Rose performance is muddy brilliant
Great win in tough conditions
A brilliant second half display saw Linlithgow Rose seal a 5-2 victory over Dundonald Bluebell in a clash played in horrendous conditions.
Heavy rain fell throughout the afternoon at Prestonfield but it did little to dampen the Rose’s attacking prowess.
They found the net four times after the break to bounce back perfectly from defeat against league leaders Penicuik Athletic in their previous contest.
Linlithgow opened the scoring just before the break as Tommy Coyne slotted home from the penalty spot.
After the restart Gary Thom’s header made it two before Archie Campbell reduced the deficit for the visitors, who are now just one ahead of the Linlithgow in the Superleague table.
Robert Sloan netted directly from a corner to restore Rose’s two-goal advantage before Roddy MacLennan’s cheeky finish wrapped up the points.
Campbell and Coyne fired in their second goals of the afternoon in the closing stages as the five-star hosts made it seven wins from nine at Prestonfield this term.
Despite the result it was the Bell who had the better of the play in the opening stages, with former Rose striker Calum Smith going close before Campbell rattled the corner of post and bar with a fine curling effort.
But Mark Bradley’s men got their noses in front when Blair Batchelor was fouled in the area, with Coyne sending the keeper the wrong way from the spot.
They doubled their lead in the opening minutes of the second half when Thom arrived unmarked to flick a Sloan corner into the net.
Dundonald answered back in fine fashion as Campbell was the beneficiary of some terrific passing football as he tapped home.
That was as close as they would get, though, as Sloan’s dipping corner from the right found the net with the visiting goalkeeper unable to get through a ruck of players as the ball nestled into the far corner.
Linlithgow’s fourth was a thing of real beauty. They put together a string of 15 passes before MacLennan delicately chipped the goalie.
Campbell got in behind the Rose defence in the final stages to net his second of the afternoon but it was the hosts’ all-time leading scorer who had the final say as Coyne’s thunderbolt of a free-kick pierced the Dundonald wall and found the net.