MATCH REPORT
Date : 6th April 2024
Opposition : Easthouses Lily
Venue : Away
Scorers : None
Booked : Ross Aitchison
Sent Off : None
Attendance : 32
Referee : Michael Dixon
Team Lineup :
Niall Frampton
Cameron Howden
Rhys Dixon
Craig Heath
Evan Smith
Riley Lightfoot
Ross Aitchison
Griffin Sabatini
Craig Bell
Sam Straughan
Rhys Bloomfield (c)
Subs :
Ryan Dunn
Jake Gibson
Brad Smith
Jay Baverstock
Tommy Malcolm on for Griffin Sabatini 68 mins
Christian Temple on for Craig Bell 68 mins
Oluwatjuba Adebayo
Match Report :
The pitch may have been artificial but the wind was real at Albyn Park. With Easthouses’ own ground still unplayable after all the recent rain, the East of Scotland League sanctioned the switching of this Second Division fixture to the home of its current Premier Division leaders, Broxburn Athletic.
Recurring themes but once again Tweedmouth were left to curse a failure to make the most of their chances and a final scoreline which was not a true reflection of the afternoon’s events.
Any advantage the wind offered went to Easthouses in the first half though it was Tweedmouth’s Ross Aitchison who got in the opening shots at goal. The first ended up past the post and his second, from a 16 yard free kick after keeper Daniel Simpson picked up a team mate’s back pass inside his box, was deflected for a corner.
Easthouses went on to score a quick double. Tweedmouth neither contained Connor Dyet out on the right nor cut out his low diagonal ball towards the far post which set up Jack Neilson for the 16th minute opener. Neilson’s second goal, three minutes later, was of a different hue but he played the conditions well to lob Niall Frampton from 20 yards out.
Beginning with a left wing run in which he skinned three players, Sam Straughan soon became the biggest threat to the ‘home’ side. On that occasion, there was no one in place to hit the jackpot when signed off with a ground level ball into the goal area. Next time, Evan Smith put him through to have a crack himself but the wind was largely responsible for the ball ending up beyond the post.
Rangers did have a lucky escape when a Lily knee sent the ball over the bar after the Midlothian men ruthlessly cut open their defence before Straughan kept Simpson busy, first after coming inside to take a good ball from Riley Lightfoot and then after Easthouses gave away possession. Close to half time, Straughan put over another tantalising cross but the head that got to it was that of Easthouses’ Logan Imrie.
Some 75% of second half play was inside the Lily half as Tweedmouth pressed and pressed. Rhys Bloomfield got round Jack Murray for a shot of sufficient strength that Simpson was happy to pat it downwards. Cameron Howden advanced from further back to release one whose strength and trajectory were of the type needed given the wind, this time Simpson managing to punch it over the bar for a 63rd minute corner.
So it went on. Bloomfield supplied Craig Bell—-over the bar. Rangers’ skipper again beat number 5 Murray before whipping the ball way past the far intersection and soon, at the nearer post, headed another Straughan cross way too high.
In these days of 90 + loads of minutes, there was still hope that Tweedmouth could pull off the seemingly improbable as they won two late corners. Instead, the fickle finger of fate determined that Easthouses snatch a third goal at the death. Sub Cammy Mason was key man in a quick counter attack which ended with a smiling Shaun Hill making it 3-0.