Dunsmore’s joy at City but parent club’s pain hurts too
SUCCESS goes hand-in-hand with failure, joy with despair. That contrast was in brutal evidence at the weekend when Edinburgh City and East Stirlingshire made both wanted and unwanted history as the Lowland League side’s ascension to the SPFL sealed their hosts’ dreaded relegation from the senior leagues.
However, for one figure amidst the maelstrom of emotions, the highs and lows of sport had been encapsulated within less than 24 hours of the kind of nerve-shredding drama sport does best. City right-back Aaron Dunsmore is on loan from Hibernian and, for him, the euphoria of promotion on Saturday was the antithesis of the misery of his parent club’s last-gasp defeat to Falkirk on Friday night.
Having watched his Easter Road team-mates fail in their quest to give themselves a shot at the Premiership, the 19-year-old was determined to ensure City’s opportunity of promotion to the SPFL was not one that similarly passed them by. A late penalty from skipper Dougie Gair was enough to separate the teams on the day and over the two legs, and left City with a summer to relish and East Stirling with an uncertain future to fear.
“Saturday was a very, very special moment,” beamed the teenager. “When I came on loan to Edinburgh City, the main aim was to get to the play-offs and then, beating Cove and getting to the final, we had a right belief we were going to win. It’s a great feeling for me and all the boys.
“Obviously, it wasn’t so good for Hibs on Friday, but I was always fully focused on Saturday, to make sure that I took care of my own business and got Edinburgh City up. I stayed in the house and watched the Hibs game on TV. It was a hard one to take. It’s a crazy world, football. You just never know what’s going to happen. There’s ups and downs all the time.
“It’s a sore one to take for the club, but I’m proud to be an Edinburgh City player as well.”
The incident which delivered City’s moment of glory came four minutes from time. Referee Don Robertson pointing to the spot after adjudging Reece Donaldson to have hauled down Ross Allum. A red card for Donaldson rubbed salt in the wounds.
Gair, who netted a penalty in the first- leg, was calmness personified as he found the net.
“Dougie has scored something like 53 in 55 penalties for the club,” explained City manager Gary Jardine. “He’s been here for 16 years and only missed two. I suppose it’s fitting, having lost last year to Brora on penalties, that a penalty wins it for us.”