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Bo'ness slipped six points off the pace following this disappointing home defeat against the league leaders. Though Newtongrange themselves were hardly impressive, Bo'ness were uninspired and lacked the ability to break down the visitors' rearguard, despite enjoying the great majority of attacking possession in the second half.
For a match distinctly lacking in excitement for the most part, it was an eventful beginning to the action. The Bo'ness defence looked jittery, and the ball was being given away too cheaply in midfield by the home side. More composed forward play by Newtongrange might have reaped dividends at this point but, after the away team saw a header from a corner kick cleared off the line, it was surprisingly Bo'ness who took the lead with nine minutes played.
Not a goal Newtongrange will enjoy reflecting back on. A hopeful long ball was played over the top of the defence, and as the Newtongrange defender let the ball run through to the goalkeeper, Scott Love nipped in to knock the ball past the 'keeper, then run on to it to turn it into the net from a tight angle.
But having got away with their own defensive frailties in the opening ten minutes, the BUs were unable to capitalise on this stroke of luck. Instead, they gifted Newtongrange an equally soft equaliser just three minutes afterwards - Mike Dillon woefully underhitting a backpass to Neil Binnie, for the Newtongrange forward to collect the ball and steer it into the net from the edge of the box.
For the next half hour, both sides struggled to find their rhythm and were lacking creatvity going forward. Three minutes before the break, a neat one-two between Martin Mooney and Dougie Todd nearly produced a second for Bo'ness, but Todd was unable to find the target with his effort.
Then, on the stroke of half time, Newtongrange took the lead. Their No.2 found himself in an advanced position on the right flank, cut inside to beat three men (none of whom seemed particularly eager to tackle), and with a neat finish guided the ball into Binnie's bottom left.
As Newtongrange protected their narrow lead, Bo'ness had the lion's share of attacking possession in the second period, but were unable to make it count. Love and Gary Smith were getting some joy down the right wing, but the quality of delivery was lacking, and Newtongrange's goalkeeper was easily claiming most of the high balls into the box.
The home side came close after 52 minutes, when, following a corner kick, Smith knocked the ball into a pack of players in the box, but Dale Ryan's effort from six yards was kept out by a defender on the goal line.
As Bo'ness struggled away to little effect, Newtongrange should have put the game beyond doubt with a little under twenty minutes remaining. As a forward somehow escaped the attentions of the defence, he found his path blocked by Binnie; his cut back to a team mate arriving in support should have been passed into an unguarded net, but was instead - criminally - fired wide.
But with Bo'ness struggling to create, Newtongrange didn't need any further goals. The home team's last real chance went begging with 12 minutes left, when after a Mooney free-kick swung in dangerously from the right, Ryan's effort was brilliantly pushed over the bar by the goalkeeper.
Not a classic game by any means, and poor showings from both teams. Newtongrange, however, at least have the consolation of three league points.
Bo'ness United: Binnie; Smith, King, Dillon, Donald, Muirhead (Hodge), Love, Todd (Kemp), Ryan, Mooney, Jeffrey (Wood).