23rd April 2022 Bonnyrigg Rose 3 Fraserburgh 1

 


Today is the first leg of playoff between Lowland League champions Bonnyrigg and Highland League winners Fraserburgh. The playoff winners will meet SPFL bottom club Cowdenbeath with the winners of that tie being in the SPFL next season. I checked my bus app and saw there were buses to Bonnyrigg at 13.21 and 13.30 so walked down to Haymarket to catch the first one. When I got to the stop around 13.15 times showed 16 and 17 minutes before the next bus! I walked along to Princes Street and eventually got on a bus around 13.45. This bus switched places with the other all the way to Bonnyrigg and I finally arrived around 14.30. Jim had arrived before me and bought me a programme. Thankfully being an all-ticket match there was minimal queueing at the gate and I was in the ground by 14.40. I wandered across to the uncovered sunny side of the ground and met Jim ahead of the kick-off. 

Bonnyrigg set up in their usual 3-5-2 formation. The biggest issue was up front with top scorer George Hunter having been injured last week in the league match at East Kilbride. Despite the claims of both Sean Brown and Nathan Evans, Ross Gray started alongside Kieran McGachie. His brother Scott was on the bench alongside Brown and Evans. As for Fraserburgh I knew little about their side. I had seen them twice before and they had won both matches. The only name in todays team list I recognised however was Willie West who had looked a good player when I last saw them around five years ago. 

The game started slowly although McGachie managed to push ph over one of the Fraserburgh central defenders as he chased a through ball towards the penalty area. Minutes later the defender got his revenge as he kicked the back of McGachie’s leg waiting for a corner coming into the box. Despite several players appealing the referee ignored appeals for a penalty. Bradley Barrett and Grant Campbell were both booked after a tussle over a throw-in. Both teams were evenly matched and there were few clear goal scoring chances until Bonnyrigg took the lead in thirty-eight minutes. Ross Gray was fouled from behind about thirty yards from goal out on the right. Lee Currie hit a superb free-kick towards McGachie in the centre of the penalty area about eight yards from goal. The forward powered a superb header into the net giving Paul Leask in the Fraserburgh goal no chance.

Bonnyrigg went two up nine minutes into the second half. McGachie used his strength to hold off the defence as he nodded the ball down to Callum Connolly just inside the penalty box. The midfielder hit a half volley past Leask into the net. McGachie went off shortly afterwards to thunderous applause as he was replaced by fresh legs of Sean Brown. Fraserburgh however pulled a goal back after sixty-nine minutes when a cross from Ross Aitken was headed against the crossbar by Grant Campbell. The ball bounced across goal to the far post where Paul Young headed home from three yards. Shortly afterwards Dean Brett cleared another Campbell effort of the Bonnyrigg goal-line. With nine minutes to go Brett was involved at the other end of the park when he was fouled just outside the penalty area by Sean Butcher. Brett and Currie stood over the ball as the Fraserburgh defensive wall lined up. There was only going to be one person taking the kick as set-piece expert Currie curled the ball over the ball and into the top corner of the nest for a -1 lead. Connolly had another effort similar to his earlier goal but this time shot over the bar just before the final whistle blew. 

The result gives Bonnyrigg a great chance of moving into the play-off against Cowdenbeath with the second leg of todays tie at Fraserburgh's Bellsea Park next week. With a crow of 1571 exiting the ground took longer than normal but I caught a 31 bus from the High Street at 17.01. After changing to a 27 at Forrest Road I was home just before 18.00 after a great game in the sunshine. 

Teams
Bonnyrigg Rose: Weir, Brett, Martynuik, Horne, Young, Connolly, R. Gary, Stewart, McGachie, Currie, Barrett
Subs: Brown, Hall

Fraserburgh: Leask, Aitken, Hay, Cowie, Simpson, G. Campbell, Beagrie, Watt, Duncan, Young, S. Barbour
Subs: p. Campbell, Sargent, Butcher, Combe

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

27th April 2024 The Spartans 2 Peterhead 2

Image
  I was not sure where to go today as I did not fancy going to Kilmarnock for the Hearts game. I final,y decided to head to Ainslie Park for Spartans SPFL match against. I walked to Tollcross to catch a 27 bus which was fine until we got to the Mound  where the police were stopping all traffic to allow a Gaza protest march to walk up the Mound and then done the High Street to the parliament building. After a fifteen minute delay the bus finally got moving again and I got off at Morrisons before walking down to the ground arriving at around 14.50. The cafe bare was just shut when I arrived so I took up a position against the fence at the bar end. Spartans were sitting in fourth place in SPFL League Two and were now guaranteed a sport in the end of season playoffs. There side was unchanged from last weeks win a Bonnyrigg. Under twenties players Josh Laing and Archie Wylie were included amongst the substitutes. Peterhead were now second in the league and also guaranteed a playoff spot. To
Read more

23rd March 2024 Musselburgh Athletic 1 Jeanfield Swifts 0

Image
  We  are on Saturday in the international break and I not sure where  to go today as choice either Penicuik v Glenrothes or Musselburgh v  Jeanfield. Given Penicuik have been awful this season I decided to head to Musselburgh. I walked down to Haymarket around 13.00 and caught a 26 bus to Musselburgh. Arrived there about 14.15 and walked the short distance to the ground. Paid my £5 admission bought a £2 programme. After a wander around the ground I met Jim and we took about a stance at the cafe end against the fence. It looked like being a goood game today with Musselburgh second on the EoS Premier League and Jeanfield third. Broxburn are however twelve points cleated at the top of the league and look Tati be champions at the end of the season. Musselburgh have probably the best three strikers in the league with Nathan Evans, Jordan Smith and recent signing Nicky Reid. Evans was not include in todays starting eleven due to injury while Smith was on the bench replaced by Jonnny Court.
Read more

27th January. 2024. Hearts 2 Aberdeen 0

Image
At last back to Tynecastle. After a spell of illness back to watch a home game for the first time since late November. I would have been back for the Dundee game on Tuesday but I fell out of bed overnight on Monday and was a mess of bruises so stayed at home. Today however I was feeling a lot better and left home to walk to Tynecastle. I arrived around 14.20 and scanned my season ticket for entry. Went to my seat in the Main Stand and it felt great to be back again. 2024 is 150 years since Hearts were founded and a special 150 year flag was raised on the pitch before the kickoff. The flag will be flown above the stand for the remainder of the year. The ceremony made me feel old as I remember being at the 100th anniversary match against Spurs in 1974. Steven Naismith starting lineup included both Dexter Lembikiska and Yutaro Oda who both came on as substitutes against Dundee and scored. Craig Halkett and Kenneth Vargas dropped to the bench to replace them Aberdeen under mamager Barry Ro
Read more