Venue: Away

 

Broxburn travelled to Boness United for a Lowland league match against Boness United .

There was a minute applause for the sadly departed Andy Dunlevie  who’s 1984 Cup winning team mates turned up along with his family to pay their respect with a minutes applause prior to the match .

Both sides harried and hazzled each other without creating much trouble for the respective keepers .

The first real opportunity was 34 minutes into the game when Murray Binnie was sent clear of the visitors defence playing a high line and fired a shot destined for the top corner from 18 yards but Kyle King  who tipped the ball over  producing a fine save .

The opening goal came for the visitors when a ball from Shaw wide right found Errol Douglas who weighted a great through ball into the path in the  box where SAM JONES picked up took a touch and fired past the keeper from a tight angle .

Half Time 0-1

The second half was only ten minutes in when Boness United’s Dan Irving  struck an elbow to the face of Broxburn’s  Jake Service   in front of the referee and there was no hesitation in showing the red card .

Despite being down to ten men Boness were having the better of the exchanges and Binnie saw a shot on 71 minutes blocked  by the defence .

Jamie Docherty , Robbie McGale  and Cooper Knox replaced Christopher O’Kane , Alasdair Shrive  and Kane Thomson  on 70 minutes  .

Boness United got on level terms on 76 minutes when a TOM GRANT provided the finishe into the bottom corner going through a ruck of players .

Errol Douglas had a golden opportunity to  score but  mistimed his shot and the chance was gone .

Matty MacDonald and Morgaro Gomis were introduced on 83 minutes for Quinn Mitchell and Mathew Shaw .  A minute later MATHEW McDONALD found himself in acres of space on the edge of the box to the right and picked out his spot in the bottom left hand corner .

Boness had a chance in the dying embers of the game  but somehow Kyle King blocked the attempt before the referee blew for a free Kick .

A great three points on the road and sets us up for our Home match with Linlithgow Rose next Saturday in the Lowland League at the Albyn Park with a 3pm kick off .

Boness United  1. Fleming , 2. Jamie Allan , 4. Jordan Armstrong , 5. Adam Masson , 6. Daniel Irving , 7. R. Murdoch ( 9. Mylchreest  72m) , 10 Grant , 11. Brown , 14. Binnie ( 15. Nimaga 88m) , 16 . Mitchell  ;  Subs not used  3. MacAulay , 12 . Cassidy ,  17. B.Murdoch , 18. Coulter , 21. Gardiner

Referee Mr J. Curran ,  Assistants   Mr A. Strang , Mr C.Sneddon

Attendance 288

Broxburn visit Fife for a away game at Cowdenbeath in the Lowland League sitting top of it . Their record against their hosts is incredible going into the game having won four league games previous  and not conceded a goal in those previous four league encounters on our way to maximum points . With a gale force wind going from west to east and a bumpy park it was going to be tough conditions to play in .

Cowdenbeath with the wind behind them the first half carved out a an opening when a cross from the left landed on top of the net for a bye kick .  Ten minutes in and Cowdenbeath’s main weapon of a long throw was produced and despite efforts of the host’s forwards they could not force the ball over the line and the visitors stood firm and cleared the danger . A couple of minutes later good play by Sam Jones sent a ball into McDonald but was just too high for his team mate and Cowdenbeath cleared out the box .  On 24 minutes a Cowdenbeath corner came to nothing and Broxburn broke on the counter attack with A Sam Jones shot going in but desperate  defending by Jack Denham cleared the ball of the line for a corner with his keeper beaten .

On the half hour mark a short throw level with the 18 yard box saw Docherty try and curl one but Dion Gear gathered comfortably .Rys Walker made a great run down the right before sending in a cross which Mark Ferrie  glanced a header wide left of the upright . Jack Denham should have done better when a second consecutive corner   saw the big defender head well over . The hosts were pressing for the lead before half time and were unlucky to see a header goal bound before being deflected for a corner . The last chance of the half fell to the visitors when a long ball out of defence  over the top saw Chris O’Kane fire a shot from 18 yards going in to the bottom left hand corner before Dion Gear in goals finger tipped the ball to his defender who cleared  .

HALF TIME 0-0

Broxburn came out the traps the second half and found themselves in front on 49 minutes when good play saw a clearance out the box only went as far as QUINN MITCHELL on wide left who took a couple of steps forward before dispatching the ball past Gear into the far bottom corner .

A minute later at the other end Sam Gormley blocked and cleared a effort to keep his side in front .   Docherty created a great chance on 52 minutes but  his effort was well saved .  With the game going end to end  Sam Gormley to the rescue again whilst facing his own goal he overhead kicked it clear of the goal line .. A minute later from a long throw Jack Denham saw his header crash of the cross bar .With almost an hour  Rhys Walker sent a great ball into the box and found former Broxburn man Bryan Mwangi who’s shot was blocked and cleared .

Broxburn made a double substitution on 61 minutes bringing on Kane Thomson and Morgaro Gomis  for  Mathew McDonald and Quinn Mitchell . Cowdenbeath introduced Dylan Mauchin for Nathaniel Wedderburn on 67 minutes .

Great play from the visitors saw good pressure pay off when a ball from the left was played in to the box any one of three Broxburn Players could have had a free shott 14 yards out but it was SAM JONES who got the shot away into the bottom right hand corner  on 69 minutes  .

With 15 minutes remaining Max Williamson and Callen Robb replaced Bryan Mwangi and Mark Ferrie for the hosts . Four minutes later Liam Hoggan replaced Jack Allan as the hosts tried desperately to get back in the game .

Errol Douglas came on for the last ten minutes replacing Christopher O’Kane .

The Broxburn clean sheet record so  far this season led a charmed life on 83 minutes when a scrambled effort bounced everywhere but in the goals for the hosts but bounced of Gallagher Lennon straight into the save hands of his thankful keeper Kyle King .

FINAL SCORE 0-2

A break from league business next Saturday as we head back to Fife for a Qualifying cup tie at Lochgelly Albert . Please note this game is scheduled for a 2-30pm kick off

Cowdenbeath  1. Dion Gear , 2 . Finlay Ness , 3. Samuel Newman ,4. Jack Denham , 5. Harvey Petrie  ,  6. Nathaniel Wedderburn ( 16.Dylan Mauchin 67m) , 7.Rhys Walker , 8. Jack Allan ( 15. Stuart McDowell 79m), 9. Mark Ferrie (18. Callen Robb 75m),  10. Lewis Milne , 11. Bryan Mwangi ( 17. Max Williamson ) .   SUBS NOT USED . 21. Blair Gallacher , 12. Conley Anderson , 14. Liam Hoggan

Referee Mr C. Foreman ,  Assistants  Mr K. Brown ,Mr Kris Linejs

Attendance

The season kicks off at Stirling Albion’s Forthbank where University of Stirling play host to Broxburn Athletic in the Lowland League East Division .

It was the University side that kicked off  and got the game under way in perfect conditions for football

Broxburn were the first to create an opportunity when Docherty and Thomson manufacturing a cross into the box but the Students cleared the danger . A minute later The visitors gained the advantage . A Kane Thomson ball from the right went beyond all but the defender knocked it out for a corner to be safe . The corner on the left was taken short to QUINN MITCHELL on the corner of the penalty box who took a touch before firing home through a crowded box into the net .

Stirling applied the pressure to try and get back in the game but after a couple of corners on fourteen minutes they had nothing to show for their efforts .

On 17 minutes Kane Thomson put a great ball across the hosts box but there were none of his team mates able to take advantage and the ball was cleared .

The first yellow card of the game was shown to Christopher O’Kane for a mistimed tackle on 35 minutes  .

With a few minutes left of the first period Stirling took a short corner and Jay Burns steadied himself before shooting , Kyle King in the visiting goal parried the initial shot and the ball was returned into the box where Sam Gormley nodded behind for a corner .

With the last action of the half Jamie Docherty weaved through the home defence before sending a shot just high over the left hand post from the right .

The second half started with Stirling trying hard to get on level terms creating the first opening on 53 minutes with continual pressure which ended with a bye kick to the visitors .Sam Martin hit the outside of the post for the home side after an excellent cross ball from the left . On the hour mark Stirling couldn’t believe they had not equalised After several attempts to put the ball over the line in a good old fashioned scramash with the ball cleared twice of the line  and then cleared as the Broxburn defence stood strong

A double substitution by the visitors on  64 minutes fell foul of the new laws of the game when two players coming off had left the field and one player had entered the field of play the referee stated Broxburn had not done the substitution quickly enough and the second sub was not allowed to enter the field for another minute .

With both on the park a minute later  it was Jon Robertson on for Quinn Mitchell and Scott  Irving on for Kane Thomson .

On sixty five minutes  a good ball down the left to Docherty was crossed to Christopher O’Kane who saw his shot screw just wide of the left hand post from the right hand side of the box .

On 74 minutes the home side made a triple substitution  with Chulainn Doan , Lennox Tandhar and Finlay Millar replacing  Liam Trotter , Calan Ledingham and Finn Regan  .

With ten minutes remaining Jon Robertson cleared a shot off the line after King was beaten .

on 82 minutes both sides made further changes with Lluc Vila Canilo replacing Sam Martin for the home side and Alasdair Shrive replacing Christopher O’Kane  for the visitors .

The game approaching the end Broxburn put their new under 20’s sides Callum Chinyanga for the remaining time .

The Students had a great chance to get level with two minutes remaining when awarded a free kick twenty yards out and centre but they fired the attempt into the wall and the visitors cleared the danger .

New rule lesson number two from referee when Gallagher was injured near the half way line at the stop of play the referee came over just as he was getting to his feet but then ordered him off the park for a minute due to getting treatment when no first aider had come on the park ? .

 

A good three points to start our campaign and sets us up for Tuesday Evening’s game at home to Galafairydean Rovers ,who had a creditable 1-0 away win to Cowdenbeath on Saturday past , in the Lowland League with a 7.45pm kick off .