It was a bright but chilly day at Millfield where Blackburn lined up without Rab Brown, Bryan Savage, Jamie Spence, Lee Macauley and Scott Mitchell, all of whom were unavailable for one reason or another while assistant manager Brian Smilie was attending a wedding. The game started at a fast pace and it was the home side who showed first with Kevin Bowmaker lobbing over Barry Hunter's bar then Stuart Kennedy diving to head narrowly wide. It was the eighth minute before Blackburn created their first chance, an Alan Brown free-kick going straight down the throat of Chris Hill in the Haddington goal. Possession at this stage was pretty even but it was Haddington again who created the next chance on twenty four minutes when Kennedy played in Bowmaker who found space on the right hand side of the box but Hunter got down well to block the shot with his legs. Lloyd Richardson then sent a pop at goal just wide ten or so minutes later. United created the last clear chance of the half on thirty six minutes when a Steven Manson cross from the left hand byeline flew invitingly across the face of Hill's goal but Chris Donnelly was closed out at the back post and the ball was cleared to safety.
Chris Donnelly then created the first chance of the second period when he made a little space on the edge of the area only to shoot straight at Hill. Minutes later Athletic countered and from a corner Kevin Murray found himself free inside the area but sent his header straight at Hunter. With fifty five minutes on the clock, Alan Keir cleaned up a Haddington attack and sent Paddy Donnelly free on the left and he turned his marker several times before shooting into the side netting from close range. A minute later the Millfield Park men won a free kick on the edge of the area but Alex Finlayson fired the ball straight at Hunter. It was end-to-end stuff at this stage and a Chris Donnelly free kick sent Hill scrambling across his goal but the ball curled wide. Blackburn began exerting the greater pressure and it was David Fowler who won a challenge in the middle of the park and slid in Paddy Donnelly who turned his marker but shot wide. Immediately afterwards a poor clearance saw both Manson and Chris Donnelly create chances only to each be denied by Hill who got down well to block both efforts. Moving into the last twenty minutes good work by Paddy Donnelly secured room for Steph McCardie who hit an effort that was fumbled just past the post by Hill. Then, in the seventy third minute, Sean Brogan should've put United ahead when he won the ball in the centre circle and strode past several challenges as the home defence opened up in front of him but the ball appeared to get caught under his feet at the most inoportune moment and his shot was saved at point blank range by Hill. Eddie Mangan, who had replaced Fowler, then flighted in a ball from the right on eighty minutes that found Alan Brown free at the back post but his diving header was sent wide. It was Mangan again who fired in a cross shortly afterwards, this time from the left, which Fraser Roy just failed to connect with and Craig Spence, sliding in at the back post, couldn't quite get good enough contact on the ball and it trickled out. With minutes left on the clock Haddington upped the pace in an effort to win the game and a free kick was played back to Kevin Milne eighteen yards out but his powerful shot was deflected past by Richard Reid. A minute later and from a soft free kick, substitute Chukwuma Osazuwa found space in the box but shot wide from close range. However, it was Osazuwa who played a significant part in what was to be the winning goal when the ball was played into him inside the box and, from a suspiciously offside position, he was allowed to feed it back to the on-rushing RICHARDSON who cracked a beauty first time from twenty yards high past Hunter and into the top corner of the net for an impressive but ultimately undeserved winner.
Blackburn United Line-up: Hunter, Keir, Reid (Campbell 90), C.Spence, Brogan, McCardie, A.Brown, Fowler (Mangan 65), Manson (Roy 65), P.Donnelly, C.Donnelly Sub (not used): Polwart
