MATCH REPORT
Date : 20th August 2022
Opposition : Dunbar United
Venue : Home
Scorers : Rhys Bloomfield, Drew Cummings
Booked : Rhys Dixon
Sent Off : None
TRFC Man of the Match : TBC
Attendance : 130
Team Lineup :
Stevie Mason
Adam Deans
Rhys Dixon
Evan Smith
Craig Heath
Craig Colquhoun
Rhys Bloomfield
Drew Cummings
Regan Graham
Melvin Sebastian
Michael Robinson
Subs :
Joao Vieira on for Adam Deans 71 mins
Jay Atkinson on for Michael Robinson 67 mins
Programme Cover :
To follow
Match Report :
In a game featuring some unlikely goals, Tweedmouth bowed out of the Traderadiators South Challenge Cup. Three-nil down at one stage, Rangers made a real fist of it against a side which last season was in the East of Scotland League’s Premier Division.
FIRST HALF
The visitors, quicker in thought and action, totally dominated the opening forty five minutes. Their first opportunity came in the 8th minute but Bob Berry headed James Redpath’s cross over the bar.
Dunbar went on to win corners at regular intervals. Two of them led to goals. Home keeper Stephen Mason was going backwards as he caught the first one in the 12th minute and dropped the ball giving Jordan Hopkinson an easy tap in. On 20 minutes, Redpath swapped flanks to take another one which, with the help of the wind, reached the far top corner of the net.
Tweedmouth struggled to gain any traction going forward. Ten minutes had passed before their first serious move into the away half. When a rare attack was stifled by packed Dunbar defence, Adam Deans tried a long, low drive, the home team’s sole first half effort which got remotely near target.
Mason was kept busy making a good save from Johnny Edmond and then ensuring corner no. 5 and a Redpath free kick did not produce any more goals. Redpath hit the bar with another free but, crucially, Tweedmouth did not concede a third goal before half time.
SECOND HALF
That third goal came in the 53rd minute when the referee decided that Willis Hare had been fouled by Craig Heath inside the penalty area. Mason went the right way but Darren Smith still scored.
At 3-0 up, Dunbar appeared home and dry but, a minute later, Rangers cut their lead back to two. Realising he was offside, Michael Robinson excused himself from any further immediate involvement thus allowing Rhys Bloomfield to continue the attack. With goalkeeper Shea Dowie caught in the headlights and the ball all over the place, Bloomfield’s persistence paid off as he netted his first goal of the season.
The home side almost got a second goal when Craig Colquhoun created space for Drew Cummings but cruelly, the post sent the ball back into play rather than across the line. Cummings didn’t have to wait long for compensation scoring in the 65th minute when the ball came off Dowie after Robinson hit it.
The second half belonged to Tweedmouth but they could not force an equaliser though nor did Dunbar come close to again stretching their lead.
SUMMARY
Credit to Tweedmouth for not wilting after going two behind. They should take encouragement from and look to build on a gritty second half performance.
Pictures :
Courtesy of Geoff Combes
