9th July 2019 Musselburgh Athletic v The Spartans 4-4
This friendly fixture was originally scheduled for Thursday evening when I would not have been able to go along. However match was switched to tonight and I was able to attend. Left the house 17.45 to catch a 26 bus to Musselburgh and arrive in time for the advertised 19.15 kickoff. Arrived at the ground at 19.00 and paid my £3 admission to find the kickoff had been switched until 19.30. No programmes or team-sheets available but having seem both teams recently I was able to identify most of the players. If I can find any further details I will update the line-ups.
The game started slightly late and Spartans had most of the early play although they were shock in four minutes. Full-back Jordan Orru broke down the left and passed the ball to Darren Downie about fifteen yards out inside the penalty box. The striker hit a side footer into the left hand corner of the goal with Blair Carswell unable to save as he was wrong-footed. Spartans continued to press forward with Ian McFarland and Aaron Scott combining well in midfield. Cameron Dawson had a shot blocked in sixteen minutes after a good run down the left from Scott Maxwell before Spartans equalised in twenty-eight minutes. Scott hit a good pass to Maxwell who continued his run into the box and side-stepped the keeper. From around five yards out, wide of the six yard box, he hit a cross-shot towards goal. It looked like the ball may have crept in at the far post but Alan Brown made sure by sliding in and forcing the ball home despite the presence of a Musselburgh defender. A minute later Aaron Murrell dis-possessed a defender about thirty yards from call. He ran into the box and, with the defence chasing back, hit a shot from around seventeen yards into the right hand corner of the net giving the keeper no chance. Musselburgh equalised in thirty-three minutes after a foul on striker Mathu King just outside the penalty box. Conor Thomson fired the free-kick into the net although there was a case for saying that the Spartans wall was a man short. At half-time the Spartans team had to wait outside their dressing room until their management team walked across the pitch as the were carrying the keys to the away changing area.
Spartans brought on Nicky Reid to play wide on the left at half-time with Brown moving to right-back. Reid showed his potential after sixty-eight minutes with a good run down the left left defenders gasping before cutting into the box. As the keeper came out he shot into the far corner to put Spartans ahead again. Musselburgh had a chance after seventy-ix minutes when Liam Gregory volleyed a cross from the right over the bar from just outside the six yard box when it seemed easier to score. A second Spartans substitute, Blair Atkinson, extended the lead to 4-2 after eighty-two minutes. He won the ball in a tussle outside the penalty box, stepped to the side and shot into the net from around twenty yards. A minute later Downie pulled the score back to 4-3. He was left alone as the ball can to him around fifteen yards out inside the box on the right hand side. He shot across Carswell into the net to give Musselburgh a lifeline. Musselburgh equalised three minutes later when King won a corner on the right although he was claiming a free-kick. The corner was floated into the six yard box where John McManus leapt and headed home to give Musselburgh a draw. The game was a good work-out for both sides although I think both defences will improve as they gain match fitness.
After the game I walked down to the High Street and caught a 44 bus back into town. Walked home from Haymarket and took Rufus for his last walk of the day.
The game started slightly late and Spartans had most of the early play although they were shock in four minutes. Full-back Jordan Orru broke down the left and passed the ball to Darren Downie about fifteen yards out inside the penalty box. The striker hit a side footer into the left hand corner of the goal with Blair Carswell unable to save as he was wrong-footed. Spartans continued to press forward with Ian McFarland and Aaron Scott combining well in midfield. Cameron Dawson had a shot blocked in sixteen minutes after a good run down the left from Scott Maxwell before Spartans equalised in twenty-eight minutes. Scott hit a good pass to Maxwell who continued his run into the box and side-stepped the keeper. From around five yards out, wide of the six yard box, he hit a cross-shot towards goal. It looked like the ball may have crept in at the far post but Alan Brown made sure by sliding in and forcing the ball home despite the presence of a Musselburgh defender. A minute later Aaron Murrell dis-possessed a defender about thirty yards from call. He ran into the box and, with the defence chasing back, hit a shot from around seventeen yards into the right hand corner of the net giving the keeper no chance. Musselburgh equalised in thirty-three minutes after a foul on striker Mathu King just outside the penalty box. Conor Thomson fired the free-kick into the net although there was a case for saying that the Spartans wall was a man short. At half-time the Spartans team had to wait outside their dressing room until their management team walked across the pitch as the were carrying the keys to the away changing area.
Spartans brought on Nicky Reid to play wide on the left at half-time with Brown moving to right-back. Reid showed his potential after sixty-eight minutes with a good run down the left left defenders gasping before cutting into the box. As the keeper came out he shot into the far corner to put Spartans ahead again. Musselburgh had a chance after seventy-ix minutes when Liam Gregory volleyed a cross from the right over the bar from just outside the six yard box when it seemed easier to score. A second Spartans substitute, Blair Atkinson, extended the lead to 4-2 after eighty-two minutes. He won the ball in a tussle outside the penalty box, stepped to the side and shot into the net from around twenty yards. A minute later Downie pulled the score back to 4-3. He was left alone as the ball can to him around fifteen yards out inside the box on the right hand side. He shot across Carswell into the net to give Musselburgh a lifeline. Musselburgh equalised three minutes later when King won a corner on the right although he was claiming a free-kick. The corner was floated into the six yard box where John McManus leapt and headed home to give Musselburgh a draw. The game was a good work-out for both sides although I think both defences will improve as they gain match fitness.
After the game I walked down to the High Street and caught a 44 bus back into town. Walked home from Haymarket and took Rufus for his last walk of the day.
Teams
Musselburgh Athletic: ?, Moffat, Orr, ?, ?, Gregory, Trialist C, Thomson, Downie, King, ?.
Subs: McBay, McManus, McNaughton
The Spartans: Carswell, Brown, Maxwell, Tolmie, Corbett, Scott, Baxter, McFarland, Dawson, Murrell, Nixon.
Subs: Reid, Hand, ?, Atkinson.
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