Hall strike gives Welfare the benefit against Heriot-Watt

The Whitehill boss, Mike Lawson, was a relieved man when substitute Jordan Hall notched the all-important  second goal with 20 minutes remaining.

“Heriot-Watt had more of the ball than we would have liked although it was pleasing to record a shut out,” said  Lawson.

“We started really well on the front foot, hit the bar, might have had a penalty and scored a goal. For the first 25  minutes that was as good as we have played all season then  Heriot-Watt changed their  formation and had a lot more of the ball to put us under  pressure. However, I didn’t think that they could keep that tempo up.

“They played some great  football but maybe lacked a  cutting edge.

“We scored two really good goals and it was about how we coped when we did not have the ball which was important. We had to keep our shape and discipline and not get annoyed or frustrated.”

Whitehill dominated the opening stages with Aaron Somerville involved when he had a shot held, hit the crossbar and was brought down inside the penalty box. The visitors took the lead in the 24th minute when Darren McGlashan cut the ball back for Scott McCulloch to score from close range.

Michael Webster hit the Whitehill crossbar early in the second half before the result was sealed when Paul Forbes crossed for Hall to net from ten yards.

“I was very pleased with how we played, especially in the second half with our ball retention, although we probably lacked a wee bit of penetration,” said Heriot-Watt coach Michael Renwick. “We gave a very  experienced Whitehill team a good test.”

Elsewhere, Spartans beat Gretna 2008 4-0 with goals from Mark Whatley, Andy Martin, Robbie Manson and Sean Wringe while Civil Service Strollers defeated Preston Athletic 5-1 with strikes from Craig Pinnons, Eddie Mearns (2), Charlie Brigain and John Ross Kerr.

Tonight, there are three games in the Central Taxis Premier Division with Edinburgh City facing Vale of Leithen at Meadowbank, Lothian Thistle awaiting Tynecastle, and Stirling  University hosting Edinburgh University. All games kick-off at 7.45pm