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

Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts 2 (Spence 2mins & 81mins)
Blackburn United 2 (Campbell 22mins, Hutton 69mins)

Like the weekend visit to Camelon, United were behind early when ex-Raith Rovers striker SPENCE took advantage of a remarkable piece of good fortune to sweep the ball past an exposed Craig Saunders after a Lyall Cameron clearance ricocheted off Brough to deflect perfectly into his path and just like that Camelon clash too, scores were almost level when Danny Campbell nodded a Calum Heath cross narrowly over. Swifts then almost doubled their lead when Spence held up a long ball to pull it back for Mauchlen who sidefooted past from good position. Kelly then twisted into space and hit a twenty yarder that Saunders tipped away and the ‘keeper went one better moments later with a fantastic save from a Spence half volley. However, it was United who were next to find the net, a Heath corner from the right being brilliantly headed home by CAMPBELL. Within ten minutes and with Blackburn starting to take a grip on proceedings, the linesman’s flag brought celebrations of a second United goal to an abrupt halt after Richie Hutton slammed a Heath delivery into the roof of the net from a marginally offside position. Before the break, Jack Sayers and Heath linked down the right to set up David Howe for a pop at goal that Kaye saved.

Blackburn came agonisingly close to the lead seven minutes into the second period when Heath picked out Campbell for a swerving cross that clipped the face of the crossbar and fell just out of the reach of an off-balance Hutton with the goal gaping. Hutton then headed another Campbell cross just too high after good work from Howe and the latter too had an effort, his twenty yarder touched away from goal by the diving Kaye. However, five minutes later and it was third time lucky for HUTTON, substitute Laurie Devine showing a blistering turn of pace to race clear on the right and whip a delivery to the back post where he fairly clattered the ball high past Kaye. With the game slowing in pace and chances now at a premium it was perhaps against the run of play when the hosts claimed a share of the spoils with just nine minutes remaining, a wicked, left to right ball deceiving both Saunders and the United back line to land at the feet of SPENCE to guide into the waiting net.

Blackburn United line-up: Saunders, Sayers, Lawrie, Cameron, Millar, Meikle, Heath, Browne (Devine 57), Campbell, Howe, Hutton Subs (not used): Smith, Drummond, McClung, Sweeney, Gribben, King

Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts line-up: Kaye, Paterson, Scullion, Mauchlen, McQueen, Murray, Brough, Hynd, Cowie, Kelly, Spence Subs: C.Simpson, Mitchell, T.Simpson, McLean, Wardlaw, Morris, Graham

Referee: Mr. Daniel Graves
Assistants: Mr. Chris Ashley & Mr. Tayler Martin