Draw at Hill of Beath leaves tough title quest

It was almost two defeats in a row for the reigning champions, a late thunderbolt from substitute Grant Plenderleith salvaging a point after they'd fallen behind with ten minutes left to be in danger of suffering the same fate as a visit to Camelon had thrown up seven days earlier.

Instead of talking about still being able to catch leaders Linlithgow - and they would be a point above them at the moment if five games in hand all produced victories - Newbigging spoke afterwards about trying to get his side "as high up the table as possible".

That wasn't him being defeatist and you can bet your bottom dollar Bo'ness won't give up the fight until it becomes a mathematical impossibility.

But, in a league where a match against a side near the foot of the table is just as tough and unpredictable as against one flying high near the top, Newbigging knows it is going to be tough to make up the ground on their local rivals.

In truth, the No.1 target now for the Newtown Park side this season is trying to get their hands on the Emirates Scottish Cup and Tommy Sloan, the Auchinleck manager, made the journey to Fife on Saturday to check out Bo'ness ahead of the two-legged semi-final between the teams later this month.

Whether he was able to go away with anything that he can put to use in those matches is debatable as this was certainly a Jekyll & Hyde performance from Bo'ness against a Hill of Beath side that also has games in hand on Linlithgow and could still be in the reckoning as well when the season gets to the business end.

With the wind at their tails, Bo'ness dominated the first-half and deserved to go in front, big Stuart Hunter getting on the end of a Graeme McLaren free-kick in the 19th minute to steer a shot back across goal past a despairing dive from Stuart Hall.

Inspired by that sweet strike from their fellow defender, Brian McQueen and Roger Duffin both came close to adding a second with thunderous long-range shots and it was after the half hour mark before Hill of Beath offered a threat to the visitors' goal.

Bo'ness goalkeeper Jordan Longmuir headed the ball away after rushing out to the edge of his box but, after a couple of his defenders threw themselves in front of shots, it broke to Chris Seeley and he was inches away from finding the target.

Even so, it was a bolt from the blue when Bo'ness found themselves back on level terms right on the break, though, according to Newbigging, they only had themselves to blame for conceding a goal he described as an "appalling" one to lose.

Craig Smart had his back to goal when he collected a free-kick from Stewart Haddow up the right flank but, to the disgust of the Bo'ness manager, he was allowed to turn and dink a cross into the middle, where Barry Smith got in between Duffin and McQueen to head home.

The early stages of the second-half were a messy affair, with Bo'ness allowing themselves to get hot under the collar over a number of contentious decisions, one of them being a penalty claim that was turned down when Chris McFadyen was sent sprawling in the penalty box.

From knocking the ball about confidently in the first-half , Bo'ness became a side that struggled to string two passes together for a spell and you could sense that Hill of Beath believed the points were there for the taking.

Smart, who had earlier been denied by Longmuir after finding himself clean through on the 'keeper, felt he should have had a penalty when he got in behind Duffin and certainly appeared to be caught by the Bo'ness captain, but his despair turned to joy in the 80th minute as the Fifers went in front.

It was Smart who created the goal, his well-weighted high ball dropping in behind Duffin, allowing Stephen Bathgate to latch on to it and, after advancing a few yards, he planted a low shot into the back of the net. The Bo'ness faithful must have feared the worst given the way their side had played in the second-half, but, after Plenderleith levelled the scores again with a stunning volley from just outside the box with six minutes to go, they urged the visitors to push for the winner in the closing stages.

Chris Donnelly, another of the substitutes thrown on by Newbigging, had a strong penalty claim dismissed as he appeared to be charged off the ball in the box, but, frustrating as that was, the visiting manager was the first to admit that a draw had been a "fair result."

Hill of Beath: Hall, Haddow, Seeley (Hay 88), Maxwell (McCulloch 70, Paterson 75), Dair, Smart, Wright, Gemmell, Smith, Bathgate, Morrison. Subs: Adamson, Marshall.

Bo'ness United: Longmuir, Snowdon, Hunter, Duffin, McQueen, Fraser (Shirra 70), McLaren (Donnelly 80), Hay, McFadyen (Plenderleith 70), Walker, Ure. Subs: Cooper, Fleming, Guy, Baillie.

Referee: Michael Taylor.

Hill of Beath 2

Bo'ness United 2