On Saturday The Burgh travelled to through to visit Pumpherston, a side that had already beaten them three times already this season – all at East Shore Park. But Andy Healy’s team were on a mission to extend their own recent good form seeking a third win on the trot and break Pumphertson’s ‘hoo-doo’ in the process.
Burgh were able to field a settled and unchanged side from the previous week’s 2-0 League Cup win over Ormiston, but they were in for a difficult beginning.
Ronnie Martin had the game’s first chance in the 5th minute when he broke through on goal. Deciding to go alone, he turned his man to get his shot away but unfortunately it just cleared the crossbar.
Pumpherston took the lead and ended Burgh’s spell of over 203 minutes without conceding when Cochrane was played in on the right side of the area and his low shot beat Scott Kyles to make it 1-0 to the home side.
On 14 minutes it was very nearly two when a speculative, but spectacular, long-range looping effort from Johnston had Kyles scrambling and beaten all ends up before coming down off the woodwork.
Burgh got an equaliser after a bit of a mess-up in the Pumpherston defence saw possession lost. Owen McCallion played the ball into Martin and his turn and shot was handled by a defender. Andrew McCallion resumed penalty duties sending the keeper the wrong way to score on 16 minutes.
Pumpherston were continuing to look a threat with Johnston testing Kyles with a couple of efforts from the edge of the area. In the 25th minute a great through ball by Rhys Sneddon beat the offside trap to send Andrew McCallion through on goal but his effort was cleared by the feet of the keeper MacDonald.
The home restored in the 36th minute when a ball from MacGregor on the right found Johnston. The Burgh defence half-cleared the danger before the ball fell to Brash who fired a low shot into the corner from just inside the area.
As the first half ended, the home side looked just about worthy of their lead despite having a controversial looking goal disallowed by the referee for offside in the 40th minute from a free-kick played deep into the Burgh area. At the other end, Mackenzie Williamson went close from a brief scramble after a Burgh corner from the right.
The second half saw Burgh galvanised to get back into the game, and they did so within three minutes when Calum Leadbeatter rose the highest to thunder home a header from a Martin corner to net his first goal for Newburgh.
The home side seemed to be struggling with Burgh set pieces and conceded again in the 56th minute from Beattie’s corner from the left. Keeper MacDonald was able to punch away the corner but the ball fell to Calum Geddes who drove home his first goal in Burgh colours from 18 yards out to give the visitors the lead and complete a quick turn-around.
Newburgh weren’t finished then, partly thanks to some obliging defending from the home side, when the Burgh skipper Williamson got his foot to a Pumpherston attempted pass midway in their own half which set Andrew McCallion through on goal. The Burgh number 9 drew the keeper to cover the angle before unselfishly playing through the Williamson who had continued his run to finish from 5 yards out to make it 4-2 to the Burgh.
The 11-minute spell of three Burgh goals appeared to knock the stuffing out of the home side and they seemed unable to get back into the game.
In the 78th minute Cammy Newsome played Williamson through wide on the left. The Burgh skipper held off his marker to allow Sneddon to race on to try and net his second goal in as many games with a thunderous effort destined for the top corner that was superbly tipped over by MacDonald.
The Burgh sealed their third consecutive win. Despite a testing opening 45 minutes, they fought well to get back into the game and showed a real strength of character and determination to achieve the deserved three points with a great team performance.
Man of the Match: Mackenzie Williamson for a commanding and hard-working performance, but notable mentions to Andrew McCallion and Sneddon in particular, as well as first goals for both Leadbeatter and Geddes.
