Poor defending at set pieces sees Leith throw away two-goal lead

Published on Monday 14 December 2009 08:57

Leith Athletic 2 Craigroyston 2

LEITH ATHLETIC and Craigroyston put on a feast of football when they shared four goals in their Central Taxis First Division promotion clash.

Leith appeared to have sealed all three points when they went two ahead midway through the first half when former Livingston, Ayr United and Ross County player Mark Duthie lashed an unstoppable shot high into the roof of the net. The 37-year-old, who put in a good shift shuttling up and down the right flank, said: "I started the move off and crossed the ball to Euan Campbell who promptly returned it and I had continued with my run. When the ball came back, I just struck it and luckily it went into the roof of the net."

Cracking goal though it was, it didn't turn out to be the winner.

Leith should have taken the lead in only the third minute when a Campbell cross picked out Duthie, who miss-kicked his shot to Chris Beaton and his timid effort from eight yards rebounded from the post and was cleared. This was followed by a magnificent save from Craig Weir keep out a rasping 20-yard shot from Campbell.

Craigroyston had loud appeals for a penalty turned down when Sean Martin was pulled down as he homed in on goal then a Ryan McKenzie header was netbound until Ian Gordon made a terrific one-handed save to tip the ball over the bar. David Anderson did put the ball in the Leith net but the referee had already blown for a free kick in favour of the Craigroyston striker.

Sean Martin's 20-yard effort hit the post then Anderson had a low shot saved by Gordon before Leith took the lead in the 22nd minute when a Duthie cross hit defender McKenzie.

The loose ball fell to Greg Irvine and he hit a low shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Four minutes later, Leith were two up when Duthie latched on to Campbell's cross to give Weir no chance.

Craigroyston got themselves back into contention in the 32nd minute when Anderson hit a volley which Gordon tipped over. From the resultant corner by Stuart Martin, the ball eventually fell nicely for James Binnie, who netted from ten yards.

In non-stop end-to-end action, Stuart Martin had another good shot well saved by Gordon, while Irvine had the ball in the net but was offside. Irvine should have made it 3-1 seconds before half time but he miscued his shot and the ball went straight into Weir's arms.

The same player almost added a third at the beginning of the second half when he fired an effort wide from a good position.

Leith lost a second goal from a corner in the 73rd minute when substitute Kyle Hay fired over a flag kick on the left and the unmarked Sean Martin headed in from eight yards to level the score.

Neither side could find a winner and, overall, a share of the points was a fair outcome. Craigroyston remain in second place while Leith are in fifth although they do have games in hand on all of the teams above them as both clubs strive for promotion.

Duthie added: "We started well and missed chances although we did go two up. Craigroyston are young and fit and we knew they could cause us problems although it was disappointing to lose two goals from corner kicks which we did not defend well.

"Craigroyston were stronger towards the end so a draw was probably a fair result although it was criminal of us to create so many chances and not score more goals. We have got to be more ruthless and we certainly cannot afford to drop any more points."

Leith head coach Colin Tomassi said: "I thought that it was a really terrific game which was very open. Both sides had a similar set-up which meant getting the ball into wide areas and attacking. There was no negativity about the game and both goalkeepers made some good saves. After we took a two-goal lead it was definitely not over because Craigroyston had already missed a few chances.

"Both goals we conceded were from corners which we should have defended better although it was a close game and there was not a lot between the sides. It was two points dropped and it will now be more difficult to get into the top two but we will keep plugging away."

Jamie Burrell, the Craigrostyon manager, said: "I have mixed emotions although a draw was probably a fair result after we found ourselves two goals down. We fought back and deservedly equalised. We had already created a lot of chances before Leith took the lead and that is symptomatic of our season where we have good spells in games but do not score. We lost both goals from lack of concentration when we switched off and that meant we gave ourselves a lot to do. In saying that, my players showed a lot of character and never gave up. The man of the match was probably the Leith goalkeeper, Ian Gordon, who never did anything wrong during the entire game.

"A draw feels like a defeat although picking up an away point to Leith has to be regarded as good although the result is probably better for our competitors. We are capable of winning our remaining league games but we need teams like Stirling University, Gretna 2008 and Vale of Leithen to drop points."

Leith: Gordon, Milligan, Thom, Ewart (Stewart 85), Wallace, Freedman, Duthie, Irvine (Downie 66), Campbell, Beaton (Young 85), Lauder. Subs: Middlemiss, Fallon.

Craigroyston: Weir, Sproule, Stuart Martin, McKenzie, Jeffrey, Lawson (Hay 66), Manson, Georgeson, Anderson, Binnie (Dignan 80), Sean Martin. Subs: Olsson, Paterson, Dewar.