31st July 2019 Edinburgh United v Dalkeith Thistle 2-0 (match abandoned)
Wednesday evening and the choice was stay in and watch Coronation Street (not my idea) or go and watch football. The latter was an easy winner and I headed to Paties Road to watch Edinburgh United v Dalkeith Thistle in the East of Scotland League Conference B. United's home game against Easthouses Lily was rained off on Saturday so this would be United’s first competitive game of the new season. I could have walked to Paties Road but decided to be lazy and walked up to Gilmore Place to catch a 27 bus at 18.40. Twenty minutes later I got off at the top of Craiglockhart Road for the short walk down the hill to Paties Road. On the way I met Alan. I have seen him at quite a few games and we have exchanged a few words but this was the first time we have had a long chat. He is a Patrick Thistle fan at heart but like me enjoys watching games when ever he can. Arrived at the ground around 19.25 and paid my £6 admission along with £1.50 for a programme. We both took a seat on the benches in the stand where we were later joined by Tom who runs the Edinburgh Patrick Thistle Supporters Club. As the match was about to start and our view of the pitch was blocked by fans standing at the barrier in front of the stand we moved to the back of the stand and took up position at a fence there which gave us a great view of the pitch.
Edinburgh United are the newest semi-professional side in the Edinburgh area having been founded in 1985. They played in the Junior Leagues for a number of years with little success but last year were one of the multitude of Junior sides who moved into Senior Football in the East of Scotland (EOS) League. They finished last season just below mid-table in their conference and are now playing the the lower divisions of the EOS League in Conference B. United let a number of lasts seasons squad move on but have recruited wisely and now include in their squad Sonny Swanson (ex-Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale and Leith), Stephen Scott (Berwick, Penicuik and Dalkeith) and Jordan Finnie (ex-LTHV and Whitehall). Dalkeith Thistle also moved up to the EOS League last season but again finished in the lower half of their conference. They have lost a number of last seasons squad who have followed their previous manager to Whitehall Welfare. However they have also been active in signing new players including Michael Deland (ex-Musselburgh Athletic), Guy Kerr (Tranent amongst others) and James McPartlin, their new captain, (ex-Whitehill Welfare).
The game started slowly and the first chance came in ten minutes for Dalkeith when a free-kick from the left was headed narrowly over United's crossbar. Play was mostly in midfield until the thirty-third minute when Swanson was set free on the left. He cut inside and into the penalty box where he fired across keeper Jamie Newman (a former Edinburgh United player) into the far corner of the net. United had another chance shortly after taking the lead when a shot from Scott was well saved by the diving Newman. Dalkeith were not out of the game and Cameron Young of United did well to clear a header from a corner of the goal-line.
United started the second half well and a long ball from Scott Hay found Scott on the edge of the Dalkeith penalty box. in the absence of any challenge he had time to control the ball before shooting low past Newman for a two goal lead. After about ten minutes Dalkeith won a free-kick on the right hand side of the United penalty box. Guy Kerr took the free-kick and forced United keeper Ash Tufail into a diving save to push the ball round the post. Tufail was in action minutes later rushing to the edge of his box to clear a long through ball towards the left touchline. Stephen Murray then dived into an excellent tackle to prevent the ball being returned towards the vacant goal. Swanson was then booked after he made a bad tackle on McPartlin on the left hand touchline. After sixty-six minutes a Dalkeith corner was cleared but immediately returned into the penalty box. Hay made a sliding tackle on Cameron Leslie in an attempt to win the ball and fouled the striker. The referee awarded a penalty as Leslie stayed on the ground. It then became apparent that the injury as serious as the physios of both sides came on and the players congregated round the fallen striker. After a few minutes Leslie was wrapped in a foil blanket and treatment continued as the players tried to keep warm. The referee wandered over to the benches on the far touchline for a discussion and then came over to the stand side to announce that the game had been abandoned as a ambulance had been called for Leslie. With no floodlights and NHS Edinburgh now giving ambulance priority to those with life-threatening conditions it was unlikely that game would finish as the light was now fading. I don't think there was an malice in the challenge but I learned the following morning that Leslie had sustained a double fracture of the tibia and fibia. I am not a medical expert but I think it will be a long recovery and I wish him all the best.
After the abandonment we left the ground just as the rain started. Tom lives adjacent to the ground and gave Alan and I a lift up to the main road to catch a bus back home. We only had three minutes to wait for a bus but the ending of the match had put a damper on the whole night.
Teams
Edinburgh United: Tufail, Robertson, Meikle, Murray, Swanson, Scott, Flynn, Hay, Spalding, Miller, Mackenzie
Subs: Young
Dalkeith Thistle: Newman, McPartlin, Woods, Kerr, Clelland, Linton, Burrows, D. Leslie, Deland, Wilson, C. Leslie.
Subs: None used
Edinburgh United are the newest semi-professional side in the Edinburgh area having been founded in 1985. They played in the Junior Leagues for a number of years with little success but last year were one of the multitude of Junior sides who moved into Senior Football in the East of Scotland (EOS) League. They finished last season just below mid-table in their conference and are now playing the the lower divisions of the EOS League in Conference B. United let a number of lasts seasons squad move on but have recruited wisely and now include in their squad Sonny Swanson (ex-Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale and Leith), Stephen Scott (Berwick, Penicuik and Dalkeith) and Jordan Finnie (ex-LTHV and Whitehall). Dalkeith Thistle also moved up to the EOS League last season but again finished in the lower half of their conference. They have lost a number of last seasons squad who have followed their previous manager to Whitehall Welfare. However they have also been active in signing new players including Michael Deland (ex-Musselburgh Athletic), Guy Kerr (Tranent amongst others) and James McPartlin, their new captain, (ex-Whitehill Welfare).
The game started slowly and the first chance came in ten minutes for Dalkeith when a free-kick from the left was headed narrowly over United's crossbar. Play was mostly in midfield until the thirty-third minute when Swanson was set free on the left. He cut inside and into the penalty box where he fired across keeper Jamie Newman (a former Edinburgh United player) into the far corner of the net. United had another chance shortly after taking the lead when a shot from Scott was well saved by the diving Newman. Dalkeith were not out of the game and Cameron Young of United did well to clear a header from a corner of the goal-line.
United started the second half well and a long ball from Scott Hay found Scott on the edge of the Dalkeith penalty box. in the absence of any challenge he had time to control the ball before shooting low past Newman for a two goal lead. After about ten minutes Dalkeith won a free-kick on the right hand side of the United penalty box. Guy Kerr took the free-kick and forced United keeper Ash Tufail into a diving save to push the ball round the post. Tufail was in action minutes later rushing to the edge of his box to clear a long through ball towards the left touchline. Stephen Murray then dived into an excellent tackle to prevent the ball being returned towards the vacant goal. Swanson was then booked after he made a bad tackle on McPartlin on the left hand touchline. After sixty-six minutes a Dalkeith corner was cleared but immediately returned into the penalty box. Hay made a sliding tackle on Cameron Leslie in an attempt to win the ball and fouled the striker. The referee awarded a penalty as Leslie stayed on the ground. It then became apparent that the injury as serious as the physios of both sides came on and the players congregated round the fallen striker. After a few minutes Leslie was wrapped in a foil blanket and treatment continued as the players tried to keep warm. The referee wandered over to the benches on the far touchline for a discussion and then came over to the stand side to announce that the game had been abandoned as a ambulance had been called for Leslie. With no floodlights and NHS Edinburgh now giving ambulance priority to those with life-threatening conditions it was unlikely that game would finish as the light was now fading. I don't think there was an malice in the challenge but I learned the following morning that Leslie had sustained a double fracture of the tibia and fibia. I am not a medical expert but I think it will be a long recovery and I wish him all the best.
After the abandonment we left the ground just as the rain started. Tom lives adjacent to the ground and gave Alan and I a lift up to the main road to catch a bus back home. We only had three minutes to wait for a bus but the ending of the match had put a damper on the whole night.
Teams
Edinburgh United: Tufail, Robertson, Meikle, Murray, Swanson, Scott, Flynn, Hay, Spalding, Miller, Mackenzie
Subs: Young
Dalkeith Thistle: Newman, McPartlin, Woods, Kerr, Clelland, Linton, Burrows, D. Leslie, Deland, Wilson, C. Leslie.
Subs: None used
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