Midlands League – 10th August 2024 @ Downfield Park
Match Report From Ross McGowan
Week 2 of the 2024/25 Midlands League season saw two sides with winning starts square off in a fixture that has produced some highly entertaining games in recent years. Having suffered a 3-2 reversal here towards the end of last season, Lochee travelled to Downfield Park in search of redemption and looking to build on their good start to the new campaign.
Lochee started the game brightly when Aaron Donald played a raking cross field ball to Bobby Linn who took a touch inside and dug out a shot that keeper Thain palmed away.
The visitors then went close again building out from the back with a ball out right from Scott Webster that Kerr Hay delivered into the box but Callum Lamb’s header faded just wide.
But as many opponents have learned, Lochee United are often at their most dangerous when pinned back in their own half and with five minutes played they gave a ruthless demonstration of counter-attacking football. Winning the initial header from a Downfield corner Lochee broke out from their own box like a coiled spring, battling their way through the middle and when Callum Moore threaded the ball into the path of Bobby Linn there was only ever going to be one outcome as he cut the ball low under the keeper and into the bottom corner to put Lochee 1-0 up.
But the home side responded well to the early set-back and began to play their way back into the game.
First a long ball over the top caused a problem for the Lochee defence and Liam McArtney fired low towards the near post with Jamie McCabe smothering the ball wide. Then from the resultant corner Ewan Murray had to make a goal-line clearance as the Spiders looked to fight their way back into the contest.
But while Downfield were managing to pin Lochee back into their own half, once again Lochee bounced back off the ropes and came out swinging and with three minutes remaining in the first half they snatched a second goal. A high ball forward saw George Johnston play a clever flick round the corner to send Callum Moore bearing down on goal and Lochee’s in-form midfield dynamo fired confidently into the bottom corner to double the advantage.
2-0 at half time and Downfield will probably feel that they were short changed for their territorial play but Lochee’s ruthless streak saw them head into the changing rooms with a two goal cushion.
The opening exchanges of the second half were scrappy with both sides struggling to contend with a fierce diagonal cross-wind.
Depleted by a number of absentees, manager Dougie Cameron was limited in the changes he could make but rolled the dice by introducing Danny Cavanagh off the bench for George Johnston.
However Lochee still couldn’t quite extinguish the threat posed by a motivated and persistent Downfield attack.
First, a good Downfield move from the left saw the ball stood up to the back post where Henderson headed just over the bar. But then with 70 minutes played the hosts grabbed a lifeline when a swift counter-attack down the right flank saw Henderson play a terrific early ball across goal and McArtney couldn’t miss from ten yards out to pull it back to 2-1.
Downfield now grew in belief and urged on enthusiastically from the sidelines they began to exert pressure when a long throw-in from the left caused an almighty stramash in the Lochee box that the Bluebells defence just about managed to clear.
Then in the 88th minute Lochee produced another swift break out of their own half as Bobby Linn drove us forward releasing Callum Moore down the left to cross for Kerr Hay and although Thain did well to smother the initial shot the rebound fell to Danny Cavanagh and he thumped a half-volley into the top corner to put Lochee 3-1 up.
However, any thoughts of seeing the game out calmly were immediately dashed as a Downfield set-piece delivery from the right was headed powerfully into the top corner by McLeary to pull an incredible game back to 3-2.
As Downfield spent added-on time throwing the kitchen sink at the Lochee rearguard there were hearts in mouths as a couple of ferocious 20 yard shots were fired narrowly over the Lochee crossbar.
But eventually the full-time whistle sounded to the relief of everyone in the Lochee United ranks.
Downfield will feel desperately disappointed not to have taken anything from a game that they put so much into.
For Lochee it was a case of bringing their quality to bear in the crucial moments of the match and whilst it was ragged at times the Bluebells will be happy to have just found a way of getting it done at a venue that had only yielded one point from our previous two league visits. Make no mistake, this is a tough place to come and win.
Once again Callum Moore was in the thick of things and has quite remarkably had a hand in all seven of Lochee’s goals this season. However he was pipped to the Man Of The Match award today by Bobby Linn who put in a real leader’s performance taking the pressure off the players around him and getting us up the park in what was often a difficult game.
Our next match is at home against Arbroath Vics next Saturday. As always – COME ON THE CHEE!!!
