Linlithgow sneak thriller in injury time

Delighted Linlithgow gaffer Dave Baikie admitted after the game: "I used to be called the 1-0 master but now it's more like the 4-3 master.

"At this moment, we are still fragile at the back. We have four players missing from the defence and it's showing.

"However, we now look like scoring more goals than we concede and that's a gamble every week." From a neutral's point of view this was a classic game between two sides intent on winning.

Newtongrange's aim was to stop the rot while Linlithgow came here to maintain their challenge at the top of the table.

Seven goals, great football, chances galore, crunching tackles and a manager sent to the stand made this a fine afternoon's entertainment.

Newtongrange took the game to the visitors' right from the start and were rewarded with the opener after only five minutes. A poor pass back to Rose keeper Steven Pinkowski had him out wide right with the goal unattended. His mis-hit clearance out went straight to the head of Aaron Somerville in the D and his looping header sailed into the unguarded net for a surprise opener.

From then on, it was end-to-end football with both sides creating chance after chance without finding the net.

Then with half-time approaching, Linlithgow drew level. They were awarded a free kick out on the right. Adam Nelson flighted over a great cross for Tommy Coyne to glance a header into the net. Star boss Armstrong was so incensed at the award of the foul that he remonstrated too much and was sent packing.

The second half started the same as the first, chance after chance went a begging. But just on the hour mark the Star took the lead again.

Stuart Roseburgh teased his way down the left wing leaving Mark Tyrrell trailing in his wake. He looked up before sending over a low hard cross to the back post where Scott McCulloch slammed the ball home from six yards.

Ten minutes later, Linlithgow drew level again. Adam Nelson sent in a bouncing cross into the heart of the Star defence. No-one touched it before it landed at the feet of Roddy McLennan and he side-footed it past the keeper.

Newtongrange weren't finished, though, and in the 80th minute they again took the lead. Substitute Joe Dunbar sent over a free-kick from the right and Somerville rose to head his second of the match.

The Rose looked down and out but they weren't giving up and right on 90 minutes grabbed a dramatic equaliser. Sub Chris King flighted over a free-kick deep into the heart of the Star defence. Keeper Chris Hill came out to claim it but couldn't find a way through a posse of players. The ball fell to Colin Strickland in the six-yard box and he drove it into the net for what looked like securing a share of the points.

But, as the Star players wilted, the visitors grabbed the winner deep into injury time. Substitute Steve Manson crossed from the left to Strickland, who headed it back for Coyne on the corner of the six-yard box, and he blasted home to break Newtongrange hearts.

Linlithgow boss Baikie added: We showed some terrific character on Saturday – the lads never know when they are beaten.

"To come to a place like this and get a result is what winning titles is all about."

Star boss Armstrong was delighted with the performance but not the result, saying: "We played some terrific football, scored three goals against Linlithgow, yet still managed to find a way to lose a match. If we play like that every week then we won't be in the position we're in now.

"We only had around eight fully fit players on Saturday but we were terrific. We tired towards the end and paid the penalty for that."

Newtongrange Star: Hill, McKenna, Forbes, McNicol, Woodburn, McCulloch, Cherrie, Thomson, Somerville, Meaney (Dunbar), Roseburgh. Subs: Perry, Hutchison, Affleck, Swaney, Johnston, Carnie.

Linlithgow: Pinkowski, Tyrrell, Virgili, Ward, Brown (King), Nelson, McArthur, Nimmo, Strickland, Coyne, McLennan (Manson). Subs: Kelly, Reilly, Hogg, Livingston, McPherson.

Newtongrange Star 3

Linlithgow Rose 4