Brandon bags dramatic equaliser to maintain u20s unbeaten league run

Posted on Saturday, October 17th, 2015

A goal deep into second half stoppage time from Brandon Archibald helped maintain Spartans undefeated start to the Under 20s League campaign in a dramatic climax to their 2-2 draw against East Kilbride at Ainslie Park.

Injury, illness and unavailability left Manager Les Atkinson with a depleted squad going into the clash under the lights against a Kilby side looking to make it a second win on the road in seven days.

The mid-evening Autumnal sunshine had been replaced by rapidly cooling night-time air as the game got underway however it didn’t take long for the action to heat up.

A break inside the Kilby half saw Harry Girdwood advance towards goal and he looked on as his effort rebounded off the base of the post and landed somewhat fortuitously into the arms of a relieved Jacob Kean.

As the sound of premature fireworks echoed around the North Edinburgh sky, there was an air of a damp squib when, in the 12^th minute, East Kilbride striker Lewis MacDonald benefitted from indecision between keeper and defender on the edge of the home box and headed the ball into the empty net.

That lead was doubled by the same man just shy of the half hour mark as he glided through like a slalom skier, using the defenders as gates whilst advancing into the home penalty box before unleashing an unstoppable shot that left Cameron Rae with little chance.

Half Time: Spartans 0-2 East Kilbride

The early exchanges in the second half saw the ball acquainting itself with areas out-with the parameter of the park, including a trip to the Community Pitch for impromptu ball-boy and Lowland League side Manager Dougie Samuel to retrieve an almighty hoofed clearance from a Kilby defender.

Spartans carved a way back into the game in the 72^nd minute via defender Jack Smith.  Harry Girdwood’s perfectly weighted pass found Smith who drilled the ball home past Kean.

Then, with the game entering into injury time, the comeback was complete.  Johnathan Grotlin’s fierce attempt stung the fingers of Kean who wasn’t able to hold on and his parried save fell to Brandon Archibald who drilled low to earn what looked like an unlikely point for the home side.

FT: Spartans 2-2 East Kilbride

Spartans: Rae, O’Neil, Mair, Smith, Corbett, Archibald, Grotlin, Laing, Girdwood, Brown, Miller.  Subs: Morton (GK), Clark, Bathgate, Tomassi, Trialist.