All square at Peffermil

A thrilling affair ended all square at Peffermill but Edinburgh can count themselves lucky to be taking a point away from this game. Lothian Thistle were a side transformed by the half-time break and showed their class after a sloppy first half display.

Edinburgh had the better of the first half with Andy Watkin opening the scoring after six minutes. A flailing arm caught James Craigen at the edge of the box and the referee awarded the free kick. Watkin confidently stepped up and bent it with his left foot into the top right corner, giving the keeper no chance.

Edinburgh nearly went two-nil up through Kerr Dodds when he was picked out by a precision through ball from David Oswald. Dodds narrowly beat Lothian keeper Kevin Swain to the ball but a fantastic block by Swain stopped Edinburgh from extending their lead.

Edinburgh doubled their tally however when a long ball down the left hand side found Dodds who rolled a first time cross into the penalty area. Craigen saw the opening and made the run to meet the cross, striking a first time shot straight at keeper Kevin Swain. Somehow the ball made its way under Swain’s arm and into the back of the net to make the score two nil.

The half-time whistle went and Edinburgh looked much more comfortable than their opponents. Edinburgh’s energetic striker David Oswald caused the Lothian centre backs some hassle and as usual the Craigen/Beesley partnership was functioning superbly. Lothian had no substantial chances and went into the dressing room at half time looking a beaten side.

However, whatever was said to the Lothian players at the break clearly worked as they started the second half a completely transformed side. Lothian showed why they are second in the league with two goals in the first four minutes, instantly putting the pressure back on Edinburgh. Craig Hume scored the first, climbing above the Edinburgh defense to head home at the back post. One minute later out of nowhere, Lothian midfielder Mark Lothian curled a shot from 25 yards into the top right corner leaving Edinburgh stunned.

An outstanding Jack Beesley attempted to lead the Edinburgh fightback, and it nearly worked when he whipped in a cross from the right that found Craigen whose first-time effort deflected off the outside of the right post. Beesley became isolated however when he was moved from the midfield to striker and Edinburgh continued to struggle to retain possession.

Lothian were unlucky not to take the lead after a couple of goal-mouth scrambles in quick succession. Several efforts were blocked on the line and the referee turned down appeals for handballs. With ten minutes left on the clock Lothian should have been awarded a penalty that would have handed them the three points. Edinburgh’s Alisdair McKinnon, who had had a great game up to this point, brought down Mark Lothian in the box. It was a stone-wall penalty that was obvious from the touchline, however the referee wasn’t interested.

Speaking to The Journal after the game, Edinburgh coach Dougie Samuel admitted that his side rode their luck in the second half. He praised the players for their control of the first half and their ability to stick to the game plan, but a crazy 60 seconds at the start of the second half left them on the back foot for the rest of the game. All in all, he was happy with four points from the last two games against testing opponents.