Burgh travelled to Newbattle Complex to face Easthouses on a bright but cool afternoon looking for three valuable points in a game that ultimately gave both goalkeepers a relatively easy afternoon with defences able to snuff out what little chances came knocking on their door.
The game’s only goal, as it transpired, came in just the 9th minute when a ball through the middle found Sives to run on and loop a ball over Chalmers into the net.
In the 16th minute Burrows turned well and got a shot away but Chalmers was equal to it forcing a corner.
Burgh were very slow out of the blocks and it took until the 29th minute for the next opportunity of any note for either side when a sweet Kellar Harris cross from the right was just fractionally too high for Cai Macdonald to make contact and surely score the equaliser from close range.
Andrew Cameron had a go at showing how it should be done with a long-range effort but the ball rolled wide of the post without causing the keeper too much concern in the 31st minute. A moment later there was a brief flashpoint after Sives landed a crunching tackle on Struan Grieve in the centre circle. A few tempers flared with Mitchell Sharp picking up a yellow along with McQueenie and then Sives for the original tackle.
Connall White sent over another dangerous cross in the 34th minute which was headed over the bar by an Easthouses defender from a couple of yards out. Just before half time Sharp beat the offside trap and was unable to flick the ball past the advancing keeper who had raced out of his area. With the keeper out of position, Kellar tried to get a long range strike away from 30 yards but the defence got back in time to charge Burgh’s top scorers effort.
Burgh came out for the second half far more sharper and Kellar flicked a free kick just over the bar and Connall White saw a strike from the edge of the area deflected behind for a corner, whilst Chalmers was nearly caught out by a speculative cross that turned into a shot and clipped the top of the bar, and a shot wide by Leslie.
Easthouses were then reduced to 10 men on 69 minutes with a second yellow for McQueenie for a foul on Chalmers. Burgh tried hard to make the numerical advantage count and the chance of the game fell to Kellar Harris in the 77th minute when he was put through on goal but the keeper did very well to block the shot.
Into the closing ten minutes and Newburgh had a penalty appeal waved away as Macdonald raced into the box and appeared to be clipped by the keeper but the referee waved away appeals and awarded the corner.
Sub Blaine Ferguson had a low shot held by the keeper Hay but the shot lacked a clean strike to seriously trouble the keeper., whilst Macdonald flicked a header wide of the far post in the 84th minute.
Easthouses were able to hold out for the victory. Whilst the defeat was disappointing, there were positives too and a sign that the players are developing under the new manager. Onwards and upwards with a Fife derby next Saturday with the visit of Thornton Hibs to East Shore Park.
