MATCH REPORT
Date : 23rd March 2024
Opposition : Thornton Hibs
Venue : Away
Scorers : None
Booked : Cameron Howden
Sent Off : None
Attendance : 106
Referee : Keiran Gibson
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
Leighton Robertson
Jay Baverstock on for Sam Straughan 82 mins
Christian Temple on for Craig Bell 73 mins
Oluwatjuba Adebayo
Match Report :
Tweedmouth twice struck the metalwork. Thornton twice found the net. Fine margins in a game, well refereed, from which even those in the home camp conceded that Tweedmouth deserved to take something. The pitch and a marked wind were not conducive to pretty football but the question of whether or not the prolonged deadlock would eventually be broken helped hold the attention of the three figure crowd.
In the 10th minute, the ball was flying against the wind and just past the post when Rhys Dixon unleashed a belter from 35 yards after Thornton sent back a Rangers’ free kick in his direction.
Garry Thomson looked to be on to something when he gathered a loose ball in midfield before it ran away from him to be safely gathered by Tweedmouth keeper Niall Frampton.
And that was the story of the first half, chances going either way. For Hibs, Ciaran Healy just failing to connect with Dean McMillan’s cross, a long free kick floating over heads and out of play and, seconds from the break, Healy unable to get a decent touch of the ball as he attempted a spectacular scissors kick when another cross, from Max Coleman, came his way.
Dixon’s quick reaction following a poor home free kick sent Sam Straughan scurrying up the left and beating the cover to release a strong angled shot which hit the post. On the same side, Griffin Sabatini’s dribbling took him past two men before he was crowded out near the same upright. Ross Aitchison got a clean header off another Dixon free kick but it was still 0-0 when the half time whistle was heard.
Thornton brought on Keir Allan and Nathan Laird at the start of the second period and two minutes in were forced into making another change when Coleman limped off to be replaced by Ross Hain. Despite this infusion of new blood, it was Tweedmouth who dominated the third quarter of the game. Straughan picked up a another free ball and spotting Craig Doctor off his line wasn’t far off in his attempt to successfully lob the keeper from 45 yards.
Doctor was kept busy as the visitors continued to press. As in the first half, their centre backs Craig Heath and Evan Smith continued to mop up most of what Hibs tried to do up the middle though some great work from Hain left Healy in the clear only to whip the ball the wrong side of Frampton’s post.
Thornton made another double change on 68′ and soon afterwards, Rangers reshuffled with Aitchison moving up to lead the search for a goal. It almost came when Dixon’s return ball from his own corner dropped on to the junction of the far post and crossbar.
With thirteen minutes remaining, there was a bit of a scramble for the ball when a free kick landed from the right before Thomson got it into the net. As normal time came to an end, Thornton’s second goal arrived in similar fashion though not from a set piece. Skipper Thomson again showed his great value to the Fife team by making it a personal double as Hibs secured an eleventh League win in a row.