Saturday 17 October 2020
Ballast Bank, Inverkeithing
East of Scotland Premier Division Fixture #2
Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts
Starting XI | Shaw, Annandale, Pennel, Anderson, Deas, Bernard, Slimmings (c), Liddell, Graham, Brough, Duff
Subs | MacDonald, Smith, Pendleton, McMurchie, Mauchlan, Houston, Jarrett
Goalscorer | None
Sent off | None
Penicuik Athletic
Starting XI | Watt, Baptie (O'Donnell 46), Young (Page 69), Connolly (c), Devlin (Somerville 60), Tansey (Reid 60), Lamb, Stewart (Viola 30), Thomson, Stevenson, Forbes
Unused subs | Edwards, Tait
Bookings | None
Sent off | None
Penicuik were first time visitors to Ballast Bank for the first ever meeting with the newly promoted Swifts. Manager Begg was looking to build on the opening day win over Broxburn and the hosts were looking to recover from a 6-0 loss at Tynecastle. The visitors set out to dominate possession in the early stages and with five minutes gone the first chance was Stewart heading over a Baptie free kick, after Stewart had been fouled by home centre back Graham. The goal didn’t take long to come and two minutes later a ball over the top by Stevenson was picked up by Jamie DEVLIN who held off a defender and tucked it under the keeper for his first goal for the Cuikie! Connolly and Tansey were next to try their luck on goal but both saw their efforts fail to trouble Shaw in the home goal. Just before the quarter hour mark the hosts had their first effort on goal as a shot from 30 yards out failed to trouble the visitor’s custodian Watt. With 20 minutes gone Tansey volleyed wide from 20 yards and soon after Lamb fired a volley over the bar from 8 yards out. On the half hour mark Stewart pulled up on a run down the right and was replaced by Viola. With 37 minutes gone Viola won the ball on the half way line and his surging run carried him into the home 18-yard box but his shot skewed wide of the upright. Four minutes later a diagonal pass from Thomson found Tansey but his first-time volley went wide of the post as the visitors pressed for a second goal. Two minutes to half time and Viola latched on to a Devlin header at the edge of the box but was thwarted by Shaw and on the stroke of half time the same pair combined again but some desperate defending saw the home side clear their lines.
HALFTIME | Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts 0-1 Penicuik Athletic
Manager Begg made a second change at half time as O’Donnell replaced Baptie at left back and it didn’t take the visitors long to double their lead as Stevenson burst free from the midfield and found Tansy wide left and his low cross across the goal was met by DEVLIN to slide home. Three minutes into the half and a Forbes cross was chested down by Tansey but his shot was cleared off the line by Graham and the pressure on the home goal continued as Devlin narrowly headed over from another Tansey cross. Approaching the hour mark Tansey set up Stevenson but his shot was held by the keeper before the visitors extended their lead as Lamb's through ball was latched on to by VIOLA who burst past the defence before calmly slotting past Shaw to make it three. The goal prompted a double change as Devlin and Tansey were replaced by debutant Reid and skipper Somerville, registering his 150th competitive appearance for the club and ten minutes later, Manager Begg made full use of the five substitutes allowed this season as Page replaced Young at the heart of the Cuikie defence. Into the last quarter and Penicuik were content to manage their lead but not before centre half Thomson saw a corner drop at his feet but saw his shot go past the upright from close range.
FULLTIME | Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts 0-3 Penicuik Athletic