Rose give SPL new boys fair run for money

Aug 7 2008 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Rose give SPL new boys fair run for money

LINLITHGOW Rose gave SPL new-boys Hamilton Accies a run for their money at Prestonfield this week as the two sides met in a pre-season friendly.

Accies boss Billy Reid showed great respect to the junior heavyweights by naming an almost full-strength starting line-up including the likes of James McCarthy, James McArthur, Richard Offiong, David Graham, Mark McLauchlin, Simon Mensing and Brian Easton.

Unfortunately, new Accies signing Brian Carrigan, who scored 66 goals in two glorious seasons for the Rose, missed out having gone over his ankle in a bounce game the night before.

But his new team mates wasted no time in asserting their authority as romped into a two-goal lead.

The opener arrived after just nine minutes from the penalty spot when James McCarthy was tripped in the box by Donnelly.

Skipper for the night James McArthur stepped up to stroke the spot-kick home.

And Accies doubled their lead just three minutes later when McArthur timed his run to the back post to perfection to nod home a cross from Offiong.

The home fans feared a drubbing was on the cards as the Premier League side were bossing the game but Rose rallied and clawed their way back into the game.

Stopper Scott Wilson halved the deficit with a controlled volley into the bottom corner on 32 minutes as the Rose fans were finally given something to cheer about.

And 20 minutes into the second-half Linlithgow completed a remarkable comeback as they pegged Accies back with a an equaliser.

Visiting left-back Brian Easton was ruled to have dragged back Stuart McArthur off the ball and the Rose winger slammed the penalty high into the net to the delight of the home support.

But their joy was short lived as the Lanarkshire side regained the lead on 72 minutes when substitute Paul McLeod pounced on a failure to clear by lashing home from 10 yards.

Accies held on to win but a 3-2 defeat against an SPL club is a tremendous result for the junior side who geared up for this weekend’s curtain raiser in the best possible fashion.

Billy Reid was delighted to win the match and reckoned the fans would have loved some of the football on display.

He said: “I thought it was a great game full of entertaining football and goals. These games are always hard as the expectation on you is to win but Rose gave us a good game.

“We scored a couple of early goals but we took the foot off the gas and allowed them to score from a set-piece. “That gave them heart and all credit to them.”