MATCH REPORT
Date : 20th April 2024
Opposition : Edinburgh United
Venue : Away
Scorers : Own goal, Craig Heath, Cameron Howden, Riley Lightfoot
Booked : Tommy Malcolm, Cameron Howden
Sent Off : None
Attendance : 63
Referee : Scott Morris
Team Lineup :
Niall Frampton
Tommy Malcolm
Rhys Dixon
Craig Heath
Christian Temple
Riley Lightfoot
Griffin Sabatini
Ross Aitchison
Cameron Howden
Craig Bell
Rhys Bloomfield (c)
Subs :
Ryan Dunn
Jake Gibson
Leighton Robertson
TJ Adebayo on for Rhys Bloomfield 75 mins
Match Report :
With a 30th minute penalty being saved, all six goals came in the second half of this East of Scotland Second Division game at Paties Road Stadium.
In the early passages of the match that there was little between the teams was exemplified by each keeper making a particularly good save. United’s Fraser Taylor used two hands to steer Rhys Bloomfield’s cross off course. Following a home break up the right, Rangers’ Niall Frampton needed just one hand to spoon away a shot from right in front of goal.
As play stretched beyond the 25 minute mark, the visitors began to get on top. They had the chance to go in front on the half hour when Ross Aitchison’s flick led to a penalty for handball. If the increased volume from the group of young United Ultras behind the home goal was intended to put off Bloomfield as he lined up the ball then they would claim they succeeded as Taylor made a great flying save to punch the spot kick off target.
Rangers’ skipper responded immediately with a run down the right and a ball inside to Craig Bell who hit the post. Griffin Sabatini, who was to come in for some rough treatment for his troublesome dribbling, sent the ball back to Christian Temple, Bell just short of reaching it when Temple sent it forwards again.
Not long into the second half, Tweedmouth had two further penalty claims dismissed. They eventually went in front on 54 minutes courtesy of Edinburgh’s Jordan Keenan who headed Tommy Malcolm’s long throw in into his own net.
With Sabatini causing more problems with the ball at his feet out on the left, Rangers had two shots blocked before the ball hit the post and dropped into Taylor’s arms. They scored again in the 66th minute. Bell got a touch to Rhys Dixon’s low corner kick from the other flank but it was Craig Heath who forced the ball over the line.
The visitors were now in full flow and just two minutes later, Cameron Howden was through to net a third goal. Bell paved the way for the fourth. With his back to goal, he held up the ball until Riley Lightfoot began a lengthy run. As with Howden’s goal, the home midfield and defence disintegrated, Lightfoot practically walking the ball over the line to make it four-nil.
Having controlled so much of the game, two late home goals took a little of the shine off Tweedmouth’s victory. The first came from impressive sub Tom Gill when he headed in a free kick coming over from the his left. Not long after Frampton saved from another replacement, Jack Wilson, the same player connected with a cross from the same direction as the successful free kick to cut the winning margin to two.