Strikes Lighten Up Dull Game

Edinburgh University 2s have ended their BUCS league campaign sitting 5 points clear at the top of the table after their comeback against RGU at Peffermill. Burgh are relying on Aberdeen 1s to slip up in their next two games to hopefully retain the title they won last season. However, the side needed to battle to give their title hopes the best possible chance.

RGU came down from Aberdeen with only 11 men, even though they are attempting to avoid being relegated to the 3rd tier of the BUCS leagues. Yet, it was they that started the game the stronger, maybe due to the 120minutes Burgh had played the day before in the Challenge Cup. Burgh struggled to get into the game, with many players looking jaded, playing tired passes that commonly went astray.

The match was going nowhere until the first of 3 exquisite strikes put the team in purple 1-0 up. The ball was poorly cleared from the Edinburgh box and the ginger central midfield player was on-hand to volley the ball home from the edge of the area. Agnew could only stand and stare as the ball sailed home.

You would imagine that going 1-0 behind, denting Burgh’s title chances even more, would spark some life into the home side, yet the RGU keeper failed to be tested before the end of the first half causing a fiery half-time teamtalk during the interval.

After the break, Edinburgh once more failed to get into the game, and calls for the bench to warm-up were made. However, a moment of inspiration from Benji Antoni saw Burgh draw level. The ball was put into the RGU box, but cleared only as far as Antoni, who collected the ball and fired it into the bottom right-hand corner.

Only 2 minutes later and Burgh were 2-1 up. Dave Meehan hassled the defender in the top corner of the pitch, retrieving the ball and setting up a galloping Dan Paterson to swing in the cross, which Erskine met with a fine header. This effectively finished the match, against a team who looked mildly interested for the most part of the game.

Mario Velez then put the game beyond doubt with a volley that rocketed into the roof of the goal from a tight angle. More goals should have been added, but Velez, after running through the RGU defence placed a tame shot at the keeper. Erskine also put the ball wide from 6 yards out and chipped the ball wide when 1-on-1 with the RGU goalie.

Craig Robertson and Fraser Morrison entered the field to provide fresh legs. Kyle O’Neill also came on, but after his 3 yard open goal miss from the match before, the striker found it no easier to score when 4 yards out. But at least a defender made a good last ditch block to prevent the ball from going over the line on this attempt.

Late on RGU were awarded a penalty when Tom Archer brought down the striker in the area, but keeper Tom Agnew was on-hand to save his 3rd out of 5 penalties this season. Although, centre-back Darren Leslie (who ending up facing 6 penalties yesterday after Agnew was sent off) managed to save 4, so maybe this says more about player’s lack of ability to take a penalty and not the keeper’s brilliance at saving them.

The game ended 3-1 to the home side, who eventually gained a comfortable victory over the bottom of the table team. Now all they can do is sit and await the Aberdeen results to see if their efforts this season have been enough to win the league for the second year running.