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For the second week in a row, Bo'ness dropped vital league points after being held to a draw, but managed to rescue a point and thus move top of the leauge courtesy of a late equaliser. Seven days earlier, it had taken an Iain Ferguson goal with four minutes remaining; this week, they left it later still, David Muirhead saving what could yet prove a crucial point with a controversial penalty kick ninety seconds into stoppage time. It was an enormous disappointment for Camelon in what was effectively a must-win contest for them, if they were to maintain a realistic challenge for the divisional championship, but in truth it was certainly a point the home team deserved.
Bo'ness were first to threaten, after eight minutes. A corner kick swung in from the right by Mooney was met by Muirhead, whose headed effort was kept out of the goal only by ex-BU midfielder Darryl Drew on the goalline. But the ball deflected clear was immediately picked up by Bo'ness and knocked back into the penalty area, where Ferguson controlled the high ball superbly and turned to shoot, but his effort was brilliantly saved by the goalkeeper diving to his right.
No goals, but an encouraging start for Bo'ness. However, the tide was to turn with 14 minutes played, when Camelon's oustanding No.3 surged down the left flank with Gary Smith out of position, having pushed forward. He turned a low ball across the face of the goal, where No.6 calmly finished at the far post to put the visitors ahead.
Bo'ness huffed and puffed for the following twenty minutes, but were unable to carve any real opportunities. Indeed, it could have been 2-0 for Camelon on 35 minutes, when Neil Binnie dropped the ball from a corner, but Camelon's lurking No.9 was unable to turn the ball on target. And the home team again tried to give away a goal just a minute later; Dougie Todd playing a back pass to Binnie, who under pressure, opted to take the ball past the Camelon forward rather than hit the ball out of play. The goalkeeper lost the ball; but the home team escaped as the ball fell to the No.12 wide on the right, and he was unable to place the ball on target from 30 yards.
There was, though, some encouragement to come before half-time. Muirhead saw a decent drive go just wide of the goalkeeper's left post after 39 minutes. Three minutes later, a Bo'ness corner resulted in an almighty scramble in the box. In the confusion, it appeared that the ball might have crossed the line, then the ball undeniably struck the hand of a defender - but the referee's eventual decision was to award a free-kick to Camelon. One way or another, it was a very fortunate escape for the away side.
Still Camelon posed a threat, however, and just before the half they might have doubled their lead - No.9 beating Derek Yates as the big defender dived in; the forward then picked out No.10 with his low cross, but the latter couldn't turn the ball into the net with the goal at his mercy. Another escape for Bo'ness, who had performed as well as Camelon going forward, but had looked alarmingly shaky on the backfoot in the first half, as they had done in the previous week's draw at Bonnybridge.
The BUs took the game to their opponents in a more concerted manner in the second period, though Camelon still had the opportunities to wrap up the game on the break. David King went close for Bo'ness after 58 minutes, with a low drive from 25 yards which went just wide of the goalkeeper's right post. But Camelon passed up on a couple of openings in quick succession a little over five minutes later, first missing wide of the post, then firing wastefully over from a good position on the edge of the area when a little more composure might have reaped dividends.
With a little over 70 minutes played, Ferguson was unlucky to see a goalbound header blocked by a defender following a fine cross from David Wood, introduced as a second half substitute for skipper Yates, who had picked up a knock. Shortly afterwards Ferguson went close again, this time heading over a cross from a Martin Mooney free kick on the right wing.
But as Bo'ness tried to increase the pressure, Camelon remained a danger on the break. With just over ten minutes to play, they forged a counter-attack opportunity for their goalscorer from 15 yards at a slight angle, but he passed up the chance to clinch the three points when his weak side-footed effort was comfortably saved by Binnie diving to his right.
Eventually the Bo'ness pressure paid off late in the game following a bizarre and controversial incident. Into injury time, a Wood cross from the right was headed against the bar by substitute Dale Ryan; incredibly, the ball then rebounded off a defender trying to clear the ball in the six yard box, and hit the bar again. But just as the home support prepared to let out a collective groan of despair, the referee blew his whistle to award a penalty kick. For handball? For pushing? The offence was not clear, but there was no doubt about the penalty conversion - the reliable Muirhead stepping up to hammer home from 12 yards and salvage a very late point for Bo'ness, as Camelon's manager vented his displeasure on the referee.
A draw was not, perhaps, the result that Bo'ness were looking for - and it took the destiny of the league out of their own hands, meaning that an admittedly unlikely three wins from Whitburn's last three games would rule Bo'ness out of contention - but it did win them a potentially vital point. Furthermore, it kept alive the unbeaten run, now extended to 15 games, going into the massive Scottish quarter-final at Arthurlie.
Bo'ness United: Binnie; Smith, King, Todd, Yates (Wood), Muirhead, Hodge (Love), Mooney, Ferguson, Jeffrey (Ryan), Donald.