Edinburgh survive scare to secure crucial win
Image credit: Connor Douglas
Edinburgh University’s last outing in the Lowland League on 21st October proved to be a thriller at East Peffermill. Coming up against Gretna 2008, there were two points seperating the sides ahead of the fixture. Edinburgh were bottom of the league table and Gretna just one position above them. To say it was a huge game for both sides and their survival hopes would have been an understatement.
Edinburgh got the game underway but would start on the back foot. Whilst Gretna created few opportunities in the opening fifteen minutes, they enjoyed the majority of possession and territory. The away side’s high press also caused a few nervy moments for the hosts, but goalkeeper Lewis Gallagher was impressively capable to still play out from the back. The home side, playing in red, grew into the game and by the half hour mark there had been several warning signs for Gretna. Left-wing Samuel Raphael showed a clean pair of heels to get past the opposition full-back, playing in a cross which a teammate was not able to get to. Luke Murray was beginning to pull the strings in central midfield too, first playing in Lewis Hendry whose shot on goal was blocked, before he himself hit the bar with a looping header.
The referee’s whistle blew, and as the twenty-two players ran into the tunnel, it was clear that both sides would have to take more risks if they were to come away with three points.
Both sides showed such an attacking intent when they returned to the pitch, and whilst like in the first-half Gretna dominated the early exchanges, it was Edinburgh who struck first. Raphael, who had been a threat for the home side all game, ran to the by-line before cutting in. He played an innocuous, low ball into the box which surprised the visitor’s keeper as it nestled in his bottom left corner.
Now one-nil up, the hosts had their tails up and Raphael almost picked up an assist when he found Murray in the box, whose effort sailed over the bar. The home crowd wouldn’t have to wait much longer for their team’s second goal of the afternoon, as David Maskrey made the most of some confusion at the back. On the hour mark, he pounced on a loose ball and thumped his side into a two-goal lead.
Gretna did not lie down though and pulled a goal back just a few minutes later. A long ball was played into their striker, who was deemed onside by the linesmen, and was deemed to have been fouled by Gallagher. A penalty kick was awarded and was converted successfully to make the score 2-1. The team in black and white maintained their momentum, equalising in the seventieth minute. Like their opposition only fifteen minutes earlier, Edinburgh this time were guilty of not clearing their own lines.
Both sets of supporters were in for a tense finish, as the two teams sought to find a winner, but not lose a hard-earned point either. It was the men in red who would have the final say though, with Raphael again making the difference on the left-wing. He won the second penalty of the game, and skipper Matty Dick stepped up to take it. His shot was parried onto the post, with the away goalkeeper’s heroics appearing to have kept his team in the match. However, he was adjudged to have gone over his line before the penalty kick was taken.
Dick would make no mistake at the second time of asking, this time sending the keeper the wrong way. Aside from a free kick given away in a threatening position, Edinburgh saw the final ten minutes out well and claimed their first victory of the season.
We will have to wait until next summer to find out just how important these three points will be in terms of the league standings, but this victory is sure to give the team a confidence boost ahead of a challenging visit to Airdrie, where they will face Celtic B.
Post written by Paul Wilkinson