Report - Bo'ness United 4-3 Partick Thistle

Newtown Park, 6th August 2002 - Friendly

BO'NESS UNITED 4-3 PARTICK THISTLE (2-2 HT)

Bo'ness triumphed over a reasonably strong Partick Thistle XI, which included captain Danny Lennon and Gerry Britton, in an entertaining pre-season friendly at Newtown Park. Coming after winning the George Simpson Memorial Cup against Linlithgow just days earlier, the result and performance will give the BUs much confidence heading into the new season.

Partick started and finished the contest as the brighter team, but in between, this was another composed and heartening performance from the home side, with two more neat finishes from new signing Gordon Herd and a superb long-distance effort from John Black.

The SPL club drew first blood with a little under quarter of an hour played, a counter-attack leading to a fine strike from the edge of the box, which left Banner with little chance as it flew past his left hand.

With most of the meaningful attacking play being directed at the Bo'ness goal early on, this threatened to be a more sobering affair than Saturday's derby win. However, after 21 minutes, a Bo'ness corner kick was swung in from the right by Mooney, picking out Dougie Todd at the edge of the box. His shot was deflected into the net, leaving the Partick goalkeeper with no chance.

The home side were boosted by their fortunate equaliser, and soon appeared to be relishing the challenge. Nine minutes later, Herd ran onto a long pass and chipped the ball over the goalkeeper at the edge of his area, only for Partick defender David Lilley to rush back and make a brilliant clearance off the line. But it only briefly delayed Bo'ness' second. From the resulting corner kick, Lilley stopped another effort on the line, only for Herd to head in from inside the six yard box.

By half time, however, parity was restored. Britton scored a fine goal from just outside the box, displaying a bit of his class, on 37 minutes. Value for money in the first period: four goals, and an open contest with some fine football being played.

The match continued in similar fashion in the second half, as coach Brian Fairley experimented by bringing on a number of replacements. But it was Herd again who put Bo'ness in front, for good, just short of the hour mark, holding off a defender's challenge and scoring frmo an acute angle when it seemed he had taken the ball too far.

Then the pick of the bunch, from substitute John Black with twenty minutes remaining. Picking the ball up twenty-five yards from goal, he hit an unstoppable effort which flew into the goalkeeper's top left hand corner.

As Bo'ness, playing only their second match since May, began to tire slightly towards the end, Partick again started to control play late on. Their threat had been ever-present, but never overpowering, in the second half, and they grabbed a late third goal through spectacularly coiffeured (but otherwise unimpressive) French trialist Val Eddy, who converted a ball across the goal from two yards. With five minutes to go, however, it proved to be only a consolation.

A second impressive performance from Bo'ness in their shortened pre-season programme, and a further indication that Brian Fairley has prepared his charges well for his first full season back in the Newtown Park dugout.

Bo'ness United: Banner; Dillon, Donald, King; Smith, Muirhead, Todd, Mooney, Loney; Herd, Ward. Subs (all used): Wilson, Black, Kemp, Ryan, Wotherspoon.