19th March 2023. Penicuik Athletic 0 Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale 1

 

Well today was the last day of the East of Scotland Ground-hop. This involves fans travelling to watch, normally six matches, in a three day trip. This year the trip involved games at Tynecastle, Dunbar, Haddington, Tranent, Musselburgh and today Penicuik. I missed out most of this matches havibg gone to Bonnyrigg yesterday but decided to head out to Penicuik today. I left home around 9.45 and walked to Newington where I had the chance of a 37 or a 47 out to Penicuik. Unfortunately the 37,which takes a magical mystery tour, came first. The journey took me through Loanhead and Roslin before I finally got off the bus at Tesco in Penicuik around 11.10. I walked to the ground from there and had a wander through St John’s Park where a Penicuik ladies side were playing a LTHV team on the Astro pitch. I watched for a few minutes before heading back to the ground. There were no concession tickets available today so it cost me £8 for entry and a further £2 for a programme. I in the ground met Ian and we had a chat before I wandered off to find a team sheet. Tables had be set up selling Penicuik mementos and they were doing a roaring trade with the groundhoppers. Jim arrived just before the kickoff and we took up a position at the fence near the goal Penicuik would be attacking. 

Penicuik manager Steve McLeish resigned three weeks ago probably to the joy of most Penicuik fans. The side who finished second in the EoS Premier League last season to Tranent has been torn apart and the replacements have not been of the same quality as those who have moved on. Former Edinburgh Utd, Tynecastle and Tranent manager and Hearts player Callum Elliot has been appointed as new manager and today will be his first game in charge. With experienced players like Andy Forbes, Sean Melvin, Ryan Baptie, David Edwards and Gregor McDonald missing it is not going to be an easy task for the new managers first match. LTHV have been on a good run recently and have moved out to ninth place in the league table after a shaky start left them in the relaxation zone. While they have a young side there is a core of experience in Dylan Moore, Sean Wringe and keeper Kevin Swain. Former Penicuik player Joe Viola also adds a skilful attacking presence up front. 

To be perfectly honest this was far from being the best game I have seen this season. Russell Cairns had an early chance for Penicuik as he ran onto a through ball but pulled his shot wide of keeper Swain as he raced from his goal. Following on from most of the action was at the other end of the pitch and Penicuik’s Andy Mair was booked for a foul in seven minutes. Bob Watt in the Penicuik goal looked lively and made several excellent saves. Penicuik received another disappointment in thirty-nine minutes when Mair committed another bad foul near the halfway line. The referee had no alternative than to show a second yellow card and a subsequent red. On the halftime whistle Jim and I wandered up to the other end of the ground to meet up with Alan and Graham, who I had first met at last years Groundhop. Both are fans of Scottish sides, Jim, Queen of the South and Alan, Inverness Caledonian Thistle. They are both on the Futbology app and are listed as friends on my profile. We were going to stay with them. However we all decided to move back to the other end of the ground as on the first half showing most of the action would be at that end where LTHV were attacking. 

At halftime Penecuik brought on Alan Chingwalu. The move would bring them more cover on their left in the absence of Mair. The second half was much of the same with LHTV doing most of the attacking. Richard Miller came close with a header from a corner but the ball flew past the post. Alan was beginnings no to get a bit worried as he had been to seventy-two matches without seeing a goalless draw when LHTV took the lead in seventy-nine minutes. The ball was worked down their left and a low pass found Joe Viola just outside the penalty box. He looked up and fired a shot into the top right hand corner of the net giving Watt no chance. Penicuik tried hard to get an equaliser but lack a cutting edge.

On the final whistle Jim offered me a lift back into town. I gratefully accepted and he dropped off at Tollcross. From there I walked home in plenty time to watch Manchester United v Fulham in the FA Cup on television later in the day. I think Callum Elliot has as difficult a job at Penicuik as Erik ten Hag at Manchester Utd.

Teams

Penicuik Athletic: Watt, Lamb, Hope, Fraser, Page, Thomson, Furness, Combe, Cairns, T. Hendry, Mair.

Subs: Chingwalu, Somerville, Grahame, Philp.

LTHV: Swain, Taylor, Moore, Findlay, Inglis, Wringe, Signorini, J. Viola, Scott, B. Viola, Miller.

Subs: