Match Report: Newtongrange Star 3-1 Arniston Rangers

Newtongrange Star 3-1 Arniston Rangers

A Midlothian derby to end the year brought out a healthy crowd at New Victoria Park as almost 400 turned up to watch Newtongrange Star hosting their great rivals Arniston Rangers. It was the home side who got off to the best possible start with three minutes gone after Frazer Sutherland was fouled by Stephen Woods and Star skipper Adam Nelson clipped in a perfect delivery from the set piece which Sutherland met five yards out and his glancing header nestled in the far corner with the visitors defence all at sea. It could have been two just sixty seconds later as Richard Hutton outpaced Ian Galloway in midfield before sending Aidan Barrowman to the goal line and his cutback saw Sutherland bring out a great block from Rangers keeper Aaron Hamilton at his near post at the expense of a corner. From the resultant Nelson corner, Liam Reid’s header from six yards dropped onto the roof of the net and it was the home side who had come out of the traps first. It took till the eighth minute for the visitors to threaten when Jordan Daly laid the ball back to Ewan Graham on the edge of the Star penalty area but he didn’t catch his left foot drive the way he wanted and it didn’t pose Sam Scott in the home goals many problems. Four minutes later, a James Scobie free kick into the Star box was headed out and Ryan Turner took the clearance on the volley from twenty yards but the ball swung wide of the home goals. The visitors had settled after the early setback and a minute later a poor defensive header from Reid dropped for Robert McKenzie on the edge of the Star box and he fed Galloway but once more the low shot lacked the pace to trouble home keeper Scott. On the quarter hour, an injury to Arniston’s Graham right in front of his own dugout saw the player require treatment before leaving the field but thankfully he was able to continue. Two minutes later referee Blair McAlpine produced the first yellow card of the match for the visitors’ Andy Muir who had raised his boot too high in a midfield challenge. After 21 minutes, good combination play down the left for the home side involving Fyn Connor, Liam Gray and Barrowman saw the latters’ dangerous ball into the Arniston box well defended by Turner who turned the ball behind. From the resultant Nelson corner, a bit of head tennis eventually saw the ball drop for Jayden Bradley and his low right foot shot from fifteen yards was deflected behind for another Nelson corner which this time went long but was retrieved by Hutton and he stood up a great ball to the back post which Ciaran McKenzie met but headed just wide from around eight yards out. Star were now pressing again and on 26 minutes, Bradley found Gray down the right and he sent Shaun Conlon into the Rangers box but his attempt from an acute angle to beat visiting keeper Hamilton saw the keeper make the block with his foot. A minute later, Conlon won the ball in midfield and released Barrowman down the inside left channel but his right foot shot from just inside the Arniston box was disappointing and allowed keeper Hamilton to make a comfortable save low down to his left. Robert McKenzie then drove strongly down the left flank before cutting inside and his right foot effort from around 23 yards had plenty of power but home keeper Scott was right behind it. Almost on the half hour, Barrowman sent Hutton into the Rangers box and as he rounded keeper Hamilton, he went down like he had been hit by Santa’s sleigh and it wasn’t a late Christmas card that referee McAlpine handed out as the player was rightly cautioned for simulation. A foul on Arniston’s Graham by Ciaran McKenzie after 35 minutes saw the player warned by the referee before Scobie tried to catch home keeper Scott napping as he whipped the angled free kick around the wall but the keeper was alert and palmed the ball behind at his near post. Despite being second best for most of the first half, the visitors had doggedly stuck to their task and kept Star at bay but on 41 minutes their task got a lot harder as Liam Henderson had his pocket picked by Connor thirty yards out and he immediately sent Barrowman to the goal line and his low driven cross took out keeper Hamilton allowing Sutherland to stroke the ball into the empty net from around seven yards. A clash of heads with 44 minutes gone between Henderson of Arniston and Star’s Connor was concerning but both were able to resume. Just before the break, Star’s Bradley rightly went into referee McAlpine’s book for blatantly pulling Scobie’s jersey inside the centre circle. Rangers were looking to try to cut the deficit before halftime and Daly found Scobie who released a pass looking for Robert McKenzie but he had gone too early and was offside. The halftime whistle arrived with the home side deservedly going inside with a two goal advantage having largely controlled the contest, and despite rallying to steady the ship, Arniston would be very disappointed in conceding a totally avoidable second goal which gave them a mountain to climb in the second half.

With three minutes gone, Hutton and Gray combined to send the dangerous Sutherland into the Rangers box along the goal line but his attempted low cross hit a defender before bouncing back onto his leg and out for a goal kick, and again it was the home side showing first. After 52 minutes, Scobie sent a nice ball through looking for Robert McKenzie on the edge of the Star box and it took a vital touch from Reid to get the ball to safety as the visitors threatened a response. A strong run through the middle by Hutton saw him lay the ball off to Sutherland on the edge of the Rangers box but a poor first touch saw him push the ball wide and his low angled drive was easily gathered by keeper Hamilton. With 54 minutes gone, the visitors were almost back in it when a ball down the middle saw Robert McKenzie beat the offside trap and despite the ball not bouncing kindly for him on the edge of the box, he got a good right foot shot away and Star keeper Scott threw out a big left hand to beat the ball away almost on the penalty spot to preserve the two goal advantage. With 55 minutes gone, an eventful afternoon for Star’s Sutherland continued as he went into the book for a foul on Woods inside the centre circle. The visitors had certainly been much more purposeful in the second half and that paid off after 57 minutes when a really determined run down the right flank by Daly took him into the Star box and his low delivery took a deflection before ending up at the feet of Robert McKenzie who wasted no time in burying a low right foot drive from nine yards past Scott and the whole complexion of the game had changed with still over half an hour remaining. On the hour, Bradley found Gray thirty yards out and he got the ball out of his feet before firing in a shot on the turn but it was always rising over the Rangers bar.  With 62 minutes gone, Star made their first change of the match as they brought on Max Dowling for Hutton. Gray then found Sutherland who tried a return pass but Bell read the danger and tidied up for the visitors. A minute later, Arniston made a mess of playing out from the back and Dowling was onto the loose ball and played in Sutherland to the edge of the visitors box but he was a bit too deliberate with his low shot as he looked for his hat trick and Hamilton made an excellent save as he dived right to turn the shot behind. Muir went down the right for the visitors after 65 minutes and his ball into the Star box was headed out to Turner who took the ball on the volley from 22 yards but the powerful effort was off target. A long ball looking for Turner on 69 minutes was calmly headed back to Star keeper Scott by Bradley as Arniston again looked to get forward and this one was in the balance now. A minute later Turner and Muir combined to send a long ball towards the back post where Robert McKenzie disappointingly headed wide from a very acute angle when perhaps a header back across goal might have yielded dividends for the visitors. With 71 minutes gone, Gray of Newtongrange went into referee McAlpine’s book for a clumsy challenge on Bell near the touchline and two minutes later, he was replaced by Stuart Briggs. Fourteen minutes from time, Arniston were a whisker away from levelling the match as a cross into the home box was headed down by Woods and reached Scobie whose low right foot drive from fourteen yards looked to be going in until a deflection saw the ball go just wide. With 81 minutes gone, Graham forced the ball to Muir just inside the Star box but the ball got stuck under him and the shot didn’t have the power to beat Scott in the home goals. At the other end, Bradley lobbed a cross into the Arniston box and the defensive header dropped for Sutherland but he sat back on the shot and sent it well over the top and Scobie did much the same at the other end a minute later with his drive from distance. Four minutes from time, Dowling sent Sutherland into the Rangers box and his low cross looking for Barrowman was brilliantly intercepted by Henderson who threw himself in to make the block. At this point, Muir of Arniston went down with an injury and was unable to continue and the visitors brought on Harris Almass. Nelson swung the corner kick over and the ball glanced off a head and dropped in front of Sutherland on the angle around nine yards from goal and he couldn’t have struck the ball on the half volley any sweeter as he crashed home his hat trick via the underside of the crossbar. The home side then made a triple switch as Cameron Mason, Scott Brogan and Jack Neilson replaced Bradley, Barrowman and man of the match Sutherland. The last action of the match saw Woods of Arniston go into referee McAlpine’s book in the final minute for taking down Mason in midfield but in the end it was the Star who take the bragging rights with a vital victory as they look to continue their challenge at the top of the table whilst for the visitors, they can reflect on a very good second half performance which brought them right right back into the game and wonder why their first half showing hadn’t been anywhere near that level.