3rd December 2019 Linlithgow Rose v Whitehill Welfare 2-3aet

At last I am going to get a chance to go to a match at Linlithgow. Saturday's postponed Football Nation cup-tie against Whitehall Welfare has been re-arranged for tonight. I walked down to Haymarket and caught the 18.38 train to Linlithgow arriving at around 18.55. From the station it is around a fifteen minute walk to the ground as the weather was approaching freezing I walked briskly along the High Street and then turned left towards the ground. Paid my £7 entry fee and entered Prestonfield for the first time. Programmes are only issued for Scottish Cup games and there were no team sheets available that I could find. The ground is a tidy non-league venue with concrete standing areas on three sides and a small stand, the David Roy Stand, on the touchline on the far side of the ground as you enter. Toilets and dressing rooms are underneath the stand. The far end of the ground is a high grassy bank and must be a good viewpoint on sunny days. The picture on the left is taken from the top of the bank. I then took up position under the cover opposite the stand in preparation for the kick-off. 

Tonight could be looked upon as a clash of fallen giants. Linlithgow had been for many years of of the top junior sides in the East of Scotland winning both leagues and cups regularly. In common with a number of junior sides they took the decision last season to move into the East of Scotland League which gives the opportunity to join the SFA pyramid with the chance, if successful, to move into the SPFL. The Rose were considered to be one of the favourites to move up from the EoS league to the Lowland League in their first season. However after a moderate season, by their previous standards, they failed to gain promotion and remain in the EoS Premier League. This season they stand in mid-table and sacked manager Mark Bradley after a heavy defeat from Musselburgh Athletic a coupe of months ago. He has been replaced by former Stenhousemuir boss, Brown Ferguson, who is still in a settling in period. Whitehall were a top side in the EoS League before the introduction of the pyramid. However following the introduction of the Lowland League they have struggled to regain their former status and were relegated last season after some poor results. The new management duo of Craig Meikle and Neil Janczyk have brought in a number of new faces but the side continues to struggle this season and ae currently near the foot of the table. 

Th game started with Linlithgow having the bulk of possession although Youseff Bejaoui in the Whitehall goal was not seriously troubled. Danny Smith had two good chances, heading straight at Bejaoui after a cross from Owen Ronald then shooting wide of the post from the edge of the penalty box. Whitehall were not out of the game and had the best chance of the early stages after a cross from the left flew across the face of the Linlithgow goal. Keith Lough slid in unmarked at the far post but was just too late to turn the ball into the empty net. The opening goal came after forty-three minutes when Rhuari MacLennan fed the ball through to the overlapping Ross Hutchinson on the left of the box. He turned the ball low across goal to Ross Allum who shot home from the edge of the six yard box.

As the weather seemed to be getting colder I went for a coffee at half-time to warm me up before moving back to stand at the halfway line waiting for play to restart. The second half was almost a carbon copy of the first with Linlithgow having most of the ball but Whitehall dangerous on the break. Ronald had a chance for Rose when they were awarded a free-kick about twenty-five yards out on the left of the penalty box. The winger stepped up to take the kick and shot past the defensive wall but also the far post. From a corner on the right Ronald hit a short ball into the penalty box about fifteen yards out. Tommy Coyne made a run towards the near post and turned the ball towards goal but a defender cleared of the goal-line. Whitehall equalised in seventy-three minutes when full-back Darren Smith lost the ball in his own half near the touchline. Jack Wright intercepted and set of towards goal From around twenty yards he left fly and the ball flew low into the net with Rose keeper Lee Wilson unable to get near it. The keeper was not happy with his defenders and after the goal was telling them forcibly that they should have moved out to block Wright before he could shoot. A couple of minutes after the goal Lough raced clear on a through ball pursued by John McGowan. The striker tried to chip Wilson as he rushed from his goal but the attempt from just outside the penalty area went wide. The whistle blew for full-time and as the game had to be played to a finish we then moved to extra time with the possibility of a penalty decider.

The first half of extra time was a bit of a non-event with both sides trying to gain supremacy but no clear chances made.  Full-back Smith had to limp of for Rose and was replaced by Sam Collumbine. The second half of extra time started with a bang when Whitehall went ahead in the one hundred and sixth minute. A cross found it's way to the back post where Lough brought the ball down and squeezed it past Wilson from the edge of the six yard box. Rose equalised three minutes later when their fourth substitute Willis Hare had a run down the right into the penalty area. He squared the ball to Coyne about ten yards out and the striker made no mistake with his finish. With five minutes to go Whitehall went ahead when a free-kick from about ten yards into the Rose half was floated towards the far post. Similar to Lough's goal full-back Gary Hamilton took the ball down an shot home from close range. This goal generated wild celebrations among the Whitehall players with the full team running to celebrate with the goal-scorer on the touchline. The last four minutes were a case of Whitehall defending balls into their penalty area and then hammering the ball upfield for lone striker Lough to chase. On one occasion he challenged for the ball in the air and went down claiming a head knock. The referee stopped play and went over for a look and then told the striker to get up. Lough got to his feet and limped slowly away as the referee restarted play with a drop ball to Rose keeper Wilson who hammered it back up but to no avail. The final whistle blew and Whitehall are through to the next round.

I left the ground and hurried back to the station. It was tempting to stop at the chip shop on the way but I decided  to hurry on. I arrived at the station at 10.13 and caught the 10.16 train back to Haymarket. I walked home from the station and was home about 10.40 and surprisingly did not have to take the dog for his last walk of the day as Natalie had already been out with him.

Teams

Linlithgow Rose: Wilson, Darren Smith, Hutchison, McKinlay, McGowan, Meikle, Danny Smith, MacLennan, Ronald, Coyne, Allum.

Subs: Strickland, Slavin, Columbine, Hare.

Whitehill Welfare: Bejaoui, Somerville, Hamilton, Meikle, Dodds, Janczyk, Wright, Devlin, Lough, Muir, Wales.

Subs: Connell, Murray, Dowie.