Another home league fixture for Whitburn FC, this time coming up against Wideopen FC on a cold, wet and windy afternoon at Temple Park.
By the time we kicked off conditions were pretty awful to say the least and it reflected in the way we started. Playing in to the wind and sleet we struggled to get any sort of meaningful possession to try and get the ball down and play. I took us 15 minutes to “warm up” and in similar fashion to last week we started to get a foothold in the game. Taking advantage of Wideopen’s back 3 leaving space in wide areas, Andy Smith and Jordan Howe delivered some dangerous balls in to the box but each time they were defended or just evaded the attacking home players. Daniel Wilson flashed a free-kick just over from 30 yards and we created a couple of half chances from a succession of corners.
Wideopen were well in the game and had 2 or 3 chances to take the lead and in fairness probably should have. The movement of Ross Dickinson, one of the league’s top scorers last year, caused us problems and he probably had the best chance for Wideopen. Again we were undone by a long ball over the top and should have been punished but for the sanctuary of the goal frame, his placed shot coming back off of the upright.
Minutes before the end of the half, we struck the woodwork ourselves. A dipping 25 yard drive from Paulie Bell striking the bar and rebounding clear.
HALF TIME: 0 - 0.
The weather was still playing havoc and there was not much quality on show from either side. A couple of nicely worked moves from Whitburn were easily dealt with. The only meaningful chance in the first 15 minutes of the half for Whitburn came from a cross from Smith that was flashed across the 6 yard box and was screaming out for a touch to divert it in to the net, sadly the rest of his team were nowhere in sight of the box and it ran wide.
The introduction of Liam Donnelly on the hour mark sparked us in to life. His busyness in the middle of the park coincided with a passing of the clouds to brighten up our afternoon. His defence splitting ball on 75 minutes, played in Wilson down the right hand side. His pull back found Bell who steered his shot goal wards. A valiant last ditch block from the Wideopen only helped to deflect the shot in to the opposite corner of the goal and past the despairing Wideopen keeper.
As we looked to hang on to our slender lead, Wideopen started to apply the pressure but couldn’t break us down. Until the last minutes of the game, another long ball forward cleared the Whitburn defence and Dickinson was in behind again. With defenders scrambling to get back he strode in to the box. Hearts in mouths time as Adam Newbrook, standing in for the unavailable Mark Symington, came out of his goal close him down. Relief soon replaced the anxiety as he passed his shot wide when he should have at least hit the target from 10 yards out.
Far from a convincing win but a much needed one as we look to keep on to the coat tails of the teams above us in the league. Wideopen were unfortunate not to have come away with anything from the game so we should count ourselves fortunate of taking all 3 points in testing conditions
FULL TIME: Whitburn Athletic 1 – 0 Wideopen FC
