Main | Who? | News | Results | Match Reports | Squad | Stats/Tables | Pictures | Previous Seasons | Honours | Links | Contact
Two goals from man of the match Kevin Thomas and another from Billy Struthers helped a depleted Bo'ness side comfortably overcome Forfar Albion in this Scottish Junior Cup tie. Though it was not a great performance from the home team, the scoreline nevertheless hardly reflected the degree of ease with which this match was won.
Following a kick off delayed by over fifteen minutes, Bo'ness began brightly enough, coming close on 6 minutes when a lay off from Gordon Abbott allowed Thomas a shooting opporunity ten yards out, but his strike was too close to the goalkeeper and was duly blocked. Already the pattern of play - with Bo'ness enjoying the vast majority of attacking pressure - was becoming established, and the BUs converted their superiority into a goal on ten minutes, when Martin Mooney showed fine skills to turn inside at the bye line, before clipping a cross over from the right for Thomas to send a looping header over the goalkeeper and into the net.
The visitors had no reply, and the Bo'ness pressure continued as they looked to forge a clear cut opportunity for the second goal, and squandered numerous corner kicks. They came close to doubling the lead on 29 minutes when Chris Dolan and David Muirhead exchanged neat volleyed passes at the edge of the box, only for the former to knock his volleyed shot narrowly over the bar.
Already missing such key players as goalkeeper Jamie Campbell, centre back Derek Yates and midfielder Graeme Donald through injury, Bo'ness were forced to shuffle their pack again when central defender Paul McCluskey had to be replaced by full back Gary Smith. Thankfully for the BUs, however, this was not a day on which a great many questions were asked of their makeshift defence. Indeed, it was almost at the other end that Smith made a difference, when on 40 minutes a long corner kick fell to him at the far post, but, with an excellent chance to score, he hooked his shot wide of the other post.
There were fleeting occasions, though, on which Forfar Albion almost caught out the home defence, and there was one such moment in first half stoppage time when a corner kick was headed down into the danger area, but scooped over the bar by the No.9 from just six yards out. It was their only real opportunity of a one-sided half, however, and Mark Cairns in the Bo'ness goal had not yet been forced into making a save.
With the difference just a single goal at the break, there was still a glimmer of hope for Forfar, but this was realistically ended just three minutes after the break when Bo'ness extended their advantage. A splendid solo run from Dale Ryan took him to the edge of the box, but his short pass for Abbott was not cleanly collected by the striker, who otherwise would have had an excellent chance to score himself. But the ball was worked back across to Struthers on the right of the penalty area, from where his goalbound drive took a deflection off the No.5 and spun over the helpless goalkeeper to make the score 2-0.
There might yet have been a way back for Forfar had their No.9 taken advantage of a real opportunity on 57 minutes, when he burst through on goal on the right of the area, but his finish was weak and Cairns, rushing out to meet the forward, made a comfortable save.
There was minimal threat of the away side scoring after this, as they continued to spend the rest of the game on the backfoot and were unable to create any more subtle means of approach than simple long punts up the field. Bo'ness rounded off the scoring on 73 minutes when Ryan whipped the ball in from the right flank for substitute Jamie Loney to control well with his back to goal, ten yards out. His lay off to his right left the unmarked Thomas with the simple task of stroking the ball past the goalkeeper from ten yards for his second of the game.
Bo'ness continued to press and look for further goals, and they should have had one when Ryan was clear on goal after 83 minutes, but he hesitated as he weighed up his options, and lost the ball attempting to take it round the goalkeeper.
The job, however, had been done, in an unspectacular but solid manner. After the years of disappointment under John Sludden in the junior game's premier competition, Bo'ness can look forward to post-Christmas involvement for the third season in a row.
Bo'ness United: Cairns; Burrows, Dolan, Todd [capt], McCluskey (Smith), Muirhead, Ryan, Mooney (Ellis), Thomas, Struthers, Abbott (Loney).