Saturday 20 September 2008
Penicuik Park
East Premier League Fixture #4
Penicuik Athletic
Starting XI | Ramage, Lynch, Steel, Gibb, Meikle, Gallagher, Jones, Cole, Cameron, Gay, Moonie
Subs | Montgomery, McDonald, McKean, Lindsay, Bald
Goalscorers | Moonie, Cameron
Newtongrange Star
Starting XI | Burgess, Swaney, Forbes, Buchan, Britton, Gielty, Brown, Hutchison, Heaney, Wilson, Roseburgh
Subs | Elliot, McNamara, Woodburn, Affleck, Cook
Goalscorer | Wilson
Newtongrange Star were the visitors to Penicuik Park for this vital Premier League fixture which saw both sides making changes to their normal line ups. Ryrie, Barr, Milne and Foster were all missing for the home team while Newtongrange were without, Thomson, McCulloch and regular goal keeper Hill. Urged on by their supporters to get their league campaign back on track Newtongrange put early pressure on the re-organised Penicuik defence.
On a heavy park sodden in patches by the recent heavy rain, Gielty and Hutchison drove their team forward but the Penicuik defence, welcoming back ex Bonnyrigg favourite, Craig Meikle held firm. Gibb found his way into the referee’s book for a mid field challenge before Gay was also cautioned for foul play. Ramage in the home goal pulled off a great save from a Meaney header before Penicuik hit back with a Moonie shot which came back off a post with Burgess beaten.
Penicuik took the lead in the thirty seventh minute following a Ryan gay corner kick. Under pressure Burgess could only palm the ball as far MOONIE at the corner of the penalty area. The Penicuik striker’s left foot shot passed through a ruck of players and was thumped clear by Gielty but the referee judged that the ball had crossed the line and the goal was given. Within a minute, Newtongrange were level. Slack play in the Penicuik defence saw WILSON take full advantage when he ran on to beat Ramage low down at his post.
Play continued to rage in this fiercely contested local derby with Meikle quick to cover any breaks out wide while Cameron was proving a handful for Newtongrange’s central defence. Despite the visitor’s efforts, the break came with no change to the score line.
HALFTIME | Penicuik Athletic 1-1 Newtongrange Star
The second half started where the first half left off with both teams anxious to gain the upper hand. Prompted by Gielty and Forbes, Newtongrange enjoyed a spell of pressure but cool defensive play kept the home goal intact. With ten minutes of the half gone, Penicuik lost goalkeeper Ramage after a lengthy spell of treatment following a Meaney challenge. The Newtongrange player was booked while Bald replaced Ramage in the home goals after several weeks out through injury. Shortly afterwards Cameron was booked for dissent after a foul was given for his challenge on Newtongrange goalkeeper Burgess with the Penicuik man claiming that the award should have been the other way round. In the sixtieth minute Hutchison headed a Gielty corner over the bar before another Gielty corner came to nothing.
Two minutes later, Gielty brought down Gay twenty five yards from goal but the Penicuik man’s free kick sailed over the bar. However, the break through was only delayed as in the sixty sixth minute, Penicuik scored. Gay set Jones free on the right wing and when the cross came over, CAMERON’s header beat Burgess who couldn’t quite prevent the ball finding the net.
More Newtongrange pressure saw another Gielty corner sail straight out before Penicuik almost caught their visitor’s out with a quick break. Good tracking back by Roseburgh thwarted Jones who had again been set free by a Gay pass. The game boiled over in the seventy eighth minute when Penicuik’s Gibb was shown a straight red card for a tackle on the hard working Gielty, leaving his team to face the last twelve minutes a man short. Within two minutes Gielty had found his way into the referee’s book when he re-entered the field of play without the referee’s permission. Good play by Gielty and Forbes stretched the Penicuik defence before a Swaney shot sailed past Bald’s right hand post.
With ten minutes to go Penicuik had the opportunity to finish the game off. Meikle, Cameron and Moonie combined to put Steel in on goal but Burgess managed to block the Penicuik player’s effort. Newtongrange were struggling to make their numerical superiority count and frustration got the better of Roseburgh with five minutes to go. He received a second yellow card for a tackle in the corner on Jones who had been a thorn in Newtongrange’s flesh in the second half and was sent from the field.
In the last five minutes, Newtongrange resorted to long balls in their efforts to come up with the equaliser. Bald was relieved when his defence cleaned up as he spilled another fierce Swaney drive. Referee Banks played almost five additional minutes before bringing the game to a close with no change to the score line. Penicuik continue with their excellent start to the league season while Newtongrange find themselves involved at the wrong end of the league.
FULLTIME | Penicuik Athletic 2-1 Newtongrange Star
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