7th August 2021 The Spartans 2 Broomhill 0

 

Another Saturday and with hearts away to St Mirren, with no away fans permitted in a crowd of 1037, I decided to use my Spartans season ticket and head to Ainslie Park. It was a bright sunny day but as yesterday showers were expected when I left home at 13.30. I walked down the old railway path and must have been making a fair pace as I arrived at the ground at 14.20. I showed my season ticket for entry and then paid £2 for a programme. The Spartans programme has a new editor and increased content and is now a good read. I took up position against the pitch barrier to read my programme before moving into the stand as the teams came out onto the pitch. 

Spartans side was on the usual lines. Goalkeeper Blair Carsell was making his 200th competitive appearance for the club. With 70 shut-outs prior to todays game he had a better than one in three clean sheets during his time in the team. The programme mentioned his performance against Edinburgh City in 2016 when he saved three penalties in a 3-2 defeat for Spartans who ended the match with eight men following three red cards. This match was one of my first Spartans matches and remains a fond memory. Recent loan signing from Dundee United, Lennon Walker, was included on the substitutes bench. Spartans opponents, Broomhill, were previously know as BSC Glasgow and  had a traumatic close involving a change of name, management team and players. BSC stood for Broomhill Sports Club based in Glasgow and the club were founded to provide a path for youngsters in the junior sides to progress to senior football. There was a falling out between the sports and football clubs and the football club is now stand-alone and has changed its name to Broomhill on severing links with the sports club. Manager Steven Swift left to take over at Stenhousemuir and has been replaced by David Gormley. Gormley played for a number of SPFL clubs including Clyde and Ayr and took over as manager at Rossvale, in the West junior leagues, on retiring from playing. Brooomhill is his first senior managerial role. A number of layers followed Swft to Stenhousemuir but Broomhill started with three successive wins in the Lowland League before losing their last two matches. Names in the squad I recognised were Sean Slaven, previously with Linlithgow Rose, and Michael Dunlop who played for Alloa, Brechin and Albion Rovers among others. Dunlop is also assistant manager at the club. 

Spartans started well with Sam Newman looking dangerous on the left. In one run he took the ball past an opponent but his attempted cross was poor and did not even reach the near post before running out of play. Broomhill had an early shot wide from Derek McNab but play was mostly in midfield with neither keeper being called into action. Brooomhill should have taken the lea after twenty-five minutes. A long clearance by keeper Stephen Barr was not dealt with by the Spartans defence. Andrew Monk knocked the ball past Carswell on the edge of the penalty box and was left with an open goal. Michael Bolochoweckyj however chased back and made a magnificent tackle to clear the danger as Monk took a touch before knocking the ball into an empty net. “Bolo’s” tackle reminded me of the tackle by Robbie Neilson for Hearts in the Scottish h Cup final v Gretna which also saved a certain goal. Spartans took the lead after thirty minutes. A good move down the right allowed Scott Maxwell to hot a low cross into the penalty area. Barr was unable to gather the ball and Blair Henderson had an easy task to knock it into the net from the edge of the six yard box at the far post. 

At halftime I moved from the stand to stand beside the barrier at the Pilton End of the ground where Spartans would be attacking in the second half. I ws standing near the pie hut but resisted the temptation to purchase a pie or sausage roll. However ten minutes or so into the second half the guy operating the pie hut came out with a tray of pies and sausage rolls. He proceeded to offer them to those standing near the hut for nothing as if they were not eaten they would be binned. Despite the obvious temptation I declined his offer. 

The second half started quietly but exploded into action after about ten minutes. Jamie Dishington chased a long through ball from Sam Jones into the Broomhill half. About thirty yards from goal Broomhill defender Jack MacCalman came charging across and floored Dishington with a high dangerous tackle. Thankfully Dishington was not severely injured and could play on but the referee rightly showed McCalman a red card for the foul. The Broomhill players protested bt the referee had no option that to send the defender off. When the free-kick was ready to be taken keeper Broomhill shouted to the referee that the ball was in the wrong place. The referee’s response was he was closer to the incident and the ball was in the right place.Unfortunately Kevin Waugh’s attempt at goal was too high. The game was getting scrappy and Broomhill’s Findlay Gray was booked for a challenge on Euan Smith near the halfway line. This was another challenge that could have been a red card but I think the referee showed some sympathy to the player as Gray injured himself in the challenge. Spartans scored a second in sixty-nine minutes. Jordan Duncan took a throw-in and sent the ball back to keeper Barr. Bar took a poor touch about fifteen yards fro his goal and Dishington took the ball off his toes. Dishington took a couple of paces to the right and rolled the ball into an empty net. Spartans had the ball in the net again when Henderson knocked the ball home after Barr could only parry a shot from substitute Gregor Woods. The referee disallowed the goal for a foul by Henderson before the ball broke to Woods. Broomhill full-back Regan O’Sullivan did not realise a free-kick had been awarded and shouted at the linesman, “ Why did you not flag for the push”. The linesman took great pleasure in responding “ a free-kick had been given”. The final whistle gave Spartans another three points and left them in fourth position in the Lowland League with a game in hand on the leading pack.

After the game I walked up to Ferry Road to catch a bus home. As the next 27 was not due for eight minutes I walked along to Crewe Toll where there would be a selection of buses. I checked my phone and saw a 24 was due. As I saw it coming down the road to the roundabout a guy came running up to the stop asking when the next 24 was due. I told him it was coming round the roundabout now as he explained he had left his phone  on a 24 earlier. He jumped on and asked the driver who produced the missing phone. The guy then jumped off the bus shouting the driver had "saved my life". I boarded the bus and got off at Lothian Road. I walked home from there arriving at 17.30. After a meal I sat down to watch my recording of the Lions v South Africa rugby match. I had managed to avoid the score before watching but was disappointed by both the scoreline and the standard of play as South Africa triumphed to win the series.

Teams

Spartans: Carswell, Herd, Allan, Bolochoweckyj, Wuagh, Jones, Dishington, Smith, Henderson, Newman, Maxwell.

Subs: Woods, Brown, McCrory-Irving

Broomhill: Barr, Duncan, O'Sullivan, MacCalman, Dunlop, Sinnamon, Gray, Alexander, McNab, Monk, Cusick.

Subs: Cassidy, Slaven