Match Report: Dalkeith Thistle 1-5 Bo’ness Athletic

An interesting 2nd Round King Cup tie saw Dalkeith Thistle welcome Bo’ness Athletic to Kings Park, and it was a finely balanced affair until the visitors eventually took control as the second half wore on. An early long kick-out from Bo’ness keeper Sam Ramsbottom had his centre-forward Michael Weir interested briefly, but a single bounce took it into the arms of home keeper Jamie Newman. Three minutes in, a headed clearance from Thistle’s Michael Lennie dropped for Chris Ogilvie, whose quick shot on the turn from around sixteen yards got a slight deflection, allowing home keeper Newman to catch the ball safely just above his head.

Athletic continued to press as Scott Cameron chased a ball to the goal line and managed to send over a dangerous cross, superbly headed away by Dalkeith skipper Elliot Grieve as Sandy Cunningham waited behind him to head home. Another great chance came after six minutes when Cunningham and Weir combined down the flank. When the cross came in, Ogilvie couldn’t sort out his feet, and the ball cannoned off him five yards out into the hands of home keeper Newman. A minute later, Dalkeith had their first meaningful attack as Ronan Clelland’s inviting delivery was headed down by Lewis Turner. Grieve’s resulting shot from seven yards was blocked by visiting keeper Ramsbottom.

Dalkeith wasn’t to be denied for long. From a long throw, Turner’s clever head flick found Grieve, who glanced the ball past Ramsbottom from six yards to put the home side in front. Bo’ness responded immediately with a couple of corners, but Cameron’s header went off target. The visitors continued pressing, with Weir’s twenty-yard drive deflected over and a curling effort from Ogilvie cleared by Thistle’s defense. Another chance arose on 22 minutes when a pinpoint Ogilvie corner found Jack Sharples, but his header went wide.

Bo’ness nearly equalized when Cunningham beat the offside trap, but Newman blocked his effort brilliantly. The rebound fell to Weir, whose shot was headed off the goal line by Lennie. Despite determined defending, Dalkeith conceded after 27 minutes when Cunningham’s low cross found Weir lurking at the back post to stroke home the equalizer. Newman then made a brilliant point-blank save from Weir to keep Dalkeith level temporarily, but Bo’ness continued to dominate.

With four minutes of the half remaining, Ogilvie and Weir set up Callum MacDonald to cut the ball back to Cunningham, who drove a low shot into the bottom corner from fifteen yards to give Bo’ness a deserved lead. Thistle responded immediately as McTernan’s ball found Scott Moffat, but his goal-bound effort was blocked. From the resulting corner, Lennie headed over from four yards. Right before halftime, Cunningham and Athletic skipper Jonathan Mitchell received cautions for fouls. At the break, Bo’ness led 2-1, having dominated possession and chances, though Dalkeith had shown flashes of danger.

The second half began with Cunningham missing a good chance for Bo’ness, dragging a shot wide from the edge of the box. Dalkeith nearly equalized on 49 minutes when Gould’s low shot on the turn looked destined for the net, but Ramsbottom produced a miraculous save to deny him. Bo’ness thought they had a penalty on 51 minutes when MacDonald went down under Newman’s challenge, but the referee ruled it offside. Dalkeith made a double substitution, bringing on Mackie and Brockie for Greig and Gould.

On 63 minutes, Bo’ness extended their lead. Cameron’s pass found Weir, who slid the ball across to Cunningham for a simple finish at the back post. A minute later, Newman made another superb block to deny Weir, but Bo’ness struck again in the 67th minute. Cunningham evaded the offside trap and squared the ball for Ogilvie to tap into an empty net, making it 4-1. Dalkeith responded with another double substitution, but Bo’ness quickly made it 5-1 as Ogilvie set up Cunningham for his hat trick with another straightforward finish.

Despite the scoreline, Dalkeith keeper Newman continued to shine, producing another excellent save to deny McKenzie. Dalkeith made their final change with eleven minutes remaining, introducing Faulds for Clelland. Cunningham went close to a fourth goal, flashing a tight-angled shot across the goal. The final moments saw McKenzie fire a low drive just wide as the match wound down.

In the end, Bo’ness Athletic’s dominant second-half performance saw them through to the next round of the King Cup. Dalkeith showed resilience and flashes of quality, but they tired late on. It was an enjoyable cup tie, highlighted by outstanding goalkeeping from both sides, particularly Dalkeith’s Newman. Bo’ness now look forward to the third round of the competition.