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Bo'ness made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season and climbed to third in the table with a fine away win over Glenrothes, achieved through goals from Graeme Donald and Gary Smith. But the visiting support at the impressive Warout Stadium had to sweat it out towards the end as Glenrothes fought hard to rescue a point in the final quarter of the game.
It was Glenrothes who started the contest better, with the majority of attacking possession in the early stages, and forcing a series of corners in the opening ten minutes. Bo'ness soon redressed the balance of play to ease the pressure, but it was the home side who had the best scoring opportunity of the first half hour. With twenty minutes playerd, after an over-long cross from the right was hooked back into the danger area from the far post, the Glenrothes No.6 had a headed chance from the corner of the six yard box. Stretching, however, he was unable to get the power on his effort to trouble Jamie Campbell in the Bo'ness goal, who made the save.
Though it was a reasonably entertaining first half, moments of real drama were few and far between, both teams chiefly resorting to long range efforts, with Kevin Thomas twice mis-cueing efforts from around 25 yards out for Bo'ness, while Glenrothes were unable to force Campbell into action with their own speculative shots.
Bo'ness did, though, take the lead before the interval through Donald's goal after 37 minutes. A Chris Dolan cross from the left was deflected, but spun high into the box, where Martin Mooney - the game's outstanding player with his touch and vision - headed the ball on to Donald with his back to goal on the six yard line. Under pressure, he showed great composure to put Bo'ness in front with a delightful overhead flick which snuck inside the post and left the goalkeeper helpless.
Although it was a largely even first half, Glenrothes might have felt a little unlucky to be behind at the break, having had the majority of attacking possession. However, having failed to really open up the Bo'ness defence at any point in the first half, they nearly did so within a minute of the restart. Following a good move, the Glenrothes No.6 cut inside from the left wing to make space for a shot on the edge of the box, but his low strike was well saved and held by Campbell.
The BUs' response to this was to embark on twenty minutes of terrific football, their best passage of play so far this campaign, as they dominated the third quarter of the game with considerable verve and flair. With 49 minutes gone, Mooney played an excellent cross into the box for David Muirhead, who controlled brilliantly but, tightly marked, could only push his left-foot volley wide.
But with Bo'ness now applying all the pressure, and with every little pass and flick coming off, it was no surprise when they doubled their lead on 55 minutes. A Dolan corner from the left skimmed off a head before falling to the excellent Smith at the far post, whose shot may not have been the most cleanly struck, but still had enough to find the net.
The confidence was coursing through the Bo'ness United veins over the next ten minutes as they continued to dominate, and do so stylishly. But the Fifers were slowly beginning to edge back into the contest, and received a much needed boost with a goal on 67 minutes, a corner from the right headed in at the near post by an unmarked attacker.
The character of the game changed greatly after this. Where Bo'ness had been seemingly coasting to victory, now Glenrothes found a burst of energy, while the BUs looked increasingly nervous and tired. Glenrothes repeatedly tested the defence with high balls into the box, and the Bo'ness threat was reduced to the counter-attack. This might have reaped dividends though - despite the home side now applying the pressure, Bo'ness nearly restored their two goal lead, but John Jeffrey, cutting in from wide, had a strike from eight yards blocked by the legs of a defender. And, though Glenrothes were now dominating a tired Bo'ness, it was Jeffrey again who came close on 82 minutes, getting through on goal but desperately unlucky not to break his scoreless streak with a low shot which beat the goalkeeper, but spun away off the base of the 'keeper's left-hand post.
At the other end, with five minutes of regulation time left, Campbell had to react quickly to beat a forward to a loose ball in his box, doing enough to touch the ball away from the attacker's feet before a defender launched the ball up the park to safety.
Glenrothes had finished strongly, but ultimately had lacked the imagination going forward to prise open a defence who, slack marking from one corner apart, had looked very solid. Even during their period of dominance, the best chances had fallen to the away team. Indeed, two minutes into stoppage time Donald could have grabbed his second goal but for an appalling miss, blazing the ball over an open goal from ten yards after a Dolan shot had been saved but not held by the goalkeeper.
But not to worry - the full time whistle soon followed, securing three more valuable points and a first away win of the season for Bo'ness. The same score, but a massive improvement on the shambolic performance seven days earlier against Bathgate.
Bo'ness United: Campbell; Smith, Dolan, McCluskey, Yates [capt], Muirhead (Hunter), Struthers (Burrows), Donald, Thomas, Mooney, Jeffrey.