Match date: 4th September 2021 Kickoff: 2.30 pm

Dunbar United travelled to Rosewell on Saturday looking to continue their recent form after their midweek win over Tynecastle but were forced into a complete change in personnel, after some key players were missing because of injury.

A heavy shower of rain just before kick off made playing conditions greasy on top,  but it was Whitehill who threatened first when Laidlaw was sent clear on the left but the Dunbar keeper saved well. Andy Jones replied with a shot for Dunbar but his shot went wide of the target before Ward played a low ball from the left across the face of the Dunbar goal but luckily for the visitors none of his team mates read the cross.

Evan Fleming won a corner for Dunbar in the 23rd minute and Darren Handling rose well to head the ball goalwards only to see it strike one of his own players before being cleared to safety.

Two minutes later and the course of the game changed dramatically when Dunbar’s Michael McFarlane was sent off for an alleged last man tackle on a Whitehill forward when it was clear to all that he won the ball with the referee fully thirty yards away from the incident. Despite the Dunbar protests the decision stood and Dunbar were left to play out the remaining sixty five minutes with only ten men.

Dunbar forward Dan Purves was immediately replaced by his twin brother defender Jo Purves in a Dunbar switch but were then forced into yet another change with the injured Andy Jones limping off to be replaced by Johnny  Edmond.

Minutes later and a Whitehill corner resulted in a real goalmouth scramble with their recent signing Ricky Miller striking the post before committing a foul in the aftermath. Both Dunbar’s Evan Fleming and Whitehill’s Laidlaw required lengthy treatment for head knocks after the corner and young Fleming had to be replaced after the restart by Fraser Neave who was still recovering from illness.

Whitehill forced the pace again after the restart with Laidlaw striking the side netting before Jamie Devlin went close for Dunbar with his shot deflected of the keepers shoulder for a corner.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 58th minute when Johnny Edmond lost control of the ball and Tyler O’Neil took one touch before firing home into the bottom corner from fully 30 yards to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Edmond went close from Darren Smith’s cross before Jamie Devlin found himself in the clear after Jo Purves beat the offside trap but once again the striker was denied by a save from the Whitehill keeper this time with his legs.

With Dunbar pushing forward Whitehill had a great to kill the game off four minutes from time when Stewart’s shot from 30 yards drifted inches wide before Jamie Devlin almost clinched a point for Dunbar in injury time when he beat Ricky Miller in the left corner, cut inside and fired goalwards only to see his shot deflect of an opposition player who did not know a lot about it.

Deep into injury time and yet another chance for Dunbar with Jamie Devlin creating space before his deflected shot fell for Darren Handling who looked up and saw two defenders on the goal line but again his shot was deflected by some determined Whitehill defending before the referee blew for time up.

A disappointing result for Dunbar who were always fighting an uphill battle with only ten men for sixty five minutes but with a little rub of the green they might well have come away with something from the game.

However a full week’s rest might well get rid of a lot of niggling injuries before their next game on Saturday when they travel to high flying Haddington Athletic to play a South Challenge Cup tie with kick off again at 2.30pm.

Whitehill Welfare :-Dibaga, Scobie, McCardle, Miller, Gormley, Kidd, Connors, Stewart, Laidlaw, Ward, O’Niel. Substitutes :- B. Wilson, Capes, Robison, M.Wilson, Hodge, Walker.

Dunbar United :- Daniel Laing, Michael McFarlane, Nicky Weir, Scott Hay, Evan Fleming, Darren Smith, Darren Handling, Michael Fairnie, Dan Purves, Jamie Devlin, Andy Jones. 

Substitutes :- John Johnstone, Jordan Purves, Johnny Edmond, Fraser Neave, Kieran Ingram.

Referee :- Brent Falconer

Asst Referees :- Scott Morris, Cameron Sanderson

Match report courtesy of Laurie Wood

Photos by Gordon Maitland.