Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts 3 Blackburn United 2

East of Scotland Premier League  –  Wednesday 3rd August 2022

Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts               3          Murray 8, 27, Spence 33

Blackburn United                                2          Hutton 45 & 51

The game started at frantic pace and Burnie really should have gone ahead after only two minutes when Richie Hutton broke into the left hand side of the Swifts box and squared the ball across goal, it evaded Sweeney but there was nobody at the back post to tap it in.

The opening goal came at the other end shortly after when a poor pass by Trialist was intercepted and fed into Calllum Murray who held off David Howe and angled a shot past Welna. Ryan Cowie then headed wide form a good position inside the box.

On the quarter hour mark, Scott Richards also headed wide from a Laurie Devine cross, and it was the latter a few minutes later who was fouled on the edge of the area but Richards fired the free kick straight at Neil Mitchell.

The hosts went further ahead on 27 minutes when, after a David Howe free-kick into the Swifts box, Spence cleared and the hosts quickly broke, the ball finding its way to Murray who shot past Wemna for his second.

Swifts were causing all sorts of trouble to the Burnie defence and just past the half hour it was three when Greg Spence first timed a 25 yard shot into the postage stamp.

However, on the stroke of half time Richards slid in Hutton on the left and he took a touch before guiding the ball beyond Mitchell to reduce the deficit and provide a bit of a hope of a comeback.

That hope was increased seven minutes into the second half when it was Richards again who set-up Hutton to grab a second and the game was on.

On the hour mark, a corner found Marcus Millar at the back post but his shot was straight at Mitchelll, then immediately at the other end, Murray half hit a shot which Cowie flicked at with his head and it rebounded back off the post.

It was end-to-end stuff and Welna kept Burnie in it with a point blank save from Spence with 20 minutes remaining. Forrest was then replaced by Michael Gould after being concussed from a clash inside the box..

It was Welna again that saved from Spence as Swifts looked to put the game beyond Burnies reach, and deep into injury time the equaliser almost came when, with Welna up for the corner, James Mildren headed wide.

Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts: Neil Mitchell, Michael Paterson, Callum Murray, Shay Brough, Callum Deas, Ynyr Liddell, Liam Evans, Lewis Hynd (Liam Kelly 65), Ryan Cowie (Sean Cumming 78), Pat Scullion, Greig Spence.  Unused subs:   Charlie Simpson, Thomas Simpson, Ronan McMurchie, Ben Ramage, Michael Gibb.

Blackburn United: Jakub Welna, James Mildren, Kyle McClung, Trialist (Michael Gould 77), Marcus Millar, David Howe (Dominic Kane 64), Laurie Devine, Daryl Meikle, Keiran Sweeney (Calum Heath 59), Scott Richards, Richard Hutton.  Unused subs: Joe Osbourne, Luke Meikle, David McKeon, Craig Saunders.

Referee: Kyle Hall        Assistants: Evan Cairns, Ralph Gordon