2nd November 2019 Penicuik v Crossgates Primrose 4-1
With Hearts playing Rangers tomorrow in the Betfred Cup semi-final I had a decision to make about where to go today. However the big football news this week came on Thursday when it was announced that Craig Levein had been relieved of his manager and director of football roles at Hearts. While he will stay on until the end of the season taking responsibility for upgrading the academy and backroom operations and will no longer be involved with team matters. Assistant manager Austin McPhee has been appointed as interim manager while Hearts begin the search for a new manager. Names already in the frame include McPhee, Steven Robinson of Motherwell, Ross Jack recently sacked by Sunderland, Steven Presley of Carlisle and Shelly Kerr who currently manages the Scotland Women's side. I do not think the latter will get the job but it will be interesting who is the final choice. Back to today I could have gone to Edinburgh United or Bonnyrigg but decided to go and watch Penicuik in their first match since last weeks Scottish Cup triumph over Stenhousemuir. As I spent the morning watching South Africa defeat England in the Rugby World Cup final on television I had not taken much exercise. I therefore left the flat at 12.30 and walked the three miles to Cameron Toll where I caught a 37 bus at 13.40 out to Penicuik. My timing was immaculate as heavy rain started just before I got on the bus and by the time I reached Penicuik via Loanhead and Roslin the rain had stopped. I paid my £6 entry and £2 for a programme on entry to the ground. Penicuik had made some improvements to the facilities for the cuptie and there is now a second refreshment stall under the cover at the left hand corner of the pitch in addition to a new viewing area for 'accessible viewing' with a wheelchair ramp next to the entry to the pavilion.
Penicuik made one change to the side that started against Stenhousemuir bringing in Keith Murray for Lumbert Kateleza who dropped to the bench. Both players have recently signed for Penicuik. Murray was part of the Hibs U19 squad when he was younger and has played for both Spartans and Civil Service Strollers amongst others. Kateleza had been with Penicuik while they were in the Junior ranks and since then played for Heriot Watt University and Arniston Rangers before returning to Penicuik a few weeks ago. I did not know much about Crossgates Primrose whose main claim to fame is that they were the first club of Rangers and Scotland great Jim Baxter who signed for them in 1956 at the start of his career. Crossgates have made a good start to their first season in the East of Scotland Premier League and are currently twelfth in the table with ten points from the same number of matches.
Penicuik parted the game well and could have gone ahead in the early minutes. Sam Jones made a break down the left and hit a low ball across goal. The ball was deflected goalwards of Crossgates centre-half Dunlop and keeper Grant Henderson did well to get down and stop the ball crossing the line. Crossgates were operating a high defensive line and Penicuik were finding it difficult to break through with offsides being a regular feature of there attacks as players made runs early in anticipation of forward passes. Skipper Callum Connolly managed to break the defensive line with a run forward instead of passing but his shot was blocked by the onrushing Henderson. Penicuik finally broke the deadlock after forty minutes. Darren Young hit a good long ball and Paul Tansey timed his run perfectly to gather the pass. He shot a low shot past Henderson from the edge of the penalty box into the net. Tansey had been a regular scorer with his previous clubs and had scored for Penicuik in pre-season games but this was his first competitive goal for the club. Crossgates had only had one shot on target thus far but equalised in forty-three minutes. Archie Campbell was fouled twenty-five yards from goal and Scott Lawrie hit the free-kick over the wall into the top corner of the net giving Kevin Swain in goal no chance of saving.
At half-time Penicuik brought on Robert Watt in goal for Kevin Swain. I can only assume Swain had picked upon injury as he had little to do in the first half and could not be blamed for the equaliser. The second half continued along the same lines as the first with Penicuik having the bulk of the play and Tansey hit his shot wide after being played through by Murray early in the half. Just after the our mark Tansey had a good run down the left then cut into the box. His shot from around fifteen yards crashed against the near post. A minute later Tansey tried a diving header from a Craig Stevenson cross. His effort from about eight yards out was deflected wide for a corner. Penicuik went ahead in sixty-nine minutes when Liam O'Donnell was played through by a neat one-two with substitute Kateleza. The full-back shot underneath the diving Henderson for his first Penicuik goal since joining from Lothian Thistle Hutchinson Vale. Penicuik were well in control now and added a third eight minutes later when Henderson failed to gather a through ball just inside the penalty box under pressure from Katezela The ball rebounded to Tansey just outside the area and he shot into the empty net. A fourth goal arrived after eighty-four minutes. This time Connolly broke down the left and fired a low ball across goal. The pass found Kateleza just outside the six yard box and he back-heeled the ball into the net for his first goal since returning to Penicuik. The final whistle blew shortly afterwards to signal a comfortable win for the home side.
After the final whistle I walked to Cuiken Avenue where I caught a 37 bus back into town. I got off just after Newington and walked home along the Meadows. Arrived home just after 17.30 in time to catch the Celtic v Hibs Betfred Cup semi-final on BT Sport.
Teams
Penicuik: Swain, O'Donnell, Baptie, Young, Page, Connolly, Jones, Watson, Tansey, Murray, Stevenson.
Subs: Watt, Kateleza, McCrory-Irving.
Crossgates Promrose: Henderson, Nutt, Brand, Dunlop, O'Neill, Moffat, Sawers, Aitken, Lawrie, Campbell, McAteer,
Subs: Forbes, Wilkie, Cowie.
Penicuik parted the game well and could have gone ahead in the early minutes. Sam Jones made a break down the left and hit a low ball across goal. The ball was deflected goalwards of Crossgates centre-half Dunlop and keeper Grant Henderson did well to get down and stop the ball crossing the line. Crossgates were operating a high defensive line and Penicuik were finding it difficult to break through with offsides being a regular feature of there attacks as players made runs early in anticipation of forward passes. Skipper Callum Connolly managed to break the defensive line with a run forward instead of passing but his shot was blocked by the onrushing Henderson. Penicuik finally broke the deadlock after forty minutes. Darren Young hit a good long ball and Paul Tansey timed his run perfectly to gather the pass. He shot a low shot past Henderson from the edge of the penalty box into the net. Tansey had been a regular scorer with his previous clubs and had scored for Penicuik in pre-season games but this was his first competitive goal for the club. Crossgates had only had one shot on target thus far but equalised in forty-three minutes. Archie Campbell was fouled twenty-five yards from goal and Scott Lawrie hit the free-kick over the wall into the top corner of the net giving Kevin Swain in goal no chance of saving.
At half-time Penicuik brought on Robert Watt in goal for Kevin Swain. I can only assume Swain had picked upon injury as he had little to do in the first half and could not be blamed for the equaliser. The second half continued along the same lines as the first with Penicuik having the bulk of the play and Tansey hit his shot wide after being played through by Murray early in the half. Just after the our mark Tansey had a good run down the left then cut into the box. His shot from around fifteen yards crashed against the near post. A minute later Tansey tried a diving header from a Craig Stevenson cross. His effort from about eight yards out was deflected wide for a corner. Penicuik went ahead in sixty-nine minutes when Liam O'Donnell was played through by a neat one-two with substitute Kateleza. The full-back shot underneath the diving Henderson for his first Penicuik goal since joining from Lothian Thistle Hutchinson Vale. Penicuik were well in control now and added a third eight minutes later when Henderson failed to gather a through ball just inside the penalty box under pressure from Katezela The ball rebounded to Tansey just outside the area and he shot into the empty net. A fourth goal arrived after eighty-four minutes. This time Connolly broke down the left and fired a low ball across goal. The pass found Kateleza just outside the six yard box and he back-heeled the ball into the net for his first goal since returning to Penicuik. The final whistle blew shortly afterwards to signal a comfortable win for the home side.
After the final whistle I walked to Cuiken Avenue where I caught a 37 bus back into town. I got off just after Newington and walked home along the Meadows. Arrived home just after 17.30 in time to catch the Celtic v Hibs Betfred Cup semi-final on BT Sport.
Teams
Penicuik: Swain, O'Donnell, Baptie, Young, Page, Connolly, Jones, Watson, Tansey, Murray, Stevenson.
Subs: Watt, Kateleza, McCrory-Irving.
Crossgates Promrose: Henderson, Nutt, Brand, Dunlop, O'Neill, Moffat, Sawers, Aitken, Lawrie, Campbell, McAteer,
Subs: Forbes, Wilkie, Cowie.
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