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What an incredible Fife and Lothians Cup tie this was at Newtown Park. The home side - pre-match favourites - missed chance after chance, often denied by the outstanding Newburgh goalkeeper, including two saved penalties. The Fifers might even have nicked the game themselves at the end, but for an astonishing miss, before eventually Bo'ness came good in extra time following a third penalty and a Newburgh red card.
The tone for the match was set in an eventful opening quarter of an hour. In the first few minutes, Gordon Herd pushed an effort just wide for the home side, before David Wood was denied by a fine double save. Then, after ten minutes, Bo'ness were awarded penalty number one. Scott Love's shirt was unquestionably pulled as he charged down the right flank, although the initial offence appeared to take place outside the box. Controversially, and to Newburgh's understandable annoyance, the referee pointed to the spot. Justice was perhaps done when Wood's effort was well saved.
Newburgh's No.1 was already emerging as a hero, but the away side themselves threatened to score on the break. A long ball after fourteen minutes was chased down by their No.9, but under pressure from goalkeeper Ewan Wilson his effort slid just wide of the post.
Bo'ness, however, were dominant in the first half, but were unable to make the breakthrough. They were enjoying nearly all the attacking possession, and causing Newburgh serious concern down the right flank through Love and Gary Smith, but found themselves either let down by the quality of the final delivery, or denied by an in form 'keeper whose confidence was growing by the minute. Played in by Love, Herd drew another fine save after 34 minutes, shortly before Love himself nearly scored following a corner kick. His effort on the turn, though, went narrowly over.
By the end of the first period, it seemed only a matter of time before Bo'ness took the lead. However, the second half proved even more frustrating. Within a minute of the restart, Love forced the goalkeeper into making a superb save at his near post. Four minutes later, Newburgh's goalkeeper appeared to use his arm to block the ball on a charge outside of his area as Martin Mooney tried to knock it past him. It might well have been deemed a professional foul, but the referee decided the ball had been blocked with the chest.
Despite this escape, the visitors, meanwhile, were providing reminders that they posed dangers of their own. Shortly after the restart, Wilson made a good stop to keep the scores level; then Newburgh's No.10 saw a header come off the outside of the post.
But it was Bo'ness who continued to make the great majority of chances. After coming close with a series of half chances - the most notable a good effort from a tight angle by Dale Ryan, saved by the well-positioned 'keeper - the BUs should surely have settled the tie in the last fifteen minutes. With twelve minutes remaining, Herd made a fabulous run down the right flank before sliding the ball across the face of the goal. It was surely easier for Ryan to score than miss, but he contrived to knock the ball right to the seemingly helpless goalkeeper from three yards out.
Still, it shouldn't have mattered. With seven minutes to go, the referee awarded penalty number two to Bo'ness for handball following a scramble in the box. The home team's top scorer Herd stepped up, but his low effort was again excellently saved by the goalkeeper, diving to his right.
It would have been a great injustice, but Newburgh almost stole the game with two minutes to go. As they broke into the box, Wilson made a fine save, only for the ball to break for Newburgh's No.6, in front of an open goal in acres of space, eight yards out. As the home support looked on in silent horror, he somehow managed not to knock the bouncing ball in, but instead to knock it backward. No, I don't know either. The smiles and muted laughter of the BU support could not disguise their relief.
After that miss for the ages, Bo'ness should still have clinched victory without the need for extra time. In stoppage time, Graeme Donald strode forward from centre half, broke through the last line of defence and, one on one with the goalkeeper, ballooned his shot three yards over the bar from just inside the area.
And so a game which might easily have finished 8-2 after ninety minutes carried on goalless into extra time, with the spectre of penalty kicks haunting Bo'ness should they fail to find the breakthrough.
Surely, however, they could not go another half hour without scoring? With ninety-seven long and frustrating minutes played, the deadlock was at last broken. Another scramble in the box resulted in a shot being blocked on the goal line by a defender's hand, and penalty number three was awarded - in addition, the referee was left with no option but to dismiss the offender for a professional foul. Hopes for this particular penalty were not terribly high, but finally substitute Davie Muirhead hit the back of the net, eschewing the failed tactic of aiming for the bottom corner in favour of a heads-down-and-hit-it approach. It was, at long last, successful.
After that, it all seemed so easy. With 103 minutes played, Todd played in a fine low cross from the left for Ryan to lunge at and tuck away the second, and surely decisive, goal.
One minute into the second period of extra time, Herd made it three. He chased King's ball from deep, then followed in after his first effort was well blocked to bundle the ball over the line. In so doing, however, the forward picked up an injury and had to be stretchered off.
With parity restored - Bo'ness now also down to ten men, having used all their substitutes - the home side could still have added more. Ryan saw a fine volley brilliantly saved at the goalkeeper's near post, before the bar was struck from an overhead kick following a corner, and Dougie Todd shot just wide with an attempt to catch the goalkeeper out of position.
The final score shouldn't be allowed to put a deceptive gloss on the match. Though 3-0 in extra time sounded good (and it might easily have been 6-0), Bo'ness huffed and puffed and struggled to score for 97 minutes against undoubtedly inferior opposition. Better opponents won't let them off the hook with so many wasted chances.
Bo'ness United: Wilson; Smith, 3, Dillon, Donald, Todd [capt.], Love, Mooney, Ryan, Herd, Wood.