New Year’s Ease: Spartans close out year with comfortable win v Welfare

Posted on Saturday, December 31st, 2016

Goals from Craig Stevenson and Jack Beesley saw Spartans extend their unbeaten league run to five games with a 2-0 win over Whitehill Welfare at Ainslie Park.

Billed as a ‘Hogmanay Humdinger’, the swirling wind round the Academy threatened to put paid to hope of fast flowing football on the synthetic surface as both sides looked to end the year with three points.

The opening quarter of an hour failed to see either goalkeeper troubled however it was the Welfare crossbar that came to Bryan Young’s rescue after Jack Hay’s telling cross fell to Keith Murray who rattled his shot against the metalwork. The ball rebounded to Alan Brown who sent the ball high and not so handsomely wide.

Charlie Denton had a busy afternoon in the visitor’s defence and he done just about enough to knock the ball away from the head of Hay in the 36th minute as Spartans pressed for the opener. The same pair were in the thick of it shortly after with the Rosewell lad’s error offering Hay a chance but he could only drag it wide.

As the half edged towards a close, Jack Beesley was the next to look on in disbelief as his effort cannoned off the base of the post, much to the relief of the tourists.

HT: Spartans 0-0 Whitehill Welfare

The pressure finally paid off for the hosts in the 63rd minute when Craig Stevenson picked up the ball deep in the Welfare half of the park before sublimely chesting the ball down to get between two defenders and calmly send past Young.

It got better too for Samuel’s side with thirteen minutes left on the clock as seasoned campaigner Jack Beesley netted his seventh goal of the season following a determined run into the box that saw him outpacing his marker and executing a perfect finish to secure the points that keeps Spartans in third spot.

FT: Spartans 2-0 Whitehill Welfare

Spartans: Carswell, Herd, Malone (Greenhill), Tolmie, Thomson, Brown, Beesley (Mair), Dishington, Murray, Stevenson, Hay (Comrie).  Subs (Not Used) Ward, Watson, Townsley, Rae (GK)

Malt and Hops Man of the Match: Craig Stevenson