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Bo'ness United were crowned Division One champions after a thrilling, rollercoaster decider against contenders Sauchie at Newtown Park, leaving United with tangible reward for their excellent season and promotion to next year's East Super League. Coming into the match off the back of consecutive cup defeats to Camelon and Sauchie, the BUs turned in their best performance in months to deservedly win with a hat-trick from Iain Ferguson - including an 84th minute winner - and a superb strike from Martin Mooney.
The scenario entering the game was a fascinating one - Whitburn headed the table on 35 points but with a much poorer goal difference than both Sauchie and Bo'ness, both on 32 points. Despite the tight siutation at the top of the division, no complicated equations were necessary. The winner of this match would win the division and promotion; if there was no winner, then Whitburn would take the honours.
Sauchie got off to the best possible start when they took the lead with just a minute played. It was controversial - their centre forward was clearly yards offside, but deemed not to be in an active area when the ball was played wide right to the unmarked former BU striker Alan Ward, who was ruled onside. Ward charged into the area, cut inside past David King, and slotted the ball beyond Neil Binnie, back in the Bo'ness goal after missing the previous two matches through injury.
It was looking ominously like another big match, another failure, for the club who hadn't won a league title in 34 years. The good news was that at least Bo'ness had 89 minutes to turn the game around - and further good news was that they responded excellently to the setback. With nine minutes played Gordon Herd, who joined Bo'ness from Sauchie pre-season, should have equalised against his old club when he was played through on the right hand side of the penalty area, but his weak low effort was blocked by the goalkeeper before the ball was booted to safety.
But Herd was causing problems again four minutes later when he went down under a light push just inside the penalty area, leading to the award of a penalty kick, to the immense consternation of the Sauchie players. There was no doubt that it was a soft penalty. With the BUs' first choice penalty takers, Dougie Todd and David Muirhead, both absent, Ferguson took responsibility and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to tie the game at 1-1.
With 18 minutes played, Bo'ness, now undoubtedly the dominant team, came inches away from moving ahead when a Mooney free kick on the right was swung in to the far post, where Derek Yates rose to head back across goal. The skipper was terribly unlucky to see his effort from a tight angle glance off the post and away to safety.
But Bo'ness, battling well and moving the ball around nicely, received merited reward for their efforts after 25 minutes when Ferguson eluded his marker and stole in ahead of the goalkeeper to head in a Mooney corner from six yards out. It was poor defending from the visitors, but the jubilant home support - the biggest crowd of the season outside of the Scottish Cup - were unconcerned.
Just a minute later Sauchie might have equalised when Binnie came off his line and lost track of a high ball into the box, and was fortunate to see the ball headed right back to him by an attacker. Unflustered, the 'keeper wasted no time in distributing the ball to David Wood, enjoying a fine first half, out on the right. The winger surged forward and combined well with Herd to fashion a shooting opportunity from wide. Wood pulled his effort somewhat, but his shot-cum-cross was almost stabbed in by Herd from eight yards. However, at full stretch the forward could only put the ball over the bar.
Sauchie were doing little in the first period to convince anyone that they might be worthy league winners, and the considerably superior home side pressed to double their advantage as half-time approached. Ferguson should have made it 3-1 on 42 minutes, when a cleared free kick was knocked back into the area by Jamie Loney - with the big striker correctly ruled onside as the defence pushed out, he was left with only the goalkeeper to beat but blazed his effort over the bar. Two minutes after, Herd almost connected with a dangerous long throw from Wood into the box, when any touch would surely have sent the ball into the net.
But incredibly, at a point when Sauchie might well have been out of the game entirely, they levelled the score a minute from the break with their second effort on goal. A low ball from the left wing was met at the near post by the No.9, who held off his marker to stab the ball into the corner of the net, leaving Binnie helpless. At half-time then, it was Whitburn who were heading for the title, though Bo'ness must have felt much aggrieved that they were not in front in a game they were dominating.
Sauchie were an improved side in the second half, and five minutes after the restart drew a decent save from Binnie, stopping a low drive at his near post. However, it was to be Bo'ness on the scoresheet next, after 58 minutes. The home team moved into pole position when a cross in to the box was knocked out by the head of a defender, but met at the edge of the area by Mooney. He fired the ball into the goalkeeper's bottom left corner with a splendid first touch strike, a deserved goal for the midfielder who was having an excellent match. His leaping celebration demonstrated the importance of the goal for the BUs, who returned to the top of the provisional final table.
Sauchie responded in the only manner they could. Now requiring at least two goals, they switched up two gears and introduced giant striker Andy Hume to increase their aerial power. For their part, Bo'ness became more withdrawn, and started to lose their way somewhat - unable to retain possession or trouble Sauchie on the counter, which could have been the route to securing victory. But Sauchie found themselves up against a determined back line, and lacked the touch of creativity which was needed to find a way through. Too often they resorted to sending high balls in looking for the head of Hume, but Bo'ness were mostly able to scramble these unimaginative efforts away. The visitors came close to equalising when a free kick swung into the box was headed wide on 71 minutes, but otherwise, for all their pressure, could not carve out genuine chances.
There was, though, to be further drama before the end. With 83 minutes gone, Binnie came out to meet another high cross into the box, but, amid a ruck of players, he appeared to punch the ball against a defender's back. As the ball spun back towards goal, Gary Smith tried manfully to hook the ball off the line, but failed as Sauchie revived their hopes of a late comeback with this freak equaliser.
Calamity. Seven minutes to play, and once again Whitburn were back on top.
Not, however, for long. Straight from the restart the ball was played wide to Wood on the left, who made progress down the flank before cutting the ball across for Ferguson at the edge of the box. The forward, under pressure, took a touch before planting the ball in the goalkeeper's bottom left to immediately restore his side's lead, and setting off on a Klinsmannesque diving celebration.
It was to prove the winner. Sauchie kept up the pressure but could not find a way through, and after four agonising minutes of stoppage time Bo'ness United were confirmed as Division One champions, and captain Derek Yates presented with the trophy in front of a delighted home support.
Bo'ness United: Binnie; Smith, Loney, King, Yates [capt], Donald, Abbott (Ryan), Mooney, Ferguson, Herd (Jeffrey), Wood (McPherson).