Spartans pass the University Challenge

Posted on Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

As the season enters deep into the business end, Spartans travelled to Riccarton to take on a Heriot Watt side who were keen to bounce back from their 3-0 reversal to Whitehill at the weekend.

When the two sides last met back in August, Manson and Wringe were on the score-sheet to earn Spartans a pick of the spoils in the Qualifying League fixture.

The early running was made by Spartans as the wind started to cause some havoc as it began to blow in what felt like three directions at once.

It was nearly an opener for Martin in the 10^th minute, however Carswell in the Students goal pulled off a tremendous save from point blank range to push the ball round the post.

The game sparked back into life just before the half-hour mark when Chris Donnelly incurred the wrath of the Ref as he was booked following an incident which saw the striker lifting his hands to Motion’s face in the centre circle.

Carswell earned his corn again in the 35^th minute when he showed his agility to rise and tip a McLeod cross-cum-shot over the bar.  From the resultant corner kick, Bremner saw his header drift wide (wind assisted!).

Maybe that header was nothing other than a statement of intent.  Moments later, Bremner found the back of the net, this time with boot not head.  The big forward stroking the ball out of the keepers reach from the edge of the box, curling it into the bottom corner sending the travelling support wild(ish) on the sidelines.

It was near another on the stroke of half-time when a Beesley corner was headed goalbound by the man of the moment, but this time Bremner was thwarted by the man on the post.

Half-Time: Heriot Watt Uni 0-1 Spartans

The second was merely minutes old when the hosts stated their intent to fight back when they had the ball in the net from a Muhsin free kick, but the linesman had his flag up for offside.

With Henretty set to enter the fray in his place, Bremner signed off with a bullet header from a well weighted Motion free kick to double the Spartans lead in the 52^nd minute.

The Students to their credit fought back and could sniff a chance of a recovery.  Just after the hour-mark, Webster silenced the travelling support as he deftly nodded a whipped in cross low past Gilpin to reduce the deficit.

A goalmouth stramash in the Heriot Watt box, which saw the ball akin to a leather pinball bouncing off legs aplenty, somehow managed to stay out the net as the Students pressed at the other end to grab an equaliser.

In what was to prove to be a valuable substitution, Ferguson came on for the hardworking McLeod who retired to the bench, earning the warm applause from the Spartan Army in the process.

With the game entering into its latter stages, Seeley was introduced in place of Motion to bring some stability to the defence, as Sammy & Zorro looked to ensure three points didn’t become one.

On a day when Sir Alex announced his retirement, it was time for another footballing Ferguson to make the headlines as the Spartans substitute slotted the ball under the advancing keeper deep into injury time to seal the three points.

Full Time: Heriot Watt University 1-3 Spartans.

The result sees the top of the East of Scotland Premier League look like this ahead of Saturday’s clash between the first and second place, who are separated by the narrowest of margins – Whitehill having scored more goals than Spartans – 48 to 44.

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Whitehill Welfare	19	15	1	3	48	21	27	46
2	Spartans	19	14	4	1	44	17	27	46

 

The Malt & Hops Man of the Match was Danny O’Donnell.  The Defender soaked up every aerial threat and was equally effective on the ground too.

Spartans FC: Gilpin, O’Donnell, Cennerazzo, McKinnon, Sivewright, Martin, Manson, Beesley, McLeod, Bremner & Motion. Subs: Seeley, Henretty, Ferguson, Whatley & MacCuish.