5th November 2022 Bonnyrigg Rose 2 Elgin City 3

 With Hearts playing tomorrow following their EUFA Conference  tie in Turkey on Thursday I had a choice of marches for today. I decided to head out to Bonnyrigg for their SPFL League Two fixture against Elgin City. After lunch I walked to Haymarket to catch what I thought was the 13.35 31 bus to Bonnyrigg. With Scotland playing Fiji in the rugby international at Murrayfield the buses were disrupted and the board showed next bus was not due until 13.50. A 33 arrived and I took that to Newington hoping to catch the previous 31. No such luck and I waited for ten minutes for the 31 to arrive. I was on a Bonnyrigg 31 rather than a Poltonmill bus so took the bus through the Bonnyrigg Toll crossroads and got off almost immediately in front of the ground, I paid. My £7 admission and a further £2 for a programme at the entrance. I looked around for Jim but he was not in our usual spot near the dugouts. I then spotted him and Martin in the covered area and went to join them. Once the drizzle stopped we moved across to the other side of the ground to stand on the slope behind the dugouts as the teams warmed up, 

Bonnyrigg started their first SPFL season well winning their first three matches. However they have now lost six out of their last seven league matches in addition to being knocked out of the Scottish Cup by East of Scotland League side Sauchie. Manager Robbie Horn has attempted to arrest the slide by bringing in a number of new players. He has signed loanees Kieran Mitchell (Raith Rovers) and Corey O’Donnell (Motherwell) in addition to free agent Chris Kane who was with FC Edinburgh last season. Elgin City joined the SPFL but have never moved out of the lowest level. They are currently fifth in the league, just outside the playoff places. City have a strong squad with key players being striker Kane Hester who has the qualities to play at a higher level and ‘rugged’ defender Ross Draper who won a Scottish Cup medal with Inverness in 2015.

Elgin started the match well and Draper came close with a header after a free kick. Elgin took the lead in d seven minutes when Hester ran onto a through ball. A he entered the penalty area he collided with keeper Mark Weir and the referee awarded a penalty kick. Russell Dingwall took the kick and sent the balll into the left hand corner of the goal as Weir dived to the right, Dingwall added a second after twenty-one minutes. Weir dived to try a stop a pass back going out for a corner but failed to gather the ball cleanly. Dingwall took possession and shot into the empty net with the keeper grounded on the right of the goal. Mitchell had a chance for Bonnyrigg shortly after but Daniel Hoban in the Elgin goal blocked the short with his feet. Just before halftime Elgin were awarded a second penalty when Heaster was fouled by a Kerr Young in the penalty box. Dingwall send the kick into the centre of the goal as Weir dived to his right to complete a first half hat trick 

I don’t know what  Bonnyrigg manager Robbie Horn said to his side at halftime but it looked like a completely different side in the second half. Two minutes into the second half Bonnyrigg pulled a goal back. Mitchell’s shot was blocked but Kevin Smith turned the ball back to Conor Doan just  inside the penalty box. His shot flew into the top corner of the net to pull the home side back into the match. Bradley Barrett then had a run down the left before his shot was deflected into the hands of keeper Hoban. Neil Martynuik then had a free kick pushed away by Hoban before George Hunter and Corey O’Donnell came on a substitutes. O’Donnell only lasted eleven minutes before limping of to be replaced by Kane. Hunter however pulled another goal back with  a great turn and shot in the penalty area to give Rose another goal. However despite almost constant pressure Rose were unable to grab an equaliser before the final whistle. 

after the final whistle I walked back up to Bonnyrigg Toll to catch a 31 back to Edinburgh. I must have just missed one as it was a twenty minute wait before the next one arrived. I was meeting an old friend in the Shakespeare in Lothian Road but did not get there until 18.45. However we had a long chat and a view drinks before leaving at 20.30. Despite seeing a good match at Bonnyrigg I wished I had gone to watch Hearts B as they won 9-0 against Edinburgh University. 

Teams

Bonnyrigg Rose: Weir, Horne, Young, Grigor, Martynuik, Doan. S. Gray,  Stewart, Mitchell. Smith, Barrett

Subs. R Gray, Hunter, O'Donnell, Kane

Elgin city: Hoban, Mailer, Young, McHardy, Dolzanski, Draper, Dingwall. Cameron, Hester, McEwan, Antioniazzi.

Subs: Findlay, Anderson, Lawrence