10th April 2019 Bonnyrigg Rose v Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale 5-1
Another match out at Bonnyrigg. Met Malcolm at Haymarket and we took a 31 bus out to Bonnyrigg. We arrived at the ground at 18.10 for an 18.30 kickoff so popped into the pub on the corner near the ground for a quick drink. Not exactly the most salubrious pub I have ever been in and with no alcohol-free beer available I settled for a Diet Coke. Wandered to the ground and paid our £6 admission and £2 for a programme. Bonnyrigg have only recently started issuing programmes and it is produced by Jamie McQueen, who also does the Edinburgh United programme. The programme is a good reading with an article on the opposition and also pen pictures of their players which is unusual in lower league football. Tonights issue even included comment and photos from Saturdays game against Stirling University which Bonnyrigg won on penalties to move into the South Challenge Cup final against East Kilbride.We met Jim in the ground and settled down against a barrier on the sunny, grassy area of the ground for kickoff.
Tonight is the first of a possible eleven matches, dependent on progress in cups for Bonnyrigg before the season ends with the King Cup final on 1st June. Tonight is an East of Scotland Conference B match. Bonnyrigg have already clinched the championship and made a number of changes tonight to rest key players ahead of tougher challenges to come. The most important games on the schedule are the playoff matches against the other two Conference winners, most likely Penicuik and Broxburn, to decide promotion to the Lowland League. Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale (LTHV) are currently ninth in the Conference but still have an outside chance of finishing in the top six which may mean a place in the new East of Scotland Premiership next season, depending on the final points total points of sixth placed sides in the other Conferences.
Bonnyrigg started well and had a lot of early possession. After some inter-passing between Johnathan Brown and Aaron Murrell outside the penalty box the ball was threaded through to Ross Gray just inside the box. He took a touch and then shoot past keeper Liam McIntosh to give Rose a 1-0 lead after eight minutes. The second goal for Bonnyrigg arrived after twenty-seven minutes when Lewis Turner gathered the ball in the centre of the park around twenty-five yards from goal. In the absence of any options to pass he fired a tremendous shot high into the net giving the keeper absolutely no chance. LTHV were not completely out of the game and Michael Andrews in the Rose goal had to make a couple of saves although these were of the comfortable variety and did not cause any real problems. After thirty minutes a corner from Lee Currie was headed goalwards by Dean Hoskins but was cleared of the line. Minutes later Hoskins went down near the halfway line injured. Kerr Young walked over towards the bench and eloquently expressed his view that his teammate was f****d and needed to be taken off. Hoskins was helped off the pitch by the physio to the dressing room on the far side of the park as Alan Horne came on as substitute. Hoskins was later seen sitting on the steps outside the dressing room watching the game so hopefully his injury is not too serious. LTHV had a chance to get back into the game after forty minutes when Kevin Brown hammered a free kick from just outside the eighteen yard line against the bar. The ball bounced downwards but did not appear to cross the line despite protests from the LTHV bench. The third goal arrived just before halftime when a poor clearing header from the LTHV defence landed at Aaron Murrell's feet in the penalty box. The striker wasted no time in shooting home the third goal.
In fifty minutes Bonnyrigg went 4-0 up with another good goal. They were awarded a free kick around twelve yards from goal almost on the right touchline. Dead-ball specialist Currie took the kick and hit a powerful shot across goal into the far side of the net. LTHV pulled a goal back three minutes later when fullback Ryan Hutchison went on an overlapping run. After an interchange of passes he got the ball back just outside the penalty area on right-hand side in line with the post. He seemed to pass rather than shoot into the net and I felt that keeper Andrews could have made a better attempt to stop the ball entering the net. in sixty-six minutes Bonnyrigg scored a fifth. Adam Nelson took a free kick on the left hand side in a similar position to Currie's earlier effort although further out. While the effort from Currie was definitely a shot I think this one was meant as a cross but it passed over the heads of the players in the penalty box and into the net on the far side. After this Bonnyrigg were well in control and although a number of other chances were made no more goals were scored. Both Louis Swanson and Murrell had at least two chances each to add to the score.
After the final whistle Jim was heading to Prestonpans to watch the remainder of the champions League football. Malcolm and I walked along the High Street and after Malcolm had bought some chips to take home to Anne we caught a 31 back into town. We changed onto a 34 in Princes Street and I was home around 10.00 o'clock as Malcolm continued on the bus out to Longstone..
Teams
Bonnyrigg Rose : Andrews, Brown, Martyniuk, Hoskins, K.Young, Turner, Currie, Nelson, Swanson, Murrell, Gray.
Subs: Horne, Brett, Lough
LTHV: McIntosh, Hutchison, O'Donnell, Johnson, Crawford, Muir, Signori, Brown, Wringe, J.Docherty, C. Docherty.
Subs: None used
Bonnyrigg started well and had a lot of early possession. After some inter-passing between Johnathan Brown and Aaron Murrell outside the penalty box the ball was threaded through to Ross Gray just inside the box. He took a touch and then shoot past keeper Liam McIntosh to give Rose a 1-0 lead after eight minutes. The second goal for Bonnyrigg arrived after twenty-seven minutes when Lewis Turner gathered the ball in the centre of the park around twenty-five yards from goal. In the absence of any options to pass he fired a tremendous shot high into the net giving the keeper absolutely no chance. LTHV were not completely out of the game and Michael Andrews in the Rose goal had to make a couple of saves although these were of the comfortable variety and did not cause any real problems. After thirty minutes a corner from Lee Currie was headed goalwards by Dean Hoskins but was cleared of the line. Minutes later Hoskins went down near the halfway line injured. Kerr Young walked over towards the bench and eloquently expressed his view that his teammate was f****d and needed to be taken off. Hoskins was helped off the pitch by the physio to the dressing room on the far side of the park as Alan Horne came on as substitute. Hoskins was later seen sitting on the steps outside the dressing room watching the game so hopefully his injury is not too serious. LTHV had a chance to get back into the game after forty minutes when Kevin Brown hammered a free kick from just outside the eighteen yard line against the bar. The ball bounced downwards but did not appear to cross the line despite protests from the LTHV bench. The third goal arrived just before halftime when a poor clearing header from the LTHV defence landed at Aaron Murrell's feet in the penalty box. The striker wasted no time in shooting home the third goal.
In fifty minutes Bonnyrigg went 4-0 up with another good goal. They were awarded a free kick around twelve yards from goal almost on the right touchline. Dead-ball specialist Currie took the kick and hit a powerful shot across goal into the far side of the net. LTHV pulled a goal back three minutes later when fullback Ryan Hutchison went on an overlapping run. After an interchange of passes he got the ball back just outside the penalty area on right-hand side in line with the post. He seemed to pass rather than shoot into the net and I felt that keeper Andrews could have made a better attempt to stop the ball entering the net. in sixty-six minutes Bonnyrigg scored a fifth. Adam Nelson took a free kick on the left hand side in a similar position to Currie's earlier effort although further out. While the effort from Currie was definitely a shot I think this one was meant as a cross but it passed over the heads of the players in the penalty box and into the net on the far side. After this Bonnyrigg were well in control and although a number of other chances were made no more goals were scored. Both Louis Swanson and Murrell had at least two chances each to add to the score.
After the final whistle Jim was heading to Prestonpans to watch the remainder of the champions League football. Malcolm and I walked along the High Street and after Malcolm had bought some chips to take home to Anne we caught a 31 back into town. We changed onto a 34 in Princes Street and I was home around 10.00 o'clock as Malcolm continued on the bus out to Longstone..
Teams
Bonnyrigg Rose : Andrews, Brown, Martyniuk, Hoskins, K.Young, Turner, Currie, Nelson, Swanson, Murrell, Gray.
Subs: Horne, Brett, Lough
LTHV: McIntosh, Hutchison, O'Donnell, Johnson, Crawford, Muir, Signori, Brown, Wringe, J.Docherty, C. Docherty.
Subs: None used
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