MATCH REPORT
Date : 22nd April 2023
Opposition : Edinburgh United
Venue : Home
Scorers : Rhys Bloomfield, Drew Cummings (pen), Kieran Cromarty
Booked : Drew Cummings, Michael Robinson
Sent Off : Rhys Bloomfield, Kieran Cromarty
Attendance : 38
Referee : Mark Harris
Team Lineup :
Niall Frampton
Joao Vieira
Kieran Cromarty
Evan Smith
Rhys Dixon
Rhys Bloomfield
Drew Cummings
Jack Forster
Regan Graham
Craig Bell
Michael Robinson
Subs :
Craig Heath on for Craig Bell 78 mins
Jay Atkinson on for Michael Robinson 78 mins
Match Report :
Tweedmouth picked up their first win since early February as they completed a League double over Edinburgh United. On a dreich afternoon at Old Shielfield, the lead changed hands three times with Rangers, reduced to nine men for the final minutes, doggedly holding out for victory.
The game had barely got going when home keeper Niall Frampton produced a wonder save from Ryan Quinn resulting in the first of four corners in a row for the visitors. All were taken by Archie Roue who was on loan with Tweedmouth during the second part of last season. Until his departure during the second half, Roue was responsible for taking all United’s dead ball kicks whether corners or frees but, after that early quartet from the same flag brought no success, it was Tweedmouth who took a 12th minute lead. Accepting Jack Forster’s well judged pass, Rhys Bloomfield rounded keeper Andrew Smith to walk the ball into the net.
Frampton made another good save from a Daniel McKinley header before the barrage of away corners resumed, the most dangerous of this set of five cleared off the line.
Roue fired a 41st minute 35 yard free kick over the bar but, a minute later, his side were level through Quinn’s classy flick after the ball was crossed from the right.
Buoyed by at last finding the net, Edinburgh opened the new half on the attack with a Quinn shot blocked and Craig Ferrier shooting over the bar.
For a foul on Bloomfield, Roue became the first of three United players to be cautioned. Using both fists, Smith powerfully punched away Drew Cummings’ free kick. Another soon followed, also taken by Cummings, this one headed over the bar by Kieran Cromarty.
Forster cleared the danger when another Roue free kick was headed on towards goal though Rangers soon fell behind. Ferrier did the leg work, Quinn again the finisher.
The Scottish capital team’s spell of domination was rudely interrupted in the 69th minute. Tweedmouth launched a rapid counter attack up the right. Several players were involved ahead of Bloomfield delivering a cross which was handled by an outfield man and Cummings levelled from the penalty spot.
Eight minutes later, Cummings could claim an unlikely ‘assist’ via a corner ball which appeared to have been safely held by the keeper but he lost control of it. Cromarty was quick to react stabbing the ball into the goal at ground level to put the hosts back in front.
That’s the way it stayed despite Cromarty, for a second yellow card, and Bloomfield, for an illegal challenge on McKinley, sent off within a minute of each other. There were over ten minutes, including stoppage time, still to play.
Rangers had already brought on another defender, Craig Heath, for his first outing since mid February and front man Jay Atkinson who was now summoned back to help his team shut out United’s attempts to utilise their two man advantage to the full. This included Smith leaving his goal and coming up field for yet more Edinburgh corners, one of which was goalbound until Rhys Dixon’s last ditch clearance.
When they got it, Tweedmouth were quite happy to pump the ball back into the away half though sometimes quite cleverly. In one instance, with Smith still absent from his area, Cummings tried a long shot at goal. In another, he chased his own kick deep into Edinburgh’s patch to make their return journey back into the home half take a few vital seconds longer.