23rd March 2019. Edinburgh City v Peterhead. 0-0

This was the biggest game of the day in Scotland. A top of the table clash between City, second in the league, and Peterhead who are leaders. City needed a win to cut the gap at the top and give them a chance of winning the league, thus avoiding the play-offs. Left the house at around 13.30 to walk to Ainslie Park and arrived at the ground around 14.20. Had to queue to get in which was a first at an Edinburgh City game.

Jim arrived just before 14.30 and managed to get one of the last programmes on sale. Malcolm arrived ten minutes later and we chatted about football as the crowd drifted in. Ten minutes before the scheduled kick-off Malcolm and I wandered into the stand an got a couple of seats, albeit among the Peterhead supporters. Jim was waiting for a Brazilian friend and the friends father. I found out later that they has not arrived until 15.05 and by that time the stand was full. The kick-off was delayed for ten minutes to allow the crowd into the stadium. The crowd was later announced as 1057 which is a record league crowd for City since they were promoted to the SPFL. Both teams were along their usual lines although skipper Josh Walker was missing for City. 

Peterhead had an early chance as top scorer Rory McAllister raced through the middle of the defence but Callum Antell made a good save low to his right. Antell was making his 100th appearance for City today and seemed to be in the mood to mark it with a shutout. City had their first attempt after around fifteen minutes when captain for the day Craig Thomson had a shot from outside the penalty box saved by Greg Flemig in the Peterhead goal. After around twenty minutes Peterhead were forced to replace the injured Jamie Stevenson with Paul Willis. McAllister then had another shot saved by Antell as Peterhead pressed forward. After the half hour mark McAllister had a good header which went close. It looked as if Antell had touched the ball onto the bar but the referee awarded a goal-kick. The lack of protest from Peterhead side seemed to prove that Antell had not touched the ball on its way out of play. Adam Watson looked lively on the left of the City attack and had a shot blocked about five minutes prior to the break. Willie Gibson of Peterhead had been mouthing off to the referee throughout the half until the referee lost patience and booked him as the clock moved into injury time.

City came more into the game in the second half although there were few clear cut chances created. Brad Donaldson had a chance about ten minutes into the half when he headed a cross from Adam Watson into the side netting from the right hand side of the six yard box. However around the hour mark top scorer Blair Henderson missed what, by his standards, was a good chance when he sent a header wide from the centre of the penalty area about ten yards out. With twenty-six league goals already this season he would have expected to score. City had another good opportunity minutes later when a shot by Robbie McIntrye was blocked by the hand of Peterhead's Scott Brown just outside the penalty box. After referee Brown was booked stand-in captain Craig Thomson took the free-kick and shot low past the post. From where we were sitting it looked as if the ball had gone into the net but it merely hit the outside of the net. Peterhead's best chance of the half came when McAllister's shot from the edge of the six yard box was well saved by Antell. As the game moved into injury time City brought on centre-half Gareth Rodger in a bid to force a winner through his arial power. From a corner he nearly scored but as he slipped to the ground just outside the six yard box after challenging for the ball in the air. He was unable to connect to with the ball from his prone position and the Peterhead defence cleared the danger. Despite there being no aoals this was an entertaining game with the BBC statistics showing eleven shots, three on target for City and sixteen, six on target for Peterhead. For me the man of he match was City central defender Liam Henderson. The former Hearts and Falkirk youth player, who also had a spell in Australian football, looked composed on the ball and won a number of challenges due to his ability to anticipate where the ball was going before a forward could react. I think he could easily play at a higher level.

After the match Malcolm and I walked only the path on the old railway line and came off on the Pilton side of the Crewe Toll roundabout. A 19 bus was due in three minutes and we caught this to the West End. Malcolm walked up to the Usher Hall to meet Anne while I jumped on a 1 home arriving in the house at 17.50 despite the late start to the match.

Teams
Edinburgh City : Antell, Thomson, Balatoni, L. Henderson, McIntyre, Black, Laird, Watson, Donaldson, B. Henderson, Shepherd.
Subs: Galbraith, Taylor, Rodger
Peterhead: Fleming, Home, J. Brown, Dunlop, Boyle, S. Brown, Stevenson, Dow, Gibson, McAllister, Sutherland.
Subs: Willis, Willox, Eadie.