MATCH REPORT
Date : 3rd December 2022
Opposition : St Andrews United
Venue : Away
Scorers : None
Booked : Evan Smith, Jack Forster, Drew Cummings, Rhys Bloomfield
Sent Off : None
Attendance : 103
Team Lineup :
Niall Frampton
Kieran Cromarty
Craig Heath
Evan Smith
Rhys Dixon
Jack Forster
Rhys Bloomfield
Drew Cummings
Regan Graham
Craig Bell
Michael Robinson
Subs :
Stevie Mason
Jay Atkinson on for Craig Bell 58 mins
Melvin Sebastian on for Rhys Bloomfield 58 mins
Joao Vieira on for Evan Smith 65 mins
Jordan Crombie on for Rhys Dixon 80 mins
Adam Deans
Match Report :
Tweedmouth made the five hour round trip to St Andrews but, despite a close first half, left the university town empty handed.
FIRST HALF
St Andrews kicked off playing uphill and, briefly, into the sun before it disappeared. The floodlights were switched on about half an hour into the game.
The three figure crowd was to be entertained by what quickly developed into a cut and thrust opening half played at a frenetic pace belying the heavy pitch.
The respective keepers were called into immediate action. Rangers’ Niall Frampton spooned away a shot that came in from the right. The hosts’ Calum Brodie ran out to beat Craig Bell to a through ball from Michael Robinson.
Derryn Kesson emerged as eventual winner of a prolonged spat for the ball to send in a cross which Seff Khyyam belted into the net at close quarters for a 20th minute home lead.
Craig Heath prevented Khyyam from causing more damage from further afield by ending his run from deep with a perfectly judged tackle. This, just ahead of Tweedmouth’s best phase of the match making the home team work to cope with some crisp, confident passing. They came closest to scoring a couple of minutes before the break when Kieran Cromarty curled the ball around the far post from 20 yards. Rangers were almost undone by Lewis Sawers’ immediate retort, a brilliant run from well inside his own half which came to nothing when a team mate was ruled offside.
SECOND HALF
The visitors’ promise of the previous 25 minutes was punctured a minute into the new half. Skipper Scott Reekie got his head to a corner ball with James Collins adding the final touch to put Saints two up.
Rhys Bloomfield attempted to beat the defence by going high, twisting the ball a couple of feet over the bar after coming inside from the left. After this, in spite of the example set by Rangers’ captain Regan Graham’s hard graft, St Andrews took a stranglehold on the game. With middle backs Reekie and Graham Hay stitching up Tweedmouth’s attempted breakouts, traffic was largely in one direction.
In between a couple of Frampton saves, United passed up a golden scoring opportunity before Collins lobbed the ball beyond Frampton’s reach to make it 3-0 shortly after an hour.
Collins tried to replicate the feat a little later but Frampton tipped away the ball for another corner. Somehow, he also got down at the death to take the ball from Kesson when he appeared a cert to increase the lead further.
Tweedmouth were back well inside home territory in the final minutes. Brodie denied them a consolation by diving to punch clear Robinson’s sudden ground level strike from the right wing.
SUMMARY
Tweedmouth completed a League double over St Andrews last season but this time, a vastly changed team proved a different proposition. Credit to St Andrews for the way they played and to both sides for producing a watchable match when conditions could have led to a dour encounter.