28th December 2021. Edinburgh University 1 The Spartans 2

 

Trip out to Peffermill tonight for the Lowland League match between Edinburgh University and Spartans. Left home at 18.30 and caught a 22 bus to Princes Street. Then switched to a 3 to Cameron Toll and walked to Peffermill from there. I arrived at the ground around 19.30 and used my electronic Fanbase ticket for entry. Programmes were sold out by the time I arrived but I managed to get a tram sheet. Later saw on social media that programmes were available for £4.50 despite a face value of £1! In the ground I met Stewart who edits the Spartans programme. It was the first time we had chatted and it was good to meet him. Alex arrived and wandered round to behind the railway end goal where we met Jim.

It promised to be an interesting game tonight. The Uni had as normal started the season slowly but are now in a mid-table position. Both Innes Lawson and Ben Spelman are in the list of top scorers in the league. However tonight both regular keepers were injured and a Trialist was brought in. Additionally a number of defenders were injured and there were some players self-isolate g with Covid meaning the Uni could only name three substitutes. Spartans are currently third in the league behind Bonnyrigg and Rangers B. Blair Henderson is the second top scorer in the league and with players like Jamie Dishington and Cammy Russell in the side are always a threat going forward. Defensively however they are missing the injured Mikey Allan and the retired Michael Bolochoweckyj although new signing Calum Burns started at centre half. 

Spartans started the game well with Henderson and Sean Brown looking lively upfront but the Trialist keeper was not seriously troubled. Innes Lawson then went down in the Spartans penalty area after a challenge from Michael Herd but the referee rightly waved away penalty appeals after a slip on what as becoming a slightly frost park. Spaartsn took the lead just before the half hour. Dishington started the move with a run down the right before feeding the ball to Russell. He then passed to the overlapping Scott Maxwell whose cross as headed home by Sean Brown from close range. Brown is on loan to Spartans until the end of January. With Aaron Murrell, currently on loan to Musselburgh, injured I think Spartans will be asking East Fife to extend the loan facility. 

Just after halftime Henderson had a chance from a header but his attempt was blocked by the Uni keeper with Brown unable to get to the rebound. Russel put Spartans two ahead in fifty-six minutes with an excellent solo goal. Ian McFarland won the ball in midfield and set Russell off on a solo run from halfway. He cut into the penalty area avoiding a challenge on the edge of the box before shooting across the keeper into the far corner of the goal. Spartans were in control of the game and Sam Newman should have done better when he came on as a substitute when he tried a pass when a shot seemed a better option. As the game moved into the last few minutes Uni's David Maskery had a terrific shot from the edge of the penalty which hit Blair Carswell's crossbar before bouncing out to be cleared by the defence. However with five minutes to go Maskery hit a similar effort which this hit the bar and bounced into the net giving Carswell no chance of making a save. Spartans then looked to play out the game by taking the ball to the corners of the pitch and succeeded as the time ran down and the final whistle was blown.

Uni is normally one of the best grounds in the Lowland League for food and drink however with the cafe being used as a changing room no catering was available. On a cold night I could have murdered a coffee and a piece of homemade carrot cake and a sausage roll ! After the final whistle Jim, Alex and I walked along Peffermiil Road. I stopped at the first bus stop while the other walked on. I met Alan at the stop and we caught a 30 in around three minutes. Despite diversions I was home just after ten o'clock. 

Teams

Edinburgh University: Trialist, Turnbull, Thomson, McGuire, Bannon, Sinclair, Kemp, Dick, Spelman, Maskery, Lawson

Subs: Hendry, Anderson, Dickson

The Spartans: farewell, Herd, Maxwell, Waugh, Burns, Jones, Dishington, McFarland, Henderson, S. Brown, Russell

Subs: Newman, Walker, Woods