Main | Who? | News | Results | Match Reports | Squad | Stats/Tables | Pictures | Previous Seasons | Honours | Links | Contact
Well, this one won't be quickly forgotten. Not because of the immense quality on display, as there was precious little of that anywhere on the park, but because of the game's controversial nature. Visiting Bathgate had no less than four players sent off, while all three goals came from the penalty spot in a match dominated by refereeing decisions. By the end, the Bathgate players, coaches and fans were understandably seething with the referee, but if they're looking for reasons as to why they lost to a dismal Bo'ness United, they might also look at their own discipline, which ultimately cost them a deserved point - or more.
Still, there was a relatively normal opening quarter of an hour before the game descended into a black comedy. Bathgate managed three reasonable strikes on goal in the first ten minutes, the best chance falling to the No.6, who found a gap but fired wide from 20 yards. Bo'ness began to respond, Graeme Donald heading over from twelve yards on 11 minutes, then, a couple of minutes later, Chris Dolan's strike from 10 yards at an angle unable to find the back of the net after a lovely flowing move from the home side.
Then, on 18 minutes, it begun. First to go, Bathgate's No.5, his flying elbow in an aerial challenge earning him red. Arguably harsh, but the referee must have seen enough intent, and indeed there was little argument.
Not that Bo'ness showed much sign of taking advantage of the situation. On the positive side, Bathgate's hasty reorganisation had seen their threat reduced, but the BUs were hardly looking dangerous themselves. The closest they came against ten men was on 32 minutes, a fierce strike from wide right by Kevin Thomas - making his first start - which flew wide of the near post.
Then Bathgate proceeded to make things more difficult for themselves again, losing a second man to a silly, petulant foul after 35 minutes. After missing out in an aerial challenge with Derek Yates, the No.9 kicked back at the defender. Just five yards from the linesman. In any case, the referee had spotted the offence, and pulled out the red card again.
Nevertheless, Bathgate still finished the half looking more likely, as the home support cast their minds back to the opening day of the league season, when, 2-1 up away to Oakley's nine men, Bo'ness had to settle for a 2-2 draw. Five minutes from the interval in this game, Bathgate's No.10 struck a sweet, straight-flying free kick which Jamie Campbell batted away well for a corner. In the near half hour since the first red card, Bo'ness had huffed and puffed but created almost nothing.
At least signs early in the second half were more encouraging, with Bo'ness appearing much more direct and aggressive. Four minutes after the restart, a chip into the Bathgate box created confusion between the goalkeeper and one of his defence. Half obstructed, the weak punch simply sent the ball back into the danger area. John Jeffrey picked up possession, but with the goalkeeper stranded, his shot from ten yards was headed off the line by a defender.
That should have been 1-0, but with the best chance of the game so far squandered, the Bo'ness threat quickly receded again, and the game fell into a quite depressing mire. The quality of the home team's passing was abysmal, as they lacked the ability to create chances. Bathgate lacked the numerical means and hence the will, content to play for the draw and milk every stoppage for maximum time.
Then, with twenty minutes to play, that most unexpected of things - a goal. But not, as you might expect, for the team with the two-man advantage. A counter attack from the visitors took them as far as the Bo'ness box. Paul McCluskey unwisely placed his hands on the forward, who gratefully took the opportunity to go down and win a penalty kick. The No.11 converted well, sending Campbell the wrong way.
That might well have been game over, given the standard of Bo'ness attacking so far, and bearing in mind that they had been shut out in their two previous games since putting five past Bonnyrigg. But the referee was still feeling charitable, and, 77 minutes played, the BUs had a soft penalty of their own, awarded, it would seem, for a kick on Thomas. Just as well that penalty specialist David Muirhead had recently been introduced as a substitute, for he stepped up to level the scores at 1-1.
Three minutes later and it could have been 2-1 to Bo'ness, a corner kick reaching the feet of Yates in space at the far post. But it had fallen to the wrong man, his shot pushed wide of the post from ten yards.
A two man advantage and a soft penalty not enough, then? The referee offered further aid to Bo'ness as the game headed into stoppage time, this time rather harshly dismissing Bathgate's No.6 for a foot up, his second yellow card. Then a couple of free kicks in the Bathgate half. Still the awful passing prevented Bo'ness from making chances until, deep in stoppage time, Donald burst through the centre of the fatigued defence, only for the goalkeeper to charge out and block his shot. But the ball kindly deflected back to him, and with the goalkeeper on the ground, Donald's second goalward shot was only kept out by the hand of a defender on the line.
No doubt about that one, then. Mandatory straight red card produced, the No.8 trooped off to join the crowd of team mates already in the changing rooms. Muirhead completed a fruitful substitute appearance by converting his second penalty with five minutes of overtime played, after which the referee immediately blew his whistle to complete the farcical Bo'ness victory.
How to assess this game? The most influential man on the park, the referee, makes an easy scapegoat for Bathgate, but on reflection, though it was certainly a very much flawed performance by him, the major decisions mostly stand up to scrutiny. The first two and final red cards were correct by the rules of the game; the third harsh, but surely was too late to be of major consequence anyway. The first two penalties were both highly debatable, so at least they cancel each other out. The winning penalty was inarguable.
The Bathgate players who kept their heads and worked hard throughout deserved better than to lose at the death, but the team as a whole paid the price for indiscipline. And Bo'ness? Well, if you can't be good, be lucky.
Bo'ness United: Campbell; Smith, Dolan, McCluskey, Yates [capt], Hunter (Muirhead), Struthers (Savage), Donald, Thomas (Ryan), Mooney, Jeffrey.