Newburgh travelled through to West Lothian to visit Stoneyburn at Beechwood Park against hosts who narrowly missed out on promotion last season.
Manager Andy Healy was forced into late changes to his line-up due to the late arrival of the squad to the ground due to heavy traffic coming over from Fife, but Burgh welcomed Cammy Newsome into the side for his debut for the club whilst there were places for the two most recent signings CJ Thomson and Rhys Wardlaw in the starting line up.
The game was played in bright sunshine, but with a moderately strong wind blowing from one end to the other. But it was the hosts who offered the first chance in the 6th minute, against the wind, who offered the first chance with Mackay’s header saved at the back post by Joe Russell.
Burgh took the lead in the 16th minute to a move which owed much to the play of Man of the Match Owen McCallion. CJ Thomson floated a ball from inside the centre circle to the right wing finding McCallion. The Burgh no.7 took the ball down, cut inside before sending over a beautiful ball with the outside of his right foot over the head of a defender to Wardlaw. The striker controlled the ball with his thigh before firing home past the keeper from 8 yards out.
In the 26th Wardlaw returned the favour to McCallion. Newsome won possession and played the ball forward to McCallion who took the ball down and ran forward before swivelling his man and exchanging a one-two with Wardlaw to bypass three defenders and firing a low shot into the corner of the net to make it 2-0.
The turning point of the game seemed to come in the 50th minute in unfortunate circumstances after Mackenzie Williamson started an attack, playing a ball to Thomson who threaded a ball to McCallion on the right side of the area. McCallion’s first touch cutback found Whyte whose shot was brilliantly tipped behind by keeper McLean. Whilst it was a superb fingertip save from the keeper, it was his last action of the game as he laid injured from the save and was replaced.
That started the collapse as moments later Brady threaded a ball through to McLaughlin who slid a ball across the area for Mackay to tap home from 6 yards out in the 52nd minute. Minutes later and the hosts had equalised as Duncan slid another defence-splitting ball to Bryant who rolled the ball past Russell.
In the 67th minute Mackay nearly made it 3-2 with a looping header onto the bar, whilst Wardlaw drove into the Stoneyburn area and fired at the near post but sub keeper Fullerton was equal to it moments later. From the resultant corner, Kyle Tracey’s header down was saved against by the keeper. In the 71st minute it was Owen McNally’s turn to test the keeper after cutting in from the left and his shot was blocked by the keeper’s legs.
Stoneyburn edged in front in the 74th minute when a passage of play along the right hand side of the area found Bryant in acres of space to tap home from just in front of the goalline.
As Burgh fought to get back into the game Boyd headed home a corner from the right after a previous shot had been deflected behind in the 82nd minute to make it 4-2.
As the game went into injury time, Stoneyburn served up two more savage blows against the beleaguered Burgh as goals from Bryant (completing his hat-trick) and Mackay beating the shell-shocked Burgh defence to leave a damaging 6-2 scoreline.
The result leaves the Management Team scratching their heads and leaving a lot of questions unanswered but still with plenty of positives to build upon for the new team
Man of the Match: Owen McCallion - a performance full of running and energy, capped with a great goal and an assist.
