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Football managers are entitled to feel a little bit smug when one of their substitutes scores within a minute of entering the game. But one doubts that was the reaction of Bo'ness coach Jimmy Sandison when Paul McCluskey, just forty seconds on the park after replacing Murray Hunter at half time, put the ball through his own goal and started the BUs' slide to defeat in this St Michaels Cup semi final. Despite taking a lead in at half time thanks to a Kevin Thomas goal, this was certainly United's weakest showing in months, and there can be no complaints about the result.
Whitburn had looked dangerous from the start, threatening to unhinge the BU defence on a couple of occasions before Thomas put the home team in front on 16 minutes, connecting with Billy Struthers' right wing corner and scoring with a well placed header. It was a lead that flattered Bo'ness a little, although at least their first half performance was more impressive than in the second.
Whitburn were nearly in for an equaliser five minutes later when the Bo'ness defence were caught out by a neat ball over the top, but John Burrows recovered well to make a terrific tackle in the box and deny the goalscoring opportunity. Two minutes after that Bo'ness were causing trouble at the other end. Again it was a Struthers corner which was poorly defended, but Kevin Donnelly flicked his header over the bar from close range.
Perhaps Whitburn's best chance of the first period came on 27 minutes when their No.2 played in Colin Campbell on the left of the penalty area with a pass 25 yards out, but the latter's poorly hit shot trundled unthreateningly across the face of goal. But they came closer to scoring after 40 minutes when a free kick on halfway was launched into the box, for No.6 to attack - his powerful header was superbly and spectacularly tipped away by Mark Cairns to preserve the BUs' lead.
The scoreline notwithstanding, it had been a reasonably positive first half for the visitors, and certainly they were not out of it. They just needed someone with that golden touch...
And that, unfortunately for Bo'ness, is where McCluskey comes in. His second touch of the game, forty seconds after the restart, was an attempt to put a low cross from the right behind for a corner. Six yards out, in front of your own goal, that's a dangerous game - as the defender discovered when he found his own net.
Whether the psychological effect of that goal could explain the abysmal nature of the team's performance for the remainder of the half is doubtful. Fatigue was probably a major factor, what with a small core of players having to play twice a week for the last month, and coming off a hard (but ultimately much more successful) game four days previously at Tayport.
But let's give credit to Whitburn, because they simply dominated Bo'ness for large periods of the half, probably spurred on by their own failure at the weekend to keep their, admittedly slim, Division One championship hopes alive. Which isn't to say Bo'ness didn't have a couple of chances. Less than two minutes after the leveller, a short pass from Dale Ryan found Thomas with space to turn in the box, but he scooped his shot disappointingly over the bar.
This was followed by a twenty minute period in which Bo'ness struggled badly in the middle of the park, seemingly unable to win any balls, and as a result the defence found themselves under constant pressure. For a while, they creaked, but didn't crack. Whitburn created an excellent chance on 71 minutes when Campbell got in behind the defence on the right of the penalty area, but Cairns made an excellent save to turn the ball behind.
Then, a sign of hope for Bo'ness. On 73 minutes Whitburn, for a split second, must have felt they'd wasted all their superiority when a Struthers free kick into the box was met by Gary Smith's head, but the Bo'ness veteran was desperately unlucky to see his effort hit the post, then hit the goalkeeper before rebounding to safety.
Normal service was resumed a minute later when it was Whitburn threatening again, this time passing up their best chance of the game so far when a ball across the face of goal just needed tucking away by the No.12 from close range. With the goal at his mercy he misread the bounce and completely mishit the ball. But he'd be back.
Seven minutes later the same player made amends when, the BUs again on the backfoot and looking untidy, he met a cross from the right with a diving header from eight yards to make it 2-1, giving Cairns no chance. It had been inevitable. Bo'ness were, also inevitably, unable to make a great deal of the closing minutes and in stoppage time the No.12 added a bit of gloss to the scoreline with his second, a high ball swept over from the right flank, and he was on hand at the far post to send a volley back across goal and into the net for Whitburn's third. Thoroughly deserved.
Bo'ness United: Cairns; Smith, Dolan (Loney), Burrows, Hunter (McCluskey), Ryan, Struthers, Donnelly, Thomas (Todd), Jeffrey, Winning.