Monday February 16th 2015
Reporter Murray Steele
Auchinleck Talbot 1 Bonnyrigg Rose 1
There was nothing to choose between Talbot and Bonnyrigg Rose at Beechwood and so both sides have it all do to again next Saturday after this 5th Round tie ended deadlocked at 1-1.
Talbot looked a bit rusty at the start of the match with the visitors making the brighter start, knocking the ball about confidently and keeping possession without making any in roads into the Talbot box.
Despite Rose’s strong start it was Talbot who almost opened the scoring in the 6th minute. Leishman punted it long down the centre where Milliken cushioned a header towards Gormley who turned just outside the area & drilled a ferocious shot inches over the bar.
A minute later and the visitors came even closer. Pope lost the ball in midfield and Bonnyrigg swiftly broke down the right. It was fed down the right to Hislop who centred it for Horne who looked certain to score but his placed shot came back off the inside of Leishman’s right post & bounced into Leishman’s arms.
Talbot’s next foray up the park saw Milliken force a corner down the left. Young swung it into the goal mouth where Grant punched it high into the air. It spun out to Gormley on the left of the area and he volleyed over the bar.
Bonnyrigg took the lead in the 14th minute & it was a poor goal to lose from a defensive point of view. The Bot defence looked well in control when a ball was swept in from the left but Lyle failed to cut it out & only succeeded in knocking it into the path of the unmarked Hislop who slotted it away into the bottom corner.
Falling behind provoked a response from Talbot who pushed hard to get back on level terms. In the 19th minute Campbell rose to meet Young’s corner from the right flank but his header flew just over Grant’s bar.
Two minutes later Talbot won a free kick in a good area after Spence was fouled out on the left. Young whipped a dangerous ball over that skipped off a defender’s head & behind for a corner. This time, Young played it into the near post where Gormley ghosted in to glance a header for the far post. It was heading in but Horne was well positioned by the post to clear it off the line.
Talbot kept the pressure on and the equaliser duly arrived in the 22nd minute. Park hit a deep cross from the right beyond the far post to Milliken who headed it across the face of goal where Gormley dived to head it home from close range.
The wind was now in Talbot’s sails & they pushed forward looking to take the lead. Gormley went from long range & found the target but his shot flew straight at Grant who made a comfortable save.
Young had a half chance to put Talbot ahead in the 27th minute. Hylsop played it down the right wing for Milliken who attempted to lay it back into the path of Gormley. He was challenged as he went to hit it and the ball spun out left to Young who snatched at it & sent his volley well over the bar. The next attack came courtesy of a free kick following a foul on Hyslop. Young slid it down the line for Gormley who raced into the box and made the bye line before trying to cut it back across goal, however Grant cut it out at the near post.
King was fortunate to escape a booking in the 34th minute when he went in with studs showing against Latta but the ref contented himself with awarding the free kick.
King then came very close to restoring the visitors lead. Talbot failed to deal with a shy in from the left & the ball came to King on the left of the area. His low drive was blocked away by Leishman but the defence failed to clear their lines & the ball landed back at the feet of King. He curled a dangerous ball across the 6-yard area that evaded everyone and went just wide of the far post.
In the closing phase of the 1st half Talbot twice spurned decent chances to take the lead. In the 41st minute Gormley swept a superb cross field pass out to the left to find Pope marauding forward. He ran down the left before passing it into Milliken inside the area. He flicked it back into the path of Pope who fired a low shot from 15 yards that Grant got down to his left to block away.
A minute later Milliken had a great chance to put Talbot in a goal ahead at the interval. Leishman lifted it down the centre & with the Rose defence looking in vain for an offside flag, Milliken raced onto the end of it 6 yards out. He opted to flick it 1st time past the advancing keeper only to see his shot clip off the outside of the right post and behind for a goal kick.
In a role reversal, it was Talbot who got out the traps quickest at the start of the 2nd half and made the early running. Talbot won a free kick out on the left for a foul on Milliken & Young curled it over beyond the far post where Campbell climbed to head it back across goal only for a defender to intercept & put it behind for the corner. The corner was over hit but Pope managed to retrieve it out on the left & swing a cross over to the back post which was just a fraction too high for Campbell.
King came close to nudging Rose ahead in the 52nd minute. Park failed to cut out a cross from the right & it landed at the feet of King in space on the left of the area who lobbed it just over Leishman’s crossbar.
Down the other end Talbot won a free kick out on the right after Gormley was fouled. Young whipped a great ball into the near post for the run of Pope but his attempted header was blocked. It broke back to Spence who mis-hit his shot wide left. Gormley reached it first but couldn’t hit the target from a tight angle.
A through ball by Young almost sent Spence clean through on the keeper but Hamill stretched out a leg to deflect it away & out for yet another Talbot corner. Campbell was utterly dominant in the air & once again got on the end of Young’s corner. He steered a header toward Grant’s right hand post where Milliken was positioned a yard out with his back to goal. He was unable to spin on it & force it home & the chance was lost.
Talbot were looking consistently dangerous at set pieces & threatened again in the 57th minute. This time the defence were able to head Young’s delivery out but it went straight to Latta at the edge of the box who looped a header back into the centre that just cleared the head of Hyslop as he tried to direct it home.
On the hour Mark Young had an opportunity to give Talbot the lead. Milliken slid the ball through to Gormley on the right. He could have went for goal but instead opted to pull it back to Young who went for a curler from the 18 yard line but placed it straight at Grant.
Bonnyrigg had been under the cosh for a bit but they almost caught Talbot out with a swift counter-attack. They broke down the left before switching it out to the unmarked Hislop wide on the right. He had time to look up & pick out his cross but Hyslop was there at the back post to make the crucial clearing header.
The visitors threatened again in the 69th minute. King played it short to Court whose cross was glanced just wide of the left post by Hislop.
Remarkably for such a competitive game there had been no caution; at least that was the case until the 72nd minute when Archibald was shown a yellow card for hauling down Young. Young took the free kick and delivered it straight onto the head of Campbell who powered a header across the face of the 6-yard area but there were no takers in a Talbot shirt.
Three minutes later and it was a case of déjà vu. This time Latta was fouled by Horne and Young whipped a free kick in which Campbell again won convincingly, heading it back across goal but once again no Talbot player had gambled and made the run.
With 12 minutes remaining the visitors made a double substitution with Hislop & Whitson leaving the field to be replaced by Stewart & Wilson.
Bonnyrigg finished the game strongly and Campbell made a crucial block in the 80th minute when he slid across the near post area to divert Archibald’s low cross past for a corner kick. When the corner came in Stewart met it 8 yards out but couldn’t keep his header down.
Talbot made a good break in the 81st minute. Gormley found Young out on the left & he crossed it into the near post where Gormley had continued his run but as he went to head it home he was beaten to it by Brown who dived to head it behind and Talbot made nothing of the subsequent corner.
Tucker now made his only change of the afternoon with Shankland on for Gormley.
Bonnyrigg won a free kick just to the left of the Talbot penalty box after a foul by Latta. Stewart played it beyond the back post where Hoskins ran onto it & tried to hammer a low drive inside the post from a narrow angle but Leishman was there to make the block.
With Talbot tiring it looked as though the closing minutes were going to be played out in the Bot half but Milliken made a strong run down the left to force a corner down the other end. Young whipped it toward Campbell at the back post but Horne made a good defensive header to clear the danger. As the game moved into added time Hoskins attempted an ambitious long range effort which Leishman plucked out the air, and then Brown fell awkwardly forcing the visitors to make a late change with Beaton coming on in his place, but too late to get a touch as the whistle blew soon after.
Neither side could really grumble at the final outcome and so now they have to do it all again next Saturday through at Bonnyrigg.
Auchinleck Talbot: Leishman, Park, Pope, Lyle, Campbell, Spence, Young, Latta, Gormley, Milliken, Hyslop Subs: Shankland, Boyd, Lavan, Wilson, Kerr (gk)
Bonnyrigg Rose: Grant, Archibald, Brown, Hamill, Hoskins, Woodburn, King, Horne, Hislop, Court, Whitson Subs: Stewart, Beaton, Wilson, Easton (gk)
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