8th February 2020 Edinburgh City v Annan Athletic 3-0

Scottish Cup weekend with Hearts playing away at Falkirk today. However as this game is live on TV at 19.20 I was able to go to a game in the afternoon. Jim and I had exchanged texts during the week and we agreed to meet up at Ainslie Park for Edinburgh City v Annan Athletic and after that Jim would take his car through to Falkirk as he also had a ticket, albeit among the home fans while I was in the Hearts end. City have stopped offering half price admission to season ticket holders of other Edinburgh clubs so I bought my ticket and a match programme online. £12 for admission and £3 for th programme with admin fees of £1.01 for the ticket and 25p for the programme. I felt that as I was paying an admin fee for a ticket that no admin fee should have been charged for the programme. I left home at 13.30 and walked down to Ainslie Park along the old railway line. I took it easy and arrived around 14.25 and presented my e-ticket at the turnstile. I was told to go through the turnstile and the operator then came out of his box and validated my ticket on his phone. He also gave me a programme as copies had been held by the turnstile operators to be given to those who had paid in advance. I met Jim and we took up position against the fence in line with the edge of the penalty area at the cafe end of the ground. Jim mentioned that Alex was also going to Falkirk as he was going to see Queen of the South against Morton and would get off the train at Falkirk on the way back. Alex had bought his ticket for Falkirk online and was also sitting among the home fans. 

Today looked like being a close match between second, City, and seventh, Annan, in League Two. While Annan have fallen down the table recently they are still only four points of a play-off spot. City have had goalkeeping problems all season and number one choice Callum Antell had returned to the side last week. He is however not playing today as he dislocated a finger and with Alan Martin now having moved to a side in the Philippines Kelby Mason became the seventh goalkeeper to appear for City in the League this season. Mason joined City in the transfer window on loan from Hearts having spent the first half of the season on loan at Annan. City were also missing skipper Conrad Balatoni who was injured last week against Stirling Albion. Last seasons top scorer, Blair Henderson, is now fit and was back spearheading the City frontline. Annan included former Hearts striker Christian Nade although assistant manager Darren Barr, another former Hearts player, was not included in the match day squad.

The game was not helped by a strong wind which was blowing towards the goal at the far end of the ground which City were defending in the first have. Most of the game was in midfield until City forced a corner after sixteen minutes. Craig Thomson took the kick and swing the ball high into the penalty area looking for Liam Henderson who has scored a number of goals in recent matches. Annan were aware of Henderson threat in the air as he had scored against them in December and had the defender marked by their tallest player Steven Swinglehurst. The two players were jostling as they ran from the edge of the box to meet the cross and Swinglehurst pulled Henderson who fell to the ground. It was probably one of these decisions that could have gone either way giving the pushing and shoving between the pair beforehand but referee Steven Kirkland awarded a penalty. Danny Handling took the kick and shot low into the right hand corner of the net to give City the lead.There was not a lot of excitement for the rest of the half although City's Grant Savoury, on loan from Celtic, shot past the post from outside the box before Annan's Nathan Flanagan had a similar attempt at the other end of the field. 

The second half was more of the same with most of the action in midfield with chances few and far between. City's Marc Laird had received treatment from their physio just before half time and came out for the second half in a shirt without as number as his starting shirt had blood stains from his nose injury. Mason did well to get down and push away a shot from Flanagan after the forward broke into the City penalty area on the left. In sixty-three minutes Johnny Court had a good run from just inside the Annan half and squared the ball to Blair Henderson just outside the penalty area. His shot bounced of a defender and was deflected to Handling about fifteen yards out on the left hand side. His low shot into the far corner gave City a two nil advantage. City then used their three substitutes both to give them some game time and also rest some of their regulars, Laird and Court were both replaced along with debutant Savoury. As the game moved into injury time City were awarded a freekick thirty-five yards from goal in the centre of the field. Jordan Sinclair took the kick and his wind assisted low shot was parried by Alex Mitchell in the Annan goal. The ball fell to Liam Henderson about eight yards from goal and his low shot into the net clinched the game for City. Annan restarted the game and then referee Kirkland blew the full-time whistle.

After the game Jim and I walked to his car which was parked in a street outside the ground. It was good to walk as despite the wind the exercise brought some feeling back into my feet which were freezing having been standing for the feel game.We got back to the car and the Scotland v England rugby international was on the radio as we heading to Falkirk as the rain started to pour down.

Teams
Edinburgh City: Mason, Thomson, Crane, Kane, L. Henderson, Laird, Savoury, Court, B. Henderson, Handling, Sinclair.
Subs: Holmes, Brown, McIntyre.
Annan Athletic: Mitchell, Hewitt, Sonkur, Swinglehurst, Clark, Wooding-Holt, Watson, Flanagan, Nade, Docherty, Muir.
Subs: McLear