27th April 2019. Penicuik Athletic v Broxburn 3-2
Another nice day and off to Penicuik for the first match in the East of Scotland league round robin play-offs. The contest is between the three conference winners, Penicuik, Broxburn and Bonnyrigg. Each team will have one home and one away match with the top point scorer in the series gaining promotion, subject to SFA licence, to the Lowland League for next season. In the event of a drawn match a penalty shoot out will be held with the winners of tie being awarded an extra point. Left the house around 13.00 and caught a 47 bus in Lothian Road about ten minutes later. Arrived at the ground around 14.10. At first I was standing under the cover waiting for the team sheet to be put up on the entrance hut. I hate not knowing who is playing and usually take a photo of the team sheet at matches where I am unsure of the players on the pitch. After I had taken my photo I wandered round to the grassy sunny side of the park and met Jim. He will be attending all three play-off matches but I will miss next weeks game between Broxburn and Bonnyrigg as I will be at Tynecastle.
Penicuik sent out what I would consider their strongest side. Some may have been surprised to see John Williams at left-back but I think he is a big threat in the air at set-pieces in addition to his defensive qualities. Steven Norman and Dean Crabbe were on the bench along with Lumbert Kateleza who I recently saw playing on loan for Heriot-Watt University. I hd not seem Broxburn before but recognised a few players. Craig Townsley and Jack Beasley had both been at Spartans while I saw Greg Binnie playing for Preston Athletic last season. Broxburn manager Brian McNaughton played for Hearts in the late 1980's before continuing his career with a number of clubs in the lower divisions while his assistant, Steven Hislop, played for a number of clubs including Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The game started with Penicuik on the attack and they opened the scoring after eleven minutes. Scott McCrory-Irving took a free-kick on the left hand side of the field about twenty yards out near the touchline. He hit the ball high in the air into the penalty box. Williams timed his run perfectly to flick a header into the right hand corner of the empty net as keeper Connor Wallace rushed late from his goal in an attempt to clear the ball. It was the defender's first goal in two seasons with Penicuik, although he scored regularly with his previous club Whitehall Welfare. Broxburn drew level four minutes later after they forced a corner of the left. Jack Beesley floated the ball to the near post where Alexander Miller flicked the ball on across goal. Gordon Donaldson was unmarked at the far post to knock the ball home. I wonder what the odds would have been on both left-backs to be the first goalscorer for there respective sides. Penicuik continued to press forward and after Craig Stevenson protested to the referee for awarding a free-kick against him Hislop shouted, from the touchline, at the full-back as he moved back into defence,"you always were a dirty b****** Grinchy". Play began more end to end as the half progressed although both keepers were playing well and clear-cut chances were few and far between. As the interval approached Penicuik again gained the upper hand and Wallace got down to save a low shot from Sam Jones before the same player fired a shot over the bar from just outside the box. As the half drew to a close Williams had another good heading opportunity, this time from a corner. He was denied his second goal by a goal-line clearance from Townsley.
I don't know what co-managers Kevin Milne and Tony Begg said to their players at half-time but it certainly worked. They went ahead after forty-seven minutes with an excellent goal from top-scorer Wayne McIntosh. He gathered the ball from a throw-in on the left about fifteen yards from goal on the left of the penalty area. The striker ran with the ball to around twenty yards from goal then turned towards goal and hit a tremendous shot high into the right hand corner of the net leaving Wallace with no chance of saving. McIntosh is normally a penalty box striker and I would doubt that he has ever hit a better strike. Penicuik continued to press forward and added a third after fifty-three minutes. Skipper Aaron Somerville received a pass from McCrory-irving twenty-five yards from goal out on the right. He cut inside and from just outside the penalty box hit a low shot past keeper Wallace for a 3-1 lead. I thought the keeper was maybe a bit slow in getting down for the shot as it did not seem to be hit particularly hard. After that goal Broxburn had to go forward if they were to retain a chance of winning promotion. Substitutes Cameron Ross and Connor Kelly came on although it was surprising to see both Beesley and Binnie being replaced. Penicuik appeared to be a bit rattled as Broxburn pressed forward and gave away a few silly fouls resulting three yellow cards. Broxburn pulled goal back after eighty minutes from a free-kick near the halfway line on the left of the park. Donaldson hit the ball towards Townsley on the edge of the penalty area who nodded forward to the onrushing Kelly. From just outside the six-yard box he squeezed the ball past Robert Watt in the Penicuik goal. Broxburn continued to attack and forced a number of corners and, as the game moved into injury time, keeper Wallace even came upfield to try and force an equaliser but to no avail. The whistle blew with Penicuik 3-2 winners with their next match, which could clinch promotion, against Bonnyrigg on Wednesday evening.
Jim gave me a lift back into Edinburgh and I walked home from Tollcross in plenty time to watch the Brighton v Newcastle match on TV. Despite being a Premier League match however that game was nowhere near the entertainment value of the Penicuik match.
The game started with Penicuik on the attack and they opened the scoring after eleven minutes. Scott McCrory-Irving took a free-kick on the left hand side of the field about twenty yards out near the touchline. He hit the ball high in the air into the penalty box. Williams timed his run perfectly to flick a header into the right hand corner of the empty net as keeper Connor Wallace rushed late from his goal in an attempt to clear the ball. It was the defender's first goal in two seasons with Penicuik, although he scored regularly with his previous club Whitehall Welfare. Broxburn drew level four minutes later after they forced a corner of the left. Jack Beesley floated the ball to the near post where Alexander Miller flicked the ball on across goal. Gordon Donaldson was unmarked at the far post to knock the ball home. I wonder what the odds would have been on both left-backs to be the first goalscorer for there respective sides. Penicuik continued to press forward and after Craig Stevenson protested to the referee for awarding a free-kick against him Hislop shouted, from the touchline, at the full-back as he moved back into defence,"you always were a dirty b****** Grinchy". Play began more end to end as the half progressed although both keepers were playing well and clear-cut chances were few and far between. As the interval approached Penicuik again gained the upper hand and Wallace got down to save a low shot from Sam Jones before the same player fired a shot over the bar from just outside the box. As the half drew to a close Williams had another good heading opportunity, this time from a corner. He was denied his second goal by a goal-line clearance from Townsley.
I don't know what co-managers Kevin Milne and Tony Begg said to their players at half-time but it certainly worked. They went ahead after forty-seven minutes with an excellent goal from top-scorer Wayne McIntosh. He gathered the ball from a throw-in on the left about fifteen yards from goal on the left of the penalty area. The striker ran with the ball to around twenty yards from goal then turned towards goal and hit a tremendous shot high into the right hand corner of the net leaving Wallace with no chance of saving. McIntosh is normally a penalty box striker and I would doubt that he has ever hit a better strike. Penicuik continued to press forward and added a third after fifty-three minutes. Skipper Aaron Somerville received a pass from McCrory-irving twenty-five yards from goal out on the right. He cut inside and from just outside the penalty box hit a low shot past keeper Wallace for a 3-1 lead. I thought the keeper was maybe a bit slow in getting down for the shot as it did not seem to be hit particularly hard. After that goal Broxburn had to go forward if they were to retain a chance of winning promotion. Substitutes Cameron Ross and Connor Kelly came on although it was surprising to see both Beesley and Binnie being replaced. Penicuik appeared to be a bit rattled as Broxburn pressed forward and gave away a few silly fouls resulting three yellow cards. Broxburn pulled goal back after eighty minutes from a free-kick near the halfway line on the left of the park. Donaldson hit the ball towards Townsley on the edge of the penalty area who nodded forward to the onrushing Kelly. From just outside the six-yard box he squeezed the ball past Robert Watt in the Penicuik goal. Broxburn continued to attack and forced a number of corners and, as the game moved into injury time, keeper Wallace even came upfield to try and force an equaliser but to no avail. The whistle blew with Penicuik 3-2 winners with their next match, which could clinch promotion, against Bonnyrigg on Wednesday evening.
Jim gave me a lift back into Edinburgh and I walked home from Tollcross in plenty time to watch the Brighton v Newcastle match on TV. Despite being a Premier League match however that game was nowhere near the entertainment value of the Penicuik match.
Teams
Penicuik: Watt, Stevenson, Williams, Young, Page, Connolly, Somerville, Jones, McIntosh, McCrory-Irving, Ponton
Subs: Sampson, Notman
Broxburn: Wallace, Locke, Donaldson, Purves, Townsley, Linton, Nimmo, Scott, Miller, Binnie, Beasley.
Subs: Kelly, Ross.
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