P_13thMAY08

A pretty sparse gathering was present at Murrayfield Park to witness a battle for three points that would go some way to making up for the disappointment of a recent downturn in form for United and an unfamiliarly low league position for the visitors and within ten minutes the scoring was opened, a hopeful ball launched forward from the Pumpherston rearguard falling on the edge of the Blackburn area where goalkeeper Francis Carlin, under a modicum of pressure from Harkins, misjudged his thump clear and only succeeded in clattering it against Craig Spence from where it looped back up over his head and into the waiting net. To make matters worse for United, little more than three minutes later David Fowler appeared to aggravate a recent hamstring injury and had to limp from the field to be replaced by Craig Thomson. When Ryan Docherty then picked out Andy McQuillan on the United right on twenty four minutes the striker stepped inside Black only to drag his left foot shot past the near post. However, four minutes later parity was restored when Alan Brown clipped a weighted ball to Steph McCARDIE making headway into the visitors box and he displayed some terrific chest control to bring it under his command and, before Wolfe could intervene, delicately lift it over McLaren and into the roof of the net with the outside of his right boot, despite the 'keeper getting a touch on the ball as it sailed over his head. Davie Sneddon then released Dougie Polwart on the left to speed past Black and ping in a low delivery across the face of the six yard box that McQuillan couldn't quite get enough contact on as McLaren dived despairingly at his feet. United, though, did take the lead their forcing of the play merited when Alan Brown sent McQUILLAN scampering into space behind the Pumpherston back four and he rounded McLaren to roll the ball into the empty net. Moments later and with a bit of petulant behaviour more suited to a children's crèche, McFarlane decided to take retribution on the Blackburn goalscorer by attempting a flying elbow to his face but referee Mr. Taylor was quite rightly having none of it and, before blowing his half time whistle, dispatched the miscreant to the dressing room with a flourish of his red card.

Seven minutes after the restart McQuillan was gifted possession on the edge of the area by a wayward Farquhar pass but he couldn't quite get his shot in under pressure from Wood who did exceedingly well to escort him away from the danger area before Lee Docherty arrowed a ball in front of namesake Ryan Docherty arriving on the right of the box but his dipping volley was inches too high. Just beyond the hour mark United carved out a glorious chance to edge two goals in front when McQuillan burst through a static visiting defence to round McLaren for the second time in the game but on this occasion, with the entire goal at his mercy, he contrived to smack his shot against the base of the left hand post. A good man can't be kept down for too long though and, a shade over two minutes later, McQUILLAN was on the end of a flowing move between Ryan Docherty and McCardie to float a perfectly measured header from Docherty's pin point cross over McLaren and into the top left hand corner. However, the ten men of Pumpherston hit back almost immediately when HARKINS profited from an elementary mistake in the home defence to curl an unstoppable shot beyond Carlin. With the game back on a knife edge McQuillan took a McCardie pass to turn into space around twenty two yards out but his pop at goal whistled narrowly past McLaren's post before, remarkably, the short handed visitors were back on terms, Kenny MARTIN lashing his twenty yard free-kick into the defensive wall from which it took a wicked deflection to wrong foot Carlin and nestle in the bottom right hand corner of the net. Lee Docherty then directed his header from a McQuillan cross into the hands of McLaren as Blackburn looked to regain the lead and regain it they did with just four minutes left on the clock, substitute and player-manager Mark Campbell gliding in behind Wood on the left to whip in a cross that made it all the way to Lee DOCHERTY lurking on the back post and from the corner of the six yard box he directed his half volley behind McLaren with admirable aplomb.

Blackburn United Line-up: Carlin, Sneddon, R.Brown, Spence, McCardie, Fowler (Thomson 13), R.Docherty (Campbell 82), A.Brown, McQuillan, L.Docherty, Polwart

Pumpherston Line-up: McLaren, Farquhar, Black, Wood, Wolfe, Williamson, K.Martin, McFarlane, Harkins, S.Martin, Todd Subs: Lloyd, Stalker, Stephenson

Referee: Mr Michael Taylor