Defensive Errors and Deflections Define Dramatic Draw

Musselburgh Athletic 2-2 St Andrews Utd

Two clubs with similar results in the last fortnight as Musselburgh Athletic hosted St Andrews Utd in the EOS Premier League. So despite a fair gap between the sides positionally, this looked like it could be close—and so it proved.

The first chance arrived after four minutes as Craig Stevenson launched a long throw into the Saints penalty area and Bob Wilson’s head flick fell for Nicky Reid, but the offside flag went up. A minute later, James Collins picked up a headed clearance and wasted no time in getting a left foot drive away from around 22 yards, but Burgh keeper Liam McCathie pulled the ball in comfortably as he dived to his left.

Another minute on, Stevenson swung a decent free kick onto the Saints six yard line but Jackson Barker failed to get any contact on the ball and a decent half chance for the home side went begging. Barker got a much better contact on a long throw from Nathan Evans after eight minutes, but from a similar distance, the header flashed wide. Burgh were starting to make the early running, and Jamie Todd sent a header from a Stevenson corner over the top after ten minutes. He appeared to land awkwardly as he came down but was able to continue.

An Oban Anderson cross took a deflection on the quarter hour and looped onto the roof of the Saints net, allowing Stevenson to send in another deep corner, but Todd was penalised for pushing as he got his head to the ball. The Saints defence weren’t looking 100% secure from cross balls, and another free kick dropped for Reid, whose effort on goal saw Logan Halliday in the Saints goal mishandle—but an offside flag halted the action.

With twenty minutes gone, Anderson found Aiden Walsh who fed the ball onto Reid, and his effort from the edge of the box took a deflection and went straight to Saints keeper Halliday. The first yellow card of the match arrived after 23 minutes as Burgh’s Barker raised his boot and caught Saints’ Tom Milne just outside the centre circle. Referee Jack Leslie rightly brought the card out.

A minute later, a good deep cross from Collins picked out Finlay Allan inside the Burgh penalty area, but the Saints No.14 was unlucky as he lost his footing after bringing the ball down and it was cleared away. Two minutes later, Collins knocked the ball onto Lewis Payne, who wasted no time in getting his shot away first time from 23 yards, but Burgh skipper Bob Wilson was there to make the block.

With 27 minutes gone, Reid tried to escape down the left flank for Burgh and was taken down by Saints captain Ryan McManus. Referee Leslie contented himself with a warning for the visiting No.6. A minute later, Saints’ Lewis Lorimer got a ticking off from referee Leslie for a barge in the air on Barker—and it had all got a wee bit untidy.

However, it was the visitors who made the breakthrough in the 29th minute with a real gift. Burgh keeper McCathie allowed a pretty routine back pass to come off his boot and he lost out in the foot race to the ball against Collins, who gleefully slid in to knock the ball home from a couple of yards with the keeper sprawled on the turf. The Fifers were ahead.

The home side weren’t behind for long. Barker slipped the ball to Reid on the edge of the Saints penalty area and the Burgh No.23 lost his marker with a lovely turn, giving him the space to fire in a left foot drive from eighteen yards. The shot went past Saints keeper Halliday with the aid of a deflection to square things up in the 34th minute.

Six minutes from the break, Burgh’s Callum Donaldson caught Lorimer on the edge of the centre circle with late contact, and referee Leslie went into his pocket for the second yellow card of the afternoon for the home side. The third yellow arrived two minutes later as Saints’ Kyle Sneddon blocked out Jordan Smith as the Burgh No.10 looked to go past him down the left flank—no complaints about this caution either.

Anderson sent in the resultant free kick, but Todd’s looping header from fourteen yards was easily held by Saints keeper Halliday. At the other end, some nice inter-passing between Lorimer and Allan set up Payne for a low drive, but a Burgh boot sent the ball behind. McManus’s corner was cleared and Reid began a quick counter-attack, finding Evans, whose excellent pass released Smith. Smith raced into the Saints penalty area, lifted his head and rolled the ball across to Walsh, who had the simplest of tasks to bury the ball behind Halliday. The home side had turned the game around with a devastating counter-attacking goal.

Saints tried to respond before the break and nearly did in the 45th minute as Collins got a lovely angled left foot strike away from 22 yards. It looked destined for the top corner until McCathie, more than making up for his earlier error, somehow reached out a big left hand to claw the ball behind. McManus’s corner was clearly a pre-planned move as Lorimer escaped his man, but he sat back on his effort from sixteen yards and skied the ball well over.

The home side would be happy to go in at the break with their noses in front after recovering from going behind in somewhat bizarre circumstances, but Saints had carved out a couple of decent chances and would feel they were still right in the hunt.

Burgh brought on Declan O’Kane at the break for Wilson, with the skipper likely having picked up an injury. Within the first minute, Smith used his pace down the inside right channel into the Saints box and was denied by an excellent block from Halliday, who spread himself well.

Burgh went close again three minutes later as Barker spread the ball wide to Walsh, who moved it on to Reid. His low driven shot from a tight angle beat Halliday, but McManus was there to hack the ball clear from a yard off the line. Burgh had started the second period with purpose, and Evans was next up after 51 minutes with an angled sixteen-yard drive that zipped just wide of the near post.

Halliday showed a safe pair of hands on 56 minutes as he pulled down a cross under pressure from Evans. Just after the hour mark, Walsh tried to escape down the flank, but Milne blocked him off and was shown a deserved yellow. Stevenson’s free kick ended in the keeper’s hands again, with another push spotted by the referee.

Saints hadn’t been much of an attacking force in the second half’s first 20 minutes, and a wide Lorimer drive from 20 yards was the best they’d managed. Three minutes later, O’Kane dwelt too long on the ball and Payne dispossessed him before firing a shot wide from 28 yards. He had another effort blocked soon after as the visitors started to sense an opportunity, especially as Burgh’s midfield began to drop deeper.

Eighteen minutes from time, Saints broke quickly and Burgh’s Walsh cynically brought down Allan near the edge of the box, earning a yellow for a professional foul. McManus stepped up and curled a brilliant free kick over the wall and into the roof of the net, giving McCathie no chance and levelling the score.

Before the restart, Saints brought on Michael Ness and David Cabrelli for Collins and Craik. With 15 minutes left, Allan flashed a great low ball across the Burgh six yard line, but no one got on the end of it. Burgh then made a change, bringing on Jonny Court for Reid, who had worked tirelessly.

Donaldson and Evans both had shots blocked as Burgh pushed for a winner, but Saints held firm. Six minutes from time, a Saints break almost paid off as Allan sent Payne down the right. His driven cross found John Tod on the six yard line, but he couldn’t sort his feet out, and the chance went begging. At this stoppage, Burgh subbed Michael Barfoot on for Barker.

Saints were now chasing a winner. Lorimer had a drive charged down with three minutes left, and Allan made way for Joshua Simonetti. Two minutes from time, another Evans long throw was flicked on by Court, causing pinball in the box before Saints cleared.

O’Kane then found Walsh, who beat one defender but was unlucky as the ball bounced off another and into Halliday’s arms. In the final minute, Stevenson sent a dangerous ball down the inside left channel for Smith, but Halliday was alert and claimed it at the edge of his box.

A minute into stoppage time, Tod brought down Evans and received Saints’ sixth yellow of the match. The resulting free kick came to nothing, and in the end, a share of the spoils was probably fair.

For Musselburgh, despite gaining a point in their title chase, it was likely a frustrating afternoon. They dominated the early stages of both halves but never looked like killing the game. Saints scrapped hard, stayed organized and will likely view this as a valuable point in their quest to avoid the drop.