Lowland League | All Whyte on the night as Brad bags debut goal in derby win

Posted on Sunday, January 23rd, 2022

A debut goal from Bradley Whyte, a Man of the Match double from Jamie Dishington and a sublime opener from Sam Jones saw The Spartans defeat Civil Service Strollers 4-2 in the North Edinburgh Derby at Ainslie Park in front of a crowd of 317.

New signings Bradley Whyte and Allan Smith were included in Dougie Samuel’s match day squad, with the former starting from the off and Smith making his Spartans debut from the bench in the second half.

There’s seldom a dull derby between the sides and this was no different with six goals and plenty of talking points for the supporters, loyal and neutral alike to chew over.

Spartans attacked the Cafe end as per from the off and there was a half chance early on for Blair Henderson as he saw the Strollers keeper off his line but his audacious attempt was just too tricky to pull off.

There was an early replacement for the Strollers however it was only Duffy’s duff jersey that appeared to develop the largest of air vents under the defender’s oxter.

A quarter of an hour on the clock and it was advantage Spartans. Ryan Finnie found himself out on the wing and swung in the most inviting of crosses to find Sam Jones who ran onto the ball and melted it into the back of the net.

It had been a quiet opening period for the home keeper Miko Komocki however he needed to be strong to thwart the Strollers from a quick equaliser.

That save was pivotal as Spartans extended their lead in the 25th minute. A long ball from Komocki made it’s way in the Strollers half. Jamie Dishington robbed a dithering Duffy to nod the ball beyond the defender and after taking a touch on the run to steady himself, Dish served up a clinical strike to double the lead.

It wouldn’t be a derby however without a fight back and by the interval, the sides were to be all square.

The Strollers got their first when Daniel Irving swept in a cross from out wide which found Joao Balde who nodded home.

Blair Henderson then hit the crossbar however it was all square when the players headed to the sheds.

A free-kick from 25 yards took a deflection via the wall which appeared to flummox Komocki and he could only half grasp the ball. From the rebound, Alieu Faye nudged home from a yard.

HT: The Spartans 2-2 Civil Service Strollers

Whatever the gaffer said at the break appeared to give his Spartans side a bit of a sense of urgency to regain the lead and Blair Henderson was unlucky not to do so almost immediately from the restart when he saw his effort well saved by Macallan Whyte.

However, Whyte’s luck was to run out just five minutes after the break when Jamie Dishington made it 3-2.

Ryan Finnie was to provide his second assist of the afternoon as he launched the ball up the field to find Jamie Dishington inside the Strollers half. He still had plenty work to do as he raced in on goal with the close attentions of a defender, however he remained composed and calm under pressure to slide home.

Cammy Russell continued to cause problems for the visitors with his turn of pace and devilishly wicked crosses. One of the these saw Jamie Dishington centimetres away from nodding in his hat-trick at the back post as Spartans looked to reinstate their earlier two goal advantage.

There was goal mouth drama when Henderson saw his shot cleared off the line then Ryan Finnie found himself at the back post from a corner however he couldn’t turn the ball home.

With ten minutes left, the icing on the proverbial cake was pumped on with lashings of sweet success as Bradley Whyte made it a dream debut. Having won the ball in a challenge deep in his own half, the new recruit from Musselburgh then nashed up the park to get on the edge of a Jamie Dishington pass to send an unstoppable drive home.

It marked a tremendous start to his Spartans career and Whyte was then rewarded with a wee rest as the gaffer swapped him with fellow debutant Allan Smith.

FT: The Spartans 4-2 Civil Service Strollers