Battling Blackburn held to draw with Spartans

Nov 17 2011 by Kieran Westbrook, West Lothian Courier

A LATE Alan Brown header handed Blackburn a point at home to Spartans.

The high-scoring Edinburgh outfit threatened first, forcing shot-stopper Ross Hendrie to beat away a sixth-minute shot from Hunter and block Perry's follow up as the visitors began brightly.

But despite the danger it was Blackburn who got their noses in front when a delivery into his box fell kindly for Nicky Walker who burst clear and advanced towards the Spartans area where he slipped a pass to Andy McQuillan who took a touch to skip past his marker and guide an 18-yarder into the bottom-left hand corner.

Barely two minutes later a dangerous ball into the visitors box wasn't properly cleared and when Sean Callaghan looked to profit he was sent flying for a penalty that McQuillan confidently swept past Jackson.

But before United could sit on their two-goal lead, the men from the capital were back in the contest when Elliot's corner found Hamilton rising higher than everyone on the edge of the six yard box and he made no mistake with his header.

David Wright almost restored the two goal cushion.

But when Chris Simpson squared Greig Crooks’ pass across the face of goal, the striker was denied by Slater's well-timed intervention.

As the game rocked from end to end, Crooks headed clearance dropped invitingly for Hunter.

But his half volley from the edge of the area was held by Hendrie before Simpson set up Wright on the right angle of the box for a first-time effort which flew over the junction of post and bar.

However, just as Blackburn thought they might get to the interval ahead, the visitors grabbed an equaliser that was a carbon copy of their first goal with Elliot this time picking out Kidd’s head from a corner-kick.

Wright was the first to threaten at the start of the second half but after picking up McQuillan's pass and tricking his way past two defenders he saw his eventual shot whistle past the left hand upright.

The game’s fifth goal arrived nine minutes later though, and it was the capital outfit who were celebrating as they took the lead for the first time in the match.

Another Elliot cross found Perry who stooped to nod the near post delivery past Hendrie.

United weren't short of their own comeback though and little more than three minutes later were level through sub Garry Crooks planting a free-kick from the right onto Brown’s head guiding the ball past the diving Jackson.

Brown then almost turned provider when he set up Wright, but the strikers’ shot was off target.

With quarter of an hour remaining, what had become a rather tetchy game then turned into a shoving match after Cunningham made an outrageous late lunge on Davie Sneddon after the Blackburn central defender had cleared a ball upfield.

Once referee whistler Chris Carrick had restored order, each side found themselves reduced to 10 men with Greig Crooks and Kidd earning early baths.

United nearly nicked all three points when McQuillan and Miller linked for the latter to whip a wicked ball across the face of goal that Simpson only just missed on the back post.