Bo’ness United 0
Blackburn United 1 (Campbell 8mins)
Blackburn made the relatively short trip to league leaders Bo’ness United for the first league clash between the sides for more than thirty years and were presented with a glorious early chance to open the scoring which Danny CAMPBELL duly took, capitalising on a misjudged pass back and a goalkeeper trying to play a bit of football outside his box to nick possession and advance into the right of the area before calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the waiting net, despite the desperate attempts of Hunter to block his effort on the line. Spurred on by this unexpected set back, the Newtown Park men threatened an equaliser little more than ten minutes later when David Taylor didn’t get his header back to Jonny Clements quite right and the ‘keeper had to be swift of foot to reach the ball and scramble it clear into midfield and some thirty yards from his goal where Comrie was waiting to attempt a lob which drifted past the right hand post. On the half hour Keast was the next player to have a noteworthy attempt for the hosts but his pop from a tightening angle on the right of the box was well saved by the feet of Clements and a resolute Blackburn rear guard held out comfortably enough until the half time whistle.
Straight after the resumption Bo’ness were awarded a free-kick some twenty yards out that Comrie curled round the defensive wall but Clements was well positioned to hold it and when the same player clipped a cross in from the left moments later Marty Lawrie got enough on it with his head to prevent Ritchie having a simple tap in, the striker only able to sky his shot well over. Blackburn, too, were an attacking threat as the hour mark approached and when Calum McDowall took Lawrie’s throw-in on the left and whipped it onto the back post Richie Hutton was desperately unlucky to see his bullet header clawed away brilliantly by Murphy in the home goal. Bo’ness were becoming ever more frantic in their search for an equaliser though and Hunter headed a corner from the right over the top before John Drummond half cleared a teasing delivery into the box meaning Clements had to be smart to save Henderson’s follow-up shot. At the other end Hutton’s pace took him momentarily clear but his run was brought to an abrupt end by a foul that resulted in a free-kick that Craig Young got past the wall but straight into the hands of Murphy. The hosts then had a free-kick of their own, an indirect award inside the penalty area that they couldn’t get through a defiant Blackburn wall. In another quick break to the other end Campbell and McDowall linked for the latter to pull the ball back to young substitute David Howe but he fired his effort over the bar from just inside the area when a little more composure might just have increased the Blackburn lead. With nine minutes remaining Bo’ness were presented with the perfect opportunity to pull the scores level when Ritchie was bundled over inside the box amidst a blur of legs but the resultant penalty award was cracked against the right hand post by Stevenson before being launched clear. In time added on and in another lightening break Blackburn substitute Laurie Devine was put through on goal but couldn’t squeeze his shot past Murphy and moments later referee Mr. Jordan Curran blew the whistle on what was the hosts first league defeat of the season.
Blackburn United line-up: Clements, Mildren, Lawrie, Drummond, Taylor, Kane (Young 57), McDowall, Browne, Campbell (L.Devine 89), McLeod (Howe 51), Hutton Subs (not-used): Thomas, Mbewe, S.Devine, Mitchell
Bo’ness United: Murphy, Jacobs, Hunter, Comrie, Keast, Gemmell, Ritchie, Grant, R.Campbell, Stevenson, McKenzie Subs: Syme, Snowdon, Morgan, Henderson, Adamson
Referee: Mr. Jordan Curran
Assistants: Mr. William McAleese & Mr. Ken Boyd