With the hosts own Foresters Park undergoing radical surgery ahead of next season, Ormiston FC's Recreation Park offered a temporary home to Tranent for this mid table league clash and, within five minutes, it was almost the beginning of a happy tenancy when Murray's corner landed on Osazuma's head but when his effort on goal deflected back to Murray the corner taker saw both his follow up shots blocked and eventually cleared. Fraser Roy then saw his speculative, first time effort from distance held by Berwick at the other end before Paddy Donnelly was pushed to the ground by Burke and Eddie Mangan's free-kick found Roy only for the striker to direct his attempt on goal over the junction of post and bar. On seventeen minutes Osborne sent Murray in behind the United defence but instead of taking advantage of the space afforded him he instead elected to turn back and roll a pass into the path of Myles but his stinging twenty five yarder was right down the throat of David Osborne. Lee Macauley then sent Paddy Donnelly into similar acreage behind the Tranent defence but he also failed to take advantage, an unusually poor touch causing the chance to disappear. However, approaching the half hour mark, a clever turn by the same player left McPartlin in his wake and allowed him to spread the play out to Roy on the right and he quickly moved the ball onto Mangan whose angled shot zipped narrowly past. Sixty seconds later McPartlin tried to make amends for letting his man slip past him by launching a long ball forward that was flicked on by Auld into the path of Devine but, with the goal at his mercy and from point blank range, he lashed his effort straight into the chest of the diving Osborne. Calum Tevendale then switched the play from left to right where Roy arrived on the corner of the eighteen yard box to ping a half volley over the top as Blackburn tried to increase the pace before the interval, an increase that almost paid dividends when Andy Heeps saw his back post header from a Dougie Polwart corner hacked off the Tranent line. With the ball only half cleared it was eventually shuttled back out to Polwart who clipped an inviting cross back into the heart of the home sides box where Tevendale took a fine touch on his chest to manoeuvre some room for a shot from no more than six yards that he could only flip up into the gloved hands of Berwick.
Nine minutes after the restart Macauley fed Chris Donnelly who ghosted his way past Myles and only just over hit an intended pass to Mangan that rolled through to a relieved Berwick. From the centre circle Murray then drilled a pass forward to Osborne who saw his angled drive saved by his namesake in the United goal before, several minutes later, substitute Johnston put Thomas through on goal but he shot tamely wide. As the evening grew cold the game became confined to an often congested midfield area where the combatants, more often than not, managed to cancel each other out and it wasn't until eleven minutes from time that the contest re-emerged from it's slumbers, Mangan's corner kick making it all the way to the back post where a net bound Roy header was elbowed off the line by Glynn guarding his keeper left hand upright. Remarkably, Mr. Thomson, despite having what appeared a clear view of the incident, chose not to raise his whistle to his mouth, further incensing a Blackburn bench that had earlier seen a more than decent penalty claim for a push in the back of Paddy Donnelly waved away by an equally well placed match official. However, four minutes later the old adage of third time lucky was to prove prophetic when Brian Tully, on just a few moments earlier for the tiring Roy, burst past Burke on the left of the Tranent box and was promptly felled by the defender. This time, without hesitation, the referee pointed to the spot and, after a delay that saw Burke booked and the Tranent bench reprimanded for some colourful language, Stevie BARNES made an immaculate job of his kick to ease United into the lead. With barely six minutes left on the clock the Foresters Park outfit had little time to hit back and could only muster a shot from Johnston that was palmed away and then gathered by an assured Osborne.
Blackburn United Line-up: Trialist - Osborne, Macauley, Trialist - Tevendale, C.Spence, Heeps, Savage (Trialist - Skene 63), C.Donnelly, Mangan, Roy (Trialist - Tully 80), P.Donnelly, Polwart (Barnes 68) Sub (not used): Campbell
