Bo’ness Utd 5-4 Elgin: Juniors win replay thriller

Bo'ness United saw off Elgin City in their third round replay to advance to the fourth round. Picture: JP

The juniors had come back from 3-0 and 4-3 down at Borough Briggs to draw 4-4 with Elgin and take the tie to a replay.

Elgin, bottom of League Two, had been 3-0 up at half-time, but a spirited second half performance saw the juniors fight back.

The juniors took the lead at Newtown Park however, through Darren Gribben after four minutes.

Shane Sutherland equalised seven minutes later, only for Will Snowdon to put Bo’ness ahead on 17 minutes.

The home side increased their lead as Gribben grabbed his second on the half-hour mark, before Sutherland missed a golden opportunity to pull a goal back from the penalty spot, after Ross Campbell was adjudged to have fouled Brian Cameron in the box, with Mark Peat saving the former Inverness Caledonian Thistle striker’s effort.

Sutherland made amends for his penalty miss four minutes before half time, slotting the ball past Peat to make it 3-2.

Bo’ness again increased their lead on 64 minutes, with Campbell nodding in after good work from Kieran Anderson from a corner.

Mark Nicolson reduced the deficit with 20 minutes to play, but the respite lasted just five minutes as Nicky Walker scored United’s fifth.

Marvin Andrews slammed the ball home with two minutes left to ensure a nervy final few minutes for Bo’ness, who hung on to advance to the fourth round, where they will host Arbroath.

Bo’ness United: Peat, Philp, Campbell, Leiper, Snowdon, Walker, Scott (Donnelly 69), Murphy, Gribben (Gibb 90+4), Pittman, Anderson (Cowan 84). Subs not used: Wallace, Miller, Nimmo, Sloan. Booked: Leiper. Goals: Gribben 4, 31; Snowdon 17; Campbell 65; Walker 77.

Elgin City: Fraser, Finlayson (Moore 45), Cooper, Andrews, McHardy (MacEwan 78), Beveridge, Nicolson, MacPhee, Cameron, Wyness (Gunn 62), Sutherland. Subs not used: McLean, Duff, Bayne, Black. Booked: McHardy, Sutherland. Goals: Sutherland 11 (pen), 42; Nicolson 72; Andrews 88.

Referee: N Walsh

Attendance: 1,280