Bo'ness United Season 1998/99

BO'NESS UNITED 1998/99 REVIEW

If there's one thing being a Bo'ness United fan won't do, it's bore you. After the last season's ultimately unsuccessful title scrap, the huddled masses on the Newtown Park terracing were hoping for another exciting season. They got it. But not quite in the way the expected...

The irony, of course, is that despite a dire season in the league, Bo'ness reached three cup finals (in no small part due to Supporters' Player of the Year, goalkeeper Neil Binnie), and went home with two trophies, one more than the last season. John Sludden certainly moulded a formidable cup team, but it would have nevertheless left all involved with the club with an empty feeling, had it not been for the Great Escape.

The season began with a poor run of results in the Carlsberg League Cup, with the first round group phase being comfortably taken by Linlithgow Rose, who recorded a straightforward win at Newtown before being held in a thriller at Prestonfield in the return. At any rate, failure to win in a lacklustre performance at Pumpherston had largely sounded the death-knell for the BUs hopes with fixtures to spare.

An early exit from the League Cup, though, is hardly an unusual experience for Bo'ness. More importantly, the championship campaign awaited, and with another title push expected, a opening day draw at home to Musselburgh was less than encouraging. More worrying than the 1-1 scoreline was that the visitors would be perfectly justified in heading back west believing they could have snatched all three points.

The performance, and result, would be typical of Bo'ness' early form. While no thoughts of relegation were yet being entertained, the last season's form had clearly not been rediscovered. Bo'ness were victorious at Fauldhouse (if ever United need a morale-boosting win, there surely is no better opponent for them), but experienced supreme frustration in the home league fixture against Bathgate Thistle. The opening minutes saw a barrage of attacks from the home outfit, which were somehow repelled by a combination of great goalkeeping, bad luck, and poor finishing. As so often, the team under the cosh responded with a counter-attacking goal out of the blue, and went on to extend their lead before half-time. The second half recovery saw Jimmy Burns knock home a rebound with minutes to go to save a point, but Paul McKinlay had earlier missed a penalty, and the draw was unsatisfactory, even coming back from a couple of goals down.

Tied matches were by no means unusual - indeed, they would become a regular feature of Bo'ness United's cup campaigns. Again, however, success in the Scottish was not forthcoming. Blantyre Vics provided the first round opposition (they would go on to win the Central League First Division), and it was a frustrating day for the fans at Newtown Park. Even though the BUs took the lead through a fine Ian Stewart goal - cue much rubbing of eyes - with just seventeen minutes left on the clock, they contrived to lose 2-1, the killer blow being dealt by a debatable penalty awarded against Neil Binnie.
Other knock-out competitions led to considerably more joy, however. The run to the final of the Heineken-sponsored Fife and Lothians Cup was particularly eventful. An early round 6-2 replay win over St Andrews was probably Bo'ness' best performance of the season yet, demonstrating how effective they could be with an injury-free squad. This was followed by a remarkable 8-1 win at Stoneyburn in terrible conditions, again in a replay, with Paul McKinlay netting five times, Jimmy Burns scoring a scorcher and - wait for it - Binnie adding one of his own, the bounce deceiving his opposite number with a kick from his own box. Into the semis, Bo'ness were paired at home with Kelty, who would go on to finish runners-up in the Scottish. Another remarkable match was in store - Bo'ness, the relegation strugglers, surged into a two goal lead within twenty minutes, only to give the Fifers hope after a disastrous defensive bungle. When Kelty equalised in the second half, it seemed the game could only go one way. Thankfully for Bo'ness, it seems Kevin Keegan must have been in the commentary box that day: in injury time, a Dougie Todd cross was met my McKinlay's head for a sensational winner. The Bardon Aggregates League leaders were not happy, and there were to be some ugly scenes inside afterwards.

While the other cup runs were less dramatic, Bo'ness nevertheless booked places in another two finals, the David Moffat-sponsored Brown Cup, which they held, and the Calders East of Scotland Cup, defeating Linlithgow and Tranent in the semi-finals respectively, helped by a few penalty shoot-out wins along the way.

The cup runs were a welcome distraction from their dreadful league showings. Bo'ness, reguarly unable to find the vital goals to turn draws into wins, found themselves at the foot of the table for several weeks, in a relegation dogfight with Bathgate, Dunbar, Musselburgh and Fauldhouse, and had to endure the igominy of a 5-0 derby thrashing at the hands of Linlithgow Rose. All the more galling was that Linlithgow were on their way to another league title, while after a 2-1 home loss to Fauldhouse late on in the season, despite taking the lead, Bo'ness appeared doomed.

Heading into their final two games, they needed to secure four points from a trip to Camelon - not the BUs' favourite opponents of late - and a home match against Arniston, the final fixture. Their extended cup commitments at least meant that Bo'ness knew their task, with Dunbar and Musselburgh enjoying only brief sorties in elimination competitions. Camelon, admittedly, did not have much to play for, but the 2-0 win there for Bo'ness was remarkable nonetheless. It left them needing a point against Arniston to stay up on goal difference.

Nerves were settled early on when Jamie Loney, who had thus far failed to convince since joining the club mid-season, opened the scoring. By the end of the night, he was to have endeared himself to those on the terracing who had been muttering earlier about his unsuitability to the rough and tumble of the junior game. He duly added two more for a hat-trick, and his goals were enough to deliver a 3-0 win, three points, and a place in the top flight the next season.

With relegation worries out of the way, Bo'ness had nothing to do but look forward to three cup finals in the space of ten days. The first, played at Linlithgow's Prestonfield, was against Whitburn, narrowly pipped for the championship, in the Fife and Lothians. In bright sunshine and wonderful conditions, the game was a highly enjoyable one. Bo'ness took command early on through a Jamie Loney goal, before a handling error by Binnie provided Whitburn with an equaliser. They duly went on to take the lead, but were pegged back by a Paul McKinlay goal set up by substitute Stevie Bryce. However, it was not to be for the BUs. With the final in extra time, the winning game came from a corner kick for Whitburn to clinch victory in a five goal thriller. The moral of the story? Always put a man on the post at corners.

However, Bo'ness bounced back to play splendidly in rather different conditions at Bonnyrigg the following Saturday, with Arniston Rangers the opposition in the Calders East of Scotland Cup final. It was centre half Derek Yates who fired Bo'ness in front in the first half with a fine finish, and they were cruising early in the second period when Jimmy Burns neatly side-stepped Arniston, and ex-Bo'ness, goalkeeper Gavin Kirkwood to put his side two goals up. Although a late goal was given away, Bo'ness held firm for a deserved cup success.

All of which left only the Brown Cup to be decided, with the final against Armadale at Creamery Park, Bathgate. Bo'ness had been victors in the last two Brown Cup finals, but hardly looked like defending champions in this contest. Armadale - playing a division below Bo'ness in the East - were well worthy of their 1-0 half-time lead, which came courtesy of a powerful headed finish. But it was not to be for the underdogs. A bizarre goal with time running out from Paul McKinlay, when the ball, struck through a crowded penalty area, trickled over the line while defender and goalkeeper seemingly stood watching. A goal, however, is a goal, and Bo'ness were back on level terms. Indeed, they might have won the game without the need for penalty kicks had McKinlay not spurned an excellent chance. The dreaded spot-kicks it was, then, but it was hardly a tension-filled finale. Bo'ness won 3-1, aided by some woeful penalties from Armadale and typically impressive goalkeeping by Neil Binnie, with Darren Swanson stroking home the decisive kick.

As Meat Loaf once crooned, two out of three isnae bad.

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