Match Report - Hill of Beath Hawthorn
St andrews United 0-0 Hill of Beath Hawthorn
Match Report
St Andrews United 0-0 Hill of Beath Hawthorn
St Andrews United and Hill of Beath met on a wet February evening to replay a Fife derby that should have been concluded six months previously. The original fixture was abandoned in the 81st minute due to Ryan Roche suffering a nasty shoulder injury and the visitors were leading by two goals at the time. However, the 191 hardy souls who braved the cold on this occasion witnessed an evenly contested match. Those fans were also wondering how Robbie Raeside and Scott Reekie would fair during their first visits back to The Clayton Caravan Park Recreation Ground since leaving United, and they were treated to an entertaining encounter under the lights. Raeside’s boys certainly started the match as the stronger side and they fashioned the first chance of the evening in the ninth minute when Sam Featherstone shot straight at Kyle Thomson from a tight angle. The on-loan goalkeeper from St Johnstone found himself starting a game at The Rec for the first time because Logan Halliday was unavailable and he did well to deal with several crossed balls throughout the first half. At the other end of the park, Ross Cunningham rolled back the years with a vintage performance on the left wing and the popular St Andrean almost grabbed an assist in the 16th minute. Cunningham’s terrific cross found the head of Alex McCreadie but the wee midfielder couldn’t hit the target despite being unmarked. Cunningham then found Freddie Rowe with a similar delivery a few moments later yet the young midfielder fired the ball over the bar from close to the penalty spot.
The Saints players also grew in confidence as the match wore on and visiting goalkeeper Sam McGuff was relieved to see the ball scrambled clear on two occasions from well-struck corner kicks. The next chance fell to Hill of Beath’s Dan Watt as he shot straight at Thomson then the first period drew to a close with the visitors wasting a free kick from a promising position on the edge of the box. Both teams therefore headed for the changing rooms with the score standing at 0-0 and it was the hosts who began the second half on the front foot, whilst shooting down the hill. As such, Rowe found himself facing McGuff one-on-one with a golden opportunity to score but the loanee from Dunfermline Athletic looked as surprised as the fans when the linesman didn’t flag for offside. Alas, McGuff managed to parry Rowe’s subsequent shot and the visiting defenders managed to knock the loose ball out of play for a corner following another goal-mouth scramble.
Lewis Sawers then dragged a shot wide of McGuff’s right-hand post from the resulting corner before the action swung back up the other end of the pitch. The Hill of Beath players were frustrated to see a penalty appeal waved away by referee Terry Ormiston following a tangle of legs on the edge of the box, whilst Thomson made an impressive save from a volley at his near post. The Haws also went close to scoring when an inswinging free kick hit the face of Thomson’s crossbar yet both teams had to settle for a point at the end of the evening. Indeed, most St Andrews United fans would have been delighted with a draw plus a clean sheet before the game but there was a slight feeling of disappointment at only collecting one point on the back of another good team performance.
Man of the Match: David Cabrelli
Result
0-0 
- Tuesday 04-02-25
- Location: The Rec, St Andrews
- Competition: East of Scotland Premier Division
