Brigain is a super sub for Service

Charlie Brigain was both the hero and villain for the Strollers as his solitary strike five minutes from time earned all three points for the visitors before, in the closing seconds, he deliberately handled the ball into the City net and saw red for picking up his second yellow card after coming off the substitutes bench.

The former Bonnyrigg Rose and Penicuik Athletic striker had replaced Stewart O’Neill on the hour mark and his introduction brought a spark and  vitality to a Strollers side which, until that point, had lacked penetration in the final third of the park.

“I was a bit upset before the game when I was told that I was not playing because I had played in the last two games,” said Brigain. “The manager told me that my legs were getting a rest after two games in a week.

“When I came on it was a bit high intensity, although I thought that we started playing a bit more relaxed and deserved to win. Daniel [McAleavy] played a corner before the goal which was half-decent and the ball went for another corner. He then said to me that the next corner was coming on to my head and he did exactly that and I just headed the ball into the net.

“Only a couple of minutes later there was another good cross, this time from Paul Scales, and I went up to header it and basically I was pushed from behind so my hands went up in the air and I was claiming for a penalty. However, the referee saw it differently and sent me off.”

After an inauspicious start to the game with neither side prepared to dwell on the ball, proceedings were held up when Charles McAleavy was injured and had to be replaced by Darren Aird.

The closest either side came to scoring was a snap shot from City’s Andy Howat on the half-hour mark which grazed the post. Howat also had another chance early in the second half before the introduction of Brigain who gave the game the lift it needed, although his first involvement saw him pick up a yellow card. Craig Pinnons was a constant workhorse for the Strollers as he appeared to cover every blade of the Meadowbank grass.

The game seemed to be heading for a goalless draw until Daniel McAleavy’s second consecutive corner was powered into the net at the near post by the head of Brigain. He was then sent off in the dying seconds before Pinnons almost scored a second goal for the Strollers, but his effort was well held by Andrew Stobie.

Chic McAleavy, the Strollers manager, said: “In the first half we did not play well and we were definitely the second best team. We told the players at half-time to believe in themselves and go out and have a go. We did not play the prettiest of football, but we got the goal.”

Gary Jardine, the City boss, said: “I thought that we were the better team and passed the ball well, but we were lacking a real cutting edge in the last third of the park. We chose the wrong option time after time. I cannot fault my defenders who controlled the Strollers attacks and I couldn’t see where they were going to score a goal from. Charlie [Brigain] is a good player who will score goals,  although I cannot recall our goalkeeper having to make a save in the entire game.”

Edinburgh City: Stobie, Dingwall, Ross, Fusco, Scott, Torrance, Howat (Guthrie 65), Gair, Devlin (Stenhouse 75) Elliot, Clapperton (Hunter 75). Subs: Macnamara, Dimingo.

Civil Service Strollers: Tansey, Burns, D McAleavy, Scales, Young, C McAleavy (Aird 10), Mearns, Pinnons, Aitchison, Somerville, O’Neill (Brigain 60). Subs: Callan, Lister, Kerr.