Match Report

Leith Athletic vs Penicuik 23.2.19

Leith Athletic 0 Penicuik 3 Leith Athletic: McLellan, Hainley, Boyd, Mein, Mitchell, Anderson, Lantoine, Hay, Brisbane, Trialist, Swanson Subs: McGinley, Pennel, Garvey, Trialist, Spence Penicuik Athletic: Robertson, Caddow, Baptie, Young, Page, Notman, Sampson, Connolly, Somerville (c), Crabbe, McCrory-Irving  Subs: Cordery, McIntosh, Sproule, Williams, Ponton Penicuik travelled to Peffermill to meet Leith Athletic looking to maintain their five-point advantage over Hill of Beath at the top of Conference A.  On a blustery day Cuikie saw Caddow replace the suspended Stevenson and Crabbe the injured Jones in the starting line up against a home side with an injury depleted squad.  The visitors started quickly on the familiar 3G surface and as early as the 4th minute Somerville set up a chance for McCrory-Irving inside the box and his shot agonisingly slipped past the right hand upright. Two minutes later Crabbe teed up Baptie from a corner, but his shot went high and wide. The next chance came in the 14th minute as Sampson saw his shot turned around the post by McLellan and from the resultant corner the visitors took the lead as a move from the training ground saw a Baptie corner land in front of the unmarked CADDOW some 25 yards out and the full back caught the ball sweetly with his left foot on the volley and fired into the corner of the net. The visitors maintained the impetus as both Connolly, Somerville and Sampson had chances to double the lead and the second came in the 27th minute as a delicate McCrory-Irving cross from the right took out the defending Hainey and McLellan leaving SOMERVILLE with a simple chance to head the ball into the empty net. On the half hour Somerville had an opportunity to make it three but his glancing header flashed wide of the left-hand post, before the visitors saw the white of keeper Robertson’s eyes for the first time after 33 minutes as he gathered Swansons’s shot easily. With five minutes of the half remaining Swanson failed to make the most of slackness in the visitor’s defence and blazed his shot over the bar before the last chance of the half fell to Somerville who saw his shot turned around the post by McLellan after a patient build up had created the opening. Half Time: Leith 0 Penicuik 2 The opening minutes of the second forty-five saw Sampson yellow carded for simulation by referee Calder before being replaced by McIntosh after 55 minutes. For the second week in a row Penicuik were reduced to ten man as Connolly received his marching orders for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity as he pulled back on the edge of the 18- yard box. From the subsequent free kick Mitchell sent his effort wide of the left hand upright. Mitchell’s pace and Swanson’s probing runs saw the home side come more into the game but efforts on goal were few and distant between and it took until the 79th minute for the home side to bring Robertson into action as he tipped over a cross come shot from Swanson. From the corner the home side saw the headed effort off hit off the top of the cross bar to safety. The last ten minute a flurry of substitution s as the visitors game management came to the fore as the ten men limited the home side forays on the attack and it was that man McINTOSH who closed the game out for the league leaders as he finished expertly over keeper McLellan as goal scorer Caddow turned provider to end the scoring and seal the three points. Final Score: Leith 0 Penicuik 3

My thanks to Gus Coburn for the match photos and to Andy Penman for the match report.