18th December 2021 Penicuik Athletic 2 Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts 2

 

I was unable to go to watch Edinburgh City last night due to family issues and was unsure if I would be able to go to a game today. However thankfully I was able to go to a game. Hearst’s were p,aging today at Dundee but on principle I decided not to go. Dundee voted in 2019 to retain Hearts in the SPL but apparently the e-mail did not reach the SPFL. It was eventually found in a file for items which system considered to be malware. The SPFL then contacted Dundee who then essentially a second e-mail, after the closing time for submission,  changing their vote and demoting Hearts to the Championship for the following season. I have never liked Dundee since they denied Hearts the league title in 1986 but this blatant cheating was the final straw. I and a number of other Hearts fans will no longer go to Dundee to watch games and I hope they are relegated to a division more suited to their standards. A Sunday amateur pub league may be appropriate  given their lack of professionalism. I decided to head out to watch Penicuik v Inverkeithing Hillside Swifts (IHS). I walked to Tollcross and caught a 47 bus to Penicuik arriving just after 14.00 for the q14.30 kickoff. I paid my admission charge, bought a programme (a double issue also covering Tuesday’s game v Newtongrange) and bought a halftime c draw ticket. I had a chat with John, a ex-work colleague, who is on the Penicuik committee before heading towards the covered terrace area. I met Ian, a fellow Jambo, there and we remained together for the game chatting about various football matters.

It promised to be a good game today with Penicuik top of the East of Scotland Premier League. They are currently four pints ahead of second placed Tranent and Linlithgow (who have a smaller goal difference) with a game in hand. IHS, who now play in Dalgety Bay, are ninth but have been showing improved form of late. Penicuik fielded a strong side with the only surprise being that Paul Tansey did not start. However given he has been injured recently there may have been concerns over his fitness. It was also good to se a couple of ex-Spartans players in the Penicuik side. Nicky Reid is top scorer for Penicuik this season with twenty goals while Scott McCrory-Irving who returned to Penicuik earlier this year provides craft on midfield or on the wing. IKS had a number of young players but also fielded Greig Spence, formerly with Raith, Alloa and Arbroath, and Pat Scullion, who played for Berwick and Edinburgh City among others in the SPFL.

Both Ian and I thought the game would be an easy win for Penicuik but IHS looked very competitive in the early part of the match. The first half hour of the game was competitive but neither side really troubled the opposition goal keeper. Nicky Reid did put the ball into the IHS net but was called back for offside. IHS had a chance with a through ball towards Spence but penicuik keeper Bob Watt did well to clear from outside the penalty area. Things changed just after the half hour mark when McCrory-Irving ran into the IHS half on the left. He passed out wide to Ryan Baptie but continued his run into the IHS penalty box. Baptie’s accurate cross found the midfielder unmarked on the right of the six yard box and he shot low across the IHS keeper into the far corner of the net to give Penicuik the lead. 

I don’t know what Penicuik boss Steve McLeish said to his players at halftime but the side came out with a different attitude and started to put IHS under severe pressure. Somerville sent a pas through to Aiden Walsh on the left hand side of the penalty box. His shot from around twelve yards flew into the net giving Neil Mitchell in the IHS goal no chance. Penicuik looked lot sharper and after around the hour mark brought on Tansey for Aaron Somerville. Tansey made a big difference up front and Penicuik looked a lot sharper. However manager McLeish made another three changes as the game moved to a conclusion. While substitute Cammy Dawson could have clinched the game after his shot was blocked by Mitchell Penicuik then lost Tansey to injury with ten minutes to go. With four substitutes used they had to play out the game with ten men and the proved costly. IHS pulled gaol back after eighty three minutes when a long throw-in was flicked on by Scullion to substitute Josh Morris on the edge of the six yard box. His low shot gave Watt no chance of making a save. Shortly afterwards a Penicuik fan has a go at IHS' forward Spence after a foul. Spence gave back as good, if not more, than he got and I was surprised to hear the fan complaining he had been verbally abused given he started the exchange. As the game moved into injury time IHS equalised. Again the goal came from a long throw-in which was flicked on. The ball found its way to Spence about ten yards out and he shot low past Watt. IHS went mad as they scored and the ball ended up out of the park as it was kicked over the fence. Penicuik had no time to score again and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

On the final whistle we headed out to catch a bus home. There was a 37 due in five minutes which was great for me. Ian would have also got that but it meant he would have to change to another bus to get back to Dalkeith.  I got the 37 while Ian waited for the direct 140 ten minutes after. The journey back was fine until we arrived in Roslin. There was a procession heading to Roslin Chapel and the police stopped traffic to allow pedestrians access to the chapel. After a five minute delay the bus headed back into Edinburgh. I got off at Newington and walked from there arriving home around 17.40. 

Teams

Penicuik Athletic: Watt, Forbes, Baptie, Young, Thomson, Edwards, Reid, Land, Walsh, Somerville, McCrory-Irving.

Subs: Tansey, Kateleza, Dawson, Hope

Inverkeithing Hillside Swifts: Mitchell,Paterson,Annandale,Scullion,Deas, Liddell, Strang, McMurchie, Spence, Kelly, Mauchlan.

Subs: Morris