Newburgh returned to League action with a visit to the capital to face Edinburgh Community at St. Mark’s Park looking to return to winning ways and extend their recent good League form which had seen Andy Healy’s side record three League wins on the bounce.
The two sides had met recently at the end of February when goals from Kyle Tracey, Ronnie Martin and Andrew McCallion had given the Burgh a 3-0 win, whilst Edinburgh could point to a see-saw game at St. Mark’s that eventually saw them come out with a 5-3 win over Burgh.
There was a shuffling of the pack with a number of absentees producing 3 changes in the back four.
The visitors seemed to start the liveliest with Ronnie Martin, Owen McCallion and Mackenzie Williamson all combining well for the skipper to float a ball over the far post in the 9th minute.
In the 22nd minute Williamson was on the end of a long ball from keeper Scott Kyles which beat the home defence on the far side of the penalty area but the Burgh skipper’s diving header couldn’t trouble Moffat in the Edinburgh goal.
Moments later, Martin twisted and turned his man on the edge of the penalty area before laying off to Owen McCallion who held off two defenders to let fly just over the bar.
Williamson’s height was posing a threat to the home side and another high ball saw the Burgh no.11 send a looping header over the bar.
The game wasn’t one-sided by any means and the hosts fired a warning shot across the bows in the 42nd minute when Murphy picked up a loose ball and sent Kyles scurrying across goal with a shot that fizzed just wide of the near post.
Whilst the second half started with Andy McCallion having been played through by CJ Thomson in the 47th minute, Moffat was out quickly to block about 10 yards out. When the ball fell back to Thomson on the edge area, his dinked return ball to McCallion found him an a very tight angle that he was unable to connect enough to test the keeper.
The home side then enjoyed a spell of pressure on the Newburgh goal that led to the opening goal. Before then, Murphy again tested the palms of Kyles with a low shot from the edge of the area in the 50th minute.
Then Mowatt and Murphy exchanged a good one-two that split the Burgh defence with the return ball just stretching Mowatt who was unable to get his boot round to get his effort on target moments later.
That opening goal did come in the 53rd minute when Mowatt broke free from his marker to flick a header inside the far post to give Edinburgh the lead. A minute later Tracey came to the rescue to block an effort from Forbes.
In the 55th minute Andy McCallion latched onto a Williamson flick on and turned his defender inside out before unleashing a great looping effort that just cleared the top corner with the keeper rooted to the spot.
On 59 minutes Williamson showed his strength with three defenders around him as he turned to get his shot away just inside the penalty area that was pushed away by Moffat.
That elusive equaliser seemed to be there in the 69th minute when a free kick from the left by Martin was flicked on by Williamson and side footed home by Andy McCallion from just inside the six-yard box but the Burgh striker appeared to have been possibly marginally offside.
Time was running out and that goal was beginning to look unlikely until the 80th minute when a deep Martin free kick caused confusion between keeper and defender who got in each other’s way and the ball fell to Williamson. The Burgh skipper still had a lot to do, but he kept his nerve to place his shot over the diving head of a defender on the line and it was game on!
Burgh could have had a penalty shout as good play between Owen and Andy McCallion on the right flank sent Williamson away into the box. Just as the Burgh striker was about to pulled the trigger his leg was nudged. But instead of going down, the Burgh player tried to keep his feet and the chance went begging as the player finally lost his balance.
On 87 minutes good play by Andy McCallion played a ball back to the edge of the area to Owen McCallion but his shot was powered down as it made its way through to the keeper.
Burgh were sensing blood as they looked for the winner as Tracey powered a header forward from his own half which Williamson headed into the path of sub Owen McNally who did well to knock is past one defender. But an element of fortune happened as Smith wildly swung at the ball and missed allowing McNally to run onto the ball and send a rasping low shot into the far corner past Moffat to give Burgh a 91st minute winner.
It wasn’t a great Burgh performance, but one that still deserves credit that they showed their determination to come back from behind to grab not only an equaliser but the winner as well with an excellent finish by McNally on his return to the squad from injury.
It was also a pleasing result after last week's League Cup defeat against Hill of Beath and ensures Burgh record their fourth League win on the trot.
Man of the Match: Ronnie Martin (sponsored by Andrew Quigg)
