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It's hard to imagine that this season might hold a more inept forty-five minutes of football than was witnessed from Bo'ness United in the first period of this league match against league and Scottish Cup champions Tayport. The visitors, to be sure, looked a talented side indeed, and if anyone was flattered by the 4-0 scoreline, it was most certainly the home team, who could easily have given up twice as many goals. But the difference between the teams was less the overwhelming quality of Tayport, as the utterly abysmal showing from Bo'ness in the first half particularly, a performance which even made the showings earlier this season in whippings against Camelon and Linlithgow look highly proficient.
Abbott, McCluskey and Thomas, all reasonably impressive performers in recent weeks, sat out this match as the team was given a shake up. An unsuccessful one, we might conclude. Bo'ness looked decent for all of five minutes here before plumbing the depths. The first real opportunity came for Christie of Tayport on 7 minutes, as Bo'ness give the first hint of things to come with a corner breaking out to the forward 12 yards from goal, with plenty of time to shoot, but his effort was blocked in the pack of players in front of goal.
With Tayport already taking charge, it was no surprise when Elliott was played in, in acres of space, on the right after twelve minutes, and chipped the advancing goalkeeper superbly to open the scoring.
Christie tried a similar trick on 20 minutes when a long ball released him on the left, but his chip went over both Jamie Campbell and the crossbar. Bo'ness were feeling the pressure - looking sloppy and vulnerable at the back, unable to get a grip in the middle of the park, and mostly unable to get the ball out of their own half. On 28 minutes Christie came close again, another corner breaking to him at the edge of the box. No one closed him down, and Bo'ness were lucky to escape as his low drive this time got through the ruck of players, but went wide.
With half an hour played there was a half-chance for Bo'ness when David Muirhead delivered a fine cross from the right wing, which Joe Savage got his head to, but was unable to direct away from the goalkeeper, who nevertheless nearly contrived to spill the ball into his goal.
But such a foray forward was a rare event indeed, and a couple of minutes later the BUs were again displaying an inability to defend corner kicks, as one from the right was curled in to the far post, where the No.12's header from point blank range was excellently blocked by Campbell. It could easily have been the second.
There was at least the prospect that Bo'ness might make it to half-time still in the game at a goal down, and turn around their performance in the second half. But Tayport doubled their lead on 37 minutes from, of course, a corner, this one swung in from the right and easily nodded down for the No.12 to stab the ball in from two yards out. Three minutes later, it got worse still as another corner from the right resulted in a goal, appearing to be deflected in by a defender, as Tayport coasted into a thoroughly deserved 3-0 lead.
And it was to get worse before the break, after captain Derek Yates scythed down a Tayport player as he skipped past him down the left wing. Yates was rightly cautioned, before Dougie Todd talked his way into the book after the skirmish that followed on from Yates' tackle. Then, seconds later, drawn into a verbal exchange by Tayport centre back Ward even before play had recommenced, Todd was shown a second yellow card and ordered off the field.
It simply had to get better, then, in the second half for Bo'ness. And it did, slightly, as the ten men played for their pride and looked more determined and more adventurous. Tayport backed off a little, but still created chances - Christie saw a dangerous shot from an angle deflected over, before, on 58 minutes, Tayport extended their lead further. Bo'ness, a man short at the back now, were exposed down the right as a pass into space allowed Elliott a free run on goal from forty yards out. He coolly rounded the goalkeeper before tucking away the fourth goal.
Despite the minor improvement from Bo'ness, it was still the away side who were looking far more dangerous. Over the next ten minutes, Elliott and Gunnion both came close with headed efforts, then, with 69 minutes played, Tayport's No.6 spurned a good shooting opportunity inside the box, his left foot effort, under no great pressure, flying over the bar.
Jamie Loney, making his first appearance since being red carded against Kelty, was somewhat fortunate to stay on the park with a reckless challenge on 75 minutes which drew a yellow card from the referee, though the punishment could have been more severe had the referee had a better view.
With around ten minutes to play Bo'ness at last forged a notable second half chance of their own, when David Muirhead headed Martin Mooney's cross over the bar from about 12 yards out. There was, however, to be no more scoring, though Tayport could have made it five with five minutes to play, had Campbell not pulled off an excellent piece of goalkeeping, coming out to block an attempted chip near the edge of his area.
A dreadful, shambolic performance from Bo'ness, who never looked likely to take anything from the game, and were fortunate to escape with only a four goal margin of defeat. The small ray of hope to take from the game is that surely they cannot have a worse performance in them this season - although, mind you, the same thing might have been thought after the League Cup defeat to Camelon and drubbing at Linlithgow.
Bo'ness United: Campbell; Smith (Struthers), Loney, Todd, Yates, Burrows, Mooney, Muirhead, Hunter, Donald (Ryan), Savage.