Promotion delight as Burnie step up
PartyintheparkashostsshowtheyhavetheXfactor
It was party time at Central Park as Whitburn secured promotion from the East of Scotland Conference X thanks to a 4-1 win over Stoneyburn.
In front of an expectant bumper crowd, the Burnie knew three points would secure a top two finish in their maiden season in senior football and a place in next season’s EoS Division Two.
And things got off to the perfect start as Darren Liddell slammed the ball home in the 11th minute to fire the hosts in front.
They continued to dominate much of the first half, but it wasn’t until four minutes after the break that they gave themselves some breathing space when Aiden Martin doubled their lead.
Seemingly in control, Whitburn made life difficult for themselves and were pegged back in fine fashion on 54 minutes when Ryan Robertson made the most of a defensive error to curl the ball home from 25 yards.
Stoneyburn sensed an opportunity but were unable to make it count thanks to some sturdy Whitburn defending.
Meanwhile at the other end, Lewis Anderson was unfortunate to hit the woodwork inside a congested six-yard box.
With time running out, the hosts needed to find another goal to settle the nerves and Liddell duly delivered six minutes from time when he pounced from six yards out.
If that goal brought about some relief, Anderson’s strike two minutes later sparked jubilation as the substitute put
the game beyond doubt after being teed up by Reece Duncan.
The Fulshie’s Liam Young was then shown a straight red for a stamp on Duncan, with the full-time whistle sounding seconds later to complete the Burnie’s promotion dream.