East of Scotland League

Division 3

Saturday 27th July 2024

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.28!

Edinburgh Community 1 Edinburgh United 5, attendance 57

16’ 1-0

18’ 1-1

26’ 1-2

52’ 1-3

76’ 1-4

77’ 1-5

@ St. Mark’s Park

Warriston Road

Edinburgh

EH7 4HN

£6 Admission

No Programme.

I intended doing the Berwick Charities Cup Final in Berwick upon Tweed tonight at 18.30, so was rather limited in picking a competitive game this afternoon within easy reach of there. This game fitted the bill perfectly, situated in the north of Edinburgh, about two and a half hours north of last night’s game in Washington and only an hour and a quarter drive back south across the border to Berwick and it would leave me with just Linton Hotspur to complete this division now. The ground consists of a railed pitch (set well back from the pitch) with a pair of dugouts on the left hand touchline and raised grass banking running behind the entrance goal end, continuing round to the far corner. Both the changing rooms and tea bar are outside the perimeter fencing and although there is a car park, it is very small, so street parking about 50 yards away did the job. There was a very heavy downpour in the half hour leading up to kick off, but no problem with the pitch, which was in superb condition.

Edinburgh United had been relegated last season, finishing second bottom, after a nine point deduction (they’d still have gone down without it) and life one level down didn’t get off to a very good start for them today, going behind after just sixteen minutes. They equalised a couple of minutes later though, with a cracking 25 yarder into the top corner and midway through the half they were in front, finishing a ball over the top that looked suspiciously offside. Early in the second half it was 1-3, when a corner from the left was headed downwards and cleared off the line, although the well placed Referee judged it was over the line before being booted away. With fourteen minutes left they made it 1-4, when a ball over the top was finished with a scuffed shot into the far corner and they made it 1-5 a minute later, when a mishit cross fell perfectly for a fellow striker following in. They could have added another couple late on, but saw a shot that came back off the crossbar tipped round the post on the rebound, before they hit the post with another chance having been played through one on one with the ‘keeper.