History(cont)

Season 2014/15 Penicuik Athletic kicked off the new season in the East Region Super League after spending eight seasons in the East Premier League. A tougher start would have been harder to imagine with the first four matches scheduled against Newtongrange, Linlithgow, Kelty and Bo’ness. However, Penicuik quickly found their feet and during the course of the season notched up notable victories away at Linlithgow Rose and at home to Bonnyrigg Rose. Kelty Hearts eventually won the league title with Penicuik finishing in sixth place with forty points from twenty eight games. Ballingry Rovers unfortunately folded and withdrew from the sixteen team league. The Scottish Junior Cup brought the club’s best performance since 1970 when they were losing finalists to Blantyre Vics. A bye in the first round was followed by wins against Lanark, Maybole, Arbroath Vics, Spey Valley and Arthurlie before going down in the quarter final to Super League rivals Musselburgh Athletic. Edinburgh United sent Penicuik crashing out at the first round stage of the East of Scotland Cup. Penicuik suffered a fourth round exit at Linlithgow in the Fife and Lothians Cup. Season 2015/16 Included in Penicuik Athletic’s pre-season friendlies was a visit to play Aberdeen based side Hermes FC. A keenly contested match ended in a two all draw. The first Super League match was at home to Broxburn Athletic which also ended in a two all draw. After a campaign of mixed results Penicuik finished in 9th place with a last day victory over Carnoustie Panmure. Twelve games were won, thirteen lost and five drawn giving a final total of 41 points from 30 matches, scoring 47 goals and conceding 56. Long serving player, Ryan Gay was awarded a testimonial match to mark his ten seasons with the club, making over 250 appearances and scoring 50 goals. The opponents were a HeartsX1, featuring many of the players Ryan had played with in his younger days at Tynecastle. A large crowd turned out to watch a well contested match.The club exited the Scottish Junior Cup in the 3rd round at Lochee United, losing by four goals to two, after a bye in the first round and a two goals to one win at Brechin Vics in the second round. It was a similar story in the East of Scotland Cup, exiting in the second round in a four goals to two defeat at Camelon after winning by four goals to one at Glenrothes in the first round.It was a different story in the Fife and Lothians Cup. Penicuik got a bye in the first round, then beat Fife side Rosyth, winning by three goals to nil at Penicuik. The quarter final saw another Fife side, St.Andrews also lose three nil at Penicuik. Fife side Kelty Hearts were the semi final opponents on a Wednesday night at Kelty. Kelty had won both league matches against Penicuik earlier in the season. A Keith Lough goal in a terrific performance was all that was required to overcome a very confident home side and send Penicuik through to the final at Olive Bank without losing a goal in the competition. The opponents lying in wait in the final were super league winners, near neighbours and local rivals, Bonnyrigg Rose, who had also won both league matches between the pair. Indeed, in a league match, only eleven days before the final, Bonnyrigg had comfortably beaten Penicuik at Bonnyrigg, scoring four goals without reply. Penicuik Athletic had previously won the competition in 1976/7 winning their first trophy since re-entering the Juniors in 1951, not losing a goal in that season’s competition. Penicuik’s name went back onto the trophy for a second time in 1980/81. Bonnyrigg had won the Fife and Lothians Cup three times, 1981/82, 2004/05 and 2006/07. On a lovely sunny night goals from Darrel Young, Ryan McCallum and Sean Patterson gave Penicuik Athletic a famous three goals to one win to put their name on the Fife and Lothians Cup once more to finish manager Craig Meikle’s third season in charge in fine style. The cup was presented by Scottish Junior FA long service secretary Tom Johnston amid jubilant scenes among the Penicuik supporters. Season 2016/17 Penicuik Athletic started the season with a new manager. Craig Meikle tendered his resignation on the eve of the club’s AGM. Former player Johnny Harvey who was in charge at Haddington Athletic agreed to take over, assisted by coaches Keith Wright, Davie Lees and John Menzies. Ryan Gay was appointed as assistant manager. Mixed results in the pre-season friendlies with wins against Easthouses Lily and Berwick Rangers, defeats against East Stirlingshire and Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale and a draw away at Shettleston Juniors prepared the team for the new season. Penicuik hit the ground running in the first match with a win in Perth against Jeanfield Swifts by three goals to two. Penicuik enjoyed a successful season finishing in fourth place in the sixteen team East Super League. In 30 matches, Penicuik scored 65 goals, losing 47 goals, gaining 49 points by winning 14 games, losing 9 and drawing 7. It was Penicuik’s highest league finish since winning the East League championship in 1981. The top three places went to Kelty Hearts, Bo’ness United and Bonnyrigg Rose. Penicuik lost a penalty shoot out to Jeanfield Swifts in the 3rd round of the East of Scotland Cup after winning at Livingston by nine goals to nil in the first round and defeating Glenrothes by three goals to two in the second round. There was to be no repeat of the previous season’s Fife and Lothian’s Cup glory. Penicuik were knocked out in the third round by Blackburn by two goals to one at Penicuik after defeating St. Andrews in the first round at Penicuik by seven goals to three and beating Camelon by two goals to nil at Penicuik in the second round. The Scottish Junior Cup campaign finished in controversial circumstances with a four goals to three home defeat to Kirkintilloch Rob Roy in the fifth round. A bye in the first round was followed by a long trip to Dalmellington in South Ayrshire where the Athletic beat Craigmark Burntonians by four goals to nil. The third round visitors to Penicuik were Scone Thistle who lost by two goals to nil. Another trip to Ayrshire in the fourth round finished with a three goals to two win in a hard fought match which was delayed by an unfortunate half time collapse of a Penicuik supporter who subsequently faced a long spell in hospital. Long serving players, Billy Bald, Ryan McCallum and Ryan Gay together with Steven Noble announced their retirements at the end of the season. Season 2017/18 Penicuik started with a hectic series of seven pre-season friendlies including a heavy home defeat to English National League North side, Spennymoor United. Three games were won, three were lost and one drawn, leading into the first super league match of the season against Linlithgow Rose. Three first half Penicuik goals against two conceded in the second half ensured that the season got off to a great start. The player pool had been bolstered by the addition of goalkeeper Kyle Allison from Kelty Hearts and young striker, Jack Hamilton on loan from senior club, Livingston. In a significant development, Kelty Hearts left the juniors to join the East of Scotland League. Discussions had dragged on for several seasons regarding the SJFA joining the pyramid system but progress had stalled and Kelty decided to move over to the seniors to join the pyramid system which would have a significant effect on junior football going forward. The season finished with Penicuik Athletic in third place in the Super League, behind winners Bonnyrigg Rose and runners up Linlithgow Rose. Seventeen matches were won, seven lost and six drawn, gaining fifty seven points from the thirty game season. Aaron Somerville ended the season as top goalscorer in all competitions. Penicuik were knocked out in the second round of the Scottish Junior Cup in a penalty shoot out at home after both the away and home matches were drawn. It was penalty shoot out heartache in the Fife and Lothians Cup in the semi final against Newtongrange Star. A bye in the first round was followed by wins over Broxburn, Tranent and Harthill before the semi final defeat at Newtongrange. The East of Scotland Cup, however, finished in triumph with Penicuik Athletic lifting the trophy for the first time in a thrilling final against Tranent Juniors at Prestonfield in Linlithgow. Second half goals from Craig Hume and Aaron Sommerville gave Penicuik a two nil victory. Penicuik reached the final after beating Bathgate Thistle in the first round, Brechin Victoria in the second round, Camelon Juniors in the third round, Bonnyrigg Rose in the quarter final, and Dundonald Bluebell in the semi final. It was a great end to a great season. As it turned out, it was to be Penicuik Athletic’s last match as a Junior club. Following Kelty Hearts departure from the juniors several other clubs had decided to follow their example. Taking everything into consideration, the decision was taken that Penicuik Athletic would apply to join the East of Scotland League for season 2018/19. NEXT PAGE