League: East Premier League 2023/24

Attendance 150

Broxburn travelled to Beechwood park in Sauchie to protect their 100% record so far . They made one change to the starting eleven with Liam Campbell replacing Marcus Millar who dropped to the bench .

Good play at the start saw Marky Munro lay off to Nicholas Locke along the bye line but the captains ball into the box was cleared . Ben Davidson made a slack pass and his team mates stopped the hosts capitalising at the expense of a corner . When the corner came in a foul on both Watt and Dan Nimmo saw the game stopped with the big centre half having to replaced with Millar on 8 minutes . At the other end a Nick Locke free kick out left saw Clark parry the ball but it was his defender who cleared for a corner . On ten minutes a ball across the box from Munro broke out to Locke 25 yards out and Clark made a superb save to tip his effort over the bar .

On fifteen minutes the hosts were awarded a dubious penalty kick when a long ball through saw Kavanagh ready to shoot when Lewis Turner made a great tackle to rob him off the ball but the match official saw it differently and gave the spot kick . Daniel Smith took the kick but it crashed of the right hand post and when the ball came back in Watt was able to smother the effort . The hosts created a good opportunity on twenty minutes when Brian Morgan was set up but fired over the bar . Five minutes later good one two found Former Broxburn full back Ross Hutchison in on goal but he shot disappointingly wide and high .

The opener came on 29 minutes and it was the hosts who got it when a ball was cleared out the visitors defence and fell to DANIEL SMITH who’s shot took a vicious swerve putting it out of reach off the diving Watt . Sauchie should have done better with ten minutes of the half remaining when a Broxburn Attack broke down Sauchie went on the counter Attack and were man for man but chose the wrong option and Hutchison shot wide left .

Half Time Sauchie 1 Broxburn Ath 0

Sauchie came out the second half and were pressing for an early increase to the scoreline .

It was Broxburn who should have had an opportunity to get back in the game when Locke was brought down in the box the referee didn’t want to know  And Locke got booked once the game stopped for his protests . with 8 minutes of the half a long ball into the box found Mark Smith with time to bring it down and score but he would have been disappointed with his attempt that went wide . Two minutes later Broxburn had a free kick 20 yards out on the right the free kick was saved then the loose ball was saved again by Clark at expense of a corner .Calum Heath replaced Liam Campbell on 64 minutes .

A minute later a ball into the box found Ross Kavanagh alone in front of goals 12 yards out but Robert Watt dived at his feet to gather the ball before he got his shot away .

Ross Nimmo replaced Darren Downie on 75 minutes

With time running out and going into injury time Broxburn won a corner on the right . Ross Nimmo’s ball into the box was met by the head of GARY BRASS who hammered the ball home for an equaliser . A few minutes deeper into injury time the game could have been turned unexpectedly on its head when  Nick Locke was brought down in the box but Gary Brass attempt from the spot was saved and the Broxburn forwards couldn’t turn the loose ball into the net .

In the end a point away from home at a difficult venue we will take and move on . Not the best performance of the season but still unbeaten and we move on to next week’s Scottish Gas Scottish cup tie at Home to Lochee United at home with a 2-30pm kick off .

Referee Mr T. Ormiston  Assistants  Mr C. McFeat , Mr T. Waddell