Junior football round-up

May 5 2011 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Premier League

TWO goals in the final 15 minutes snatched victory from the Dale who had led through a Jamie Valentine strike on the hour.

But Walker and O’Leary turned the tide for the hosts.

And Armadale saw Craig Meechan and Craig Chilton join the club’s lengthening injury list

BROXBURN’S title hopes are hanging by a thread after a defeat at Penicuik Park.

The county club are locked in a three-way scrap for the last remaining play-off place but with just two league games left time is against them.

Millar fired Penicuik into an early lead but John Jeffrey levelled for Broxburn four minutes before the interval when he swept home after a flowing team move.

In the second-half it was title-chasing Broxburn who were pushing forward in search of a second goal but they were caught out at the back and went down 2-1.

WHITBURN threw themselves a relegation lifeline this week as they edged bottom side Thornton Hibs by a single goal to give themselves a fighting chance of beating the drop.

The Burnie were in the last chance saloon and Jamie Mackay headed home what could prove to be a priceless winner as the league reached the final straight.

It won’t be easy for Whitburn though who must beat fellow strugglers Arniston and win at inform Penicuik in their final game AND hope drop-rivals Arniston don’t manage to pick up four-points from their last two games.

South League

LIVINGSTON boss Andy Johnstone admits his side bounced back in the best possible way to banish the memory of what was ‘by miles their worst performance of the season’ a few days earlier to reignite the race for the South Division title.

The championship chasers had won every single home league match until last week when they surprisingly came a cropper against bottom side Harthill.

But they returned to winning ways with an excellent home win over country rivals Blackburn and with Sauchie, their main title rivals, dropping two points on the same day it has breathed fresh life and hope into their title bid.

Johnstone said: “We were shocking in the first-half against Harthill and it was our worst performance of the season by miles.

“But I don’t want to take anything away from Harthill who played well and scored twice in the first-half before digging in well in the second.

“After the break we were much better and had 15 or so chances but we just couldn’t score. Our attitude wasn’t right and we lost as a result.

“On Saturday we were well up for it though and we had to be as we were on our last chance.

“Blackburn are a decent side but we limited them to one shot which was well over and just one corner in the whole 90 minutes as we dominated the game and were well worth our win.

“Now it’s all back in the melting pot but it is Sauchie’s title to lose.

“We need them to drop points somewhere else to take it to the last game.

“If they draw somewhere else and we can win our last two matches, which won’t be easy, then it’ll go to the last game.

“It is an exciting end to the season though, at least for the fans if not the managers.”

Nicky Miller missed the best chance of the first-half for Blackburn when he miskicked from close range and it was a costly miss as Livi bossed the second-half.

But the title chasers left it late to conjure up a winner which they did just five minutes from the end when Andy McQuillan lashed home from inside the box.

CRAIG EASTON and John Paul Greig grabbed the goals for Stoneyburn on a capital city cruise to maintain their impressive run of form.

FAULDHOUSE retained their faint title aspirations with a battling win over Dunbar.

Kenny Martin opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second-half before David Connolly doubled their lead six minutes later.

But Dunbar pulled a goal back within five minutes when Harry McGregor curled home a free-kick.

BOTTOM side Harthill continued their late resurgence with another impressive point to give themselves hope of leapfrogging Pumpherston and avoiding the foot of the pile before the end of the season.

Royal dumped title hopefuls Livingston United a few days earlier before holding another local side to a draw.

PUMPHY went down to a heavy reverse at Ainslie Park as they saw their lead over bottom side Harthill Royal slashed to just two points.