LOCHEE UNITED 1-1 BERWICK RANGERS
Ross McGowan’s match report sponsored by Utility Connect Scotland.
Lochee United were cruelly denied an opening day victory as a 90th minute Berwick Rangers equaliser spoiled the party on a historic afternoon at Thomson Park.
Starting our journey into the 5th tier of the Scottish football pyramid in the newly formed Lowland League East, the sizeable Lochee support may have been forgiven for a sense of trepidation with their team squaring up against the big boys.
But on the park Lochee’s players showed no such fear, going toe to toe with their more illustrious adversaries and putting in a performance that will breathe hope and optimism into our sails for the season ahead.
As expected, it was the team from the Borders who started the brighter and Lochee had to survive a couple of early corners.
But if Lochee had spent the opening ten minutes on the ropes they soon came out swinging when a long range effort from Callum Moore had Antell scrambling in the Berwick goal before tipping wide.
From the resultant corner Connor Coupe whipped in a devilish delivery across the face of the Berwick goal with first McArthur then Henry only a whisker away from converting.
There was still work for Lochee to do at the other end however, and when they got themselves into a defensive tangle Lewis Haldane had to be quick off his line to make a sharp save with Berwick looking to pounce on any mistakes.
Lochee had now established themselves comfortably in the contest though and began to play with a belief that they belong at this level.
Callum Moore dialled up the quality, engineering space with a magnificent turn in the midfield before clipping a perfectly weighted ball over the Berwick defence for Harry Welsh who had beaten the offside trap but his first-time lob over the keeper was just fractionally overcooked and drifted agonisingly onto the roof of the net.
Five minutes before the interval though, Lochee’s dominance was converted when the relentless energy of our youthful new-look front line delivered us a deserved goal. Connor Coupe drifted inside and decided to have a pop on his stronger foot and when Antell could only beat away the shot Harry Welsh was on the scene as quick as a flash to pick up the rebound and feed the ball across the face of goal for Finlay Allan who timed his run to perfection and slammed low into the net to give us the lead.
1-0 at half time and Lochee were good value for it with Moore pulling the strings in the middle and the dynamic duo of Welsh and Allan terrorising the Berwick rearguard.
There was an injury-enforced change for the Bluebells at the break with Bruce Hearn replacing Paul Scobie.
But if Lochee had enjoyed the better of proceedings in the opening 45 the tide was about to turn as the visitors looked to use the wind at their backs in the second half.
Haldane had to be sharp off his line and made himself big to thwart Michael Mbewe who had sneaked in behind the Lochee defence off the left flank.
Berwick controlled the play for long spells in the second period but by and large Lochee looked to be absorbing the pressure without Haldane being exposed in the Lochee goal.
Newly appointed Lochee captain Louis Joyce demonstrated his commitment to the cause conceding not an inch in a 50-50 with Berwick skipper Jamie Pyper who came off the worse and had to be withdrawn injured, being shown a yellow card as he hobbled off.
But as the game entered the final ten minutes Berwick began to turn the screw.
First, Mbewe’s teasing delivery from the left was bundled just wide by Greg Binnie at the front post under strict surveillance from the Lochee defence.
Then Lewis Haldane was called upon to make a strong one-handed save from a long range effort before diving low moments later to keep out another net-bound strike.
But having dealt comfortably with Berwick’s set-piece deliveries all afternoon, Lochee were finally undone in the 90th minute when a ball in from the right was headed back across goal where the visitors’ veteran striker Danny Handling had taken up prime position and the former Hibs man slotted home the equaliser.
Far from collapsing though, Lochee poured forward in injury time desperate to hit back and there was a golden opportunity when Finlay Allan tore past two defenders into the box before unselfishly looking to pick out the two blue jerseys in the middle but Lochee were denied by some last-ditch defending and in the end had to settle for a point.
There will be mixed emotions in the Lochee dressing room at the 1-1 scoreline. It was a game the boys came ever so close to winning. But the biggest takeaway from today is that Lochee United are more than ready to compete at this level. Whilst there will be harder games to come this season, any myths about a gulf in class were dispelled today. We are back where we belong.
There were no failures in the Lochee United ranks today with some outstanding performances. Lewis Haldane exudes calm and confidence throughout the team in the Lochee goal, and at the other end of the park Finlay Allan looks a threat that many defences will struggle to cope with this season.
But our man of the match today, as chosen by former Lochee United player Craig Robertson of R&M Bearings International, goes to Ewan Murray who successfully blended graft and composure at full-back this afternoon, thwarting Berwick’s forays down the right flank but also getting us on the front foot with his driving runs forward.
The Lowland League East action continues to come at us thick and fast and we can’t wait to see you all in Denny on Wednesday evening where we take on Dunipace with a 19:45 kick-off.
As always – COME ON THE CHEE!!!
