better – and his handling is good. He’s going well.”
He added: “For us to get these boys in from Dundee, United, Hearts, Hibs is important because we don’t have the finances to give players £700-a-week, like some.
“Teams can look at Connor Barron, Alfie Bavidge, Lewis O’Donnell, who came here, learned the game and I believe became better players.
“That’s the platform we want to give them. And I hope any loan player who looks back in 10 years’ time – hopefully, when their career is flying – can say, ‘I loved my time there’.”
Conversation