Leithers have no answer to Torphin side

Bruntsfield Park claimed their first-ever league win in emphatic style, scoring more goals in their 5-2 thrashing of hapless Breck Thistle than they had managed in their previous six matches put together.

Bruntsfield remain rooted to the foot of Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur FA (Sunday) Division 2, but their morale-boosting victory at Campbell Park bodes well for the remainder of a campaign that began with 34 goals conceded - and just four scored - in their opening half-dozen fixtures.

The Torphin-based side, established only earlier this year, found their feet in front of goal and presented a stern defensive resistance to their Leith visitors, going 3-0 up before surviving a Breck comeback, then pulling further clear with a brace in the final seven minutes.

A seven-goal bonanza on a bitter afternoon in west Edinburgh was set alight as early as the 12th minute, when Bruntsfield's Michael Glennon saw his goalbound shot ricochet off a Breck defender and into the path of team mate Ryan Hannan, all alone on the left-hand side of the penalty area, and he smashed the ball into the net past Darren Prentice from 12 yards out.

Despite their overall dominance of the game, Bruntsfield still appeared disjointed in stages and had their star turn in goal, Stewart Ballantyne, to thank on numerous occasions for preventing a breach of their defence, and the No.1 produced the first of a multitude of point-blank saves just a minute after the opening goal. Paul Martin was to prove the frustrated Breck attacker on this occasion, seeing his shot cannon back off Ballantyne's legs. On 25 minutes, Bruntsfield doubled their advantage. Stephen Stewart fed Oli Davies from the right-hand side of the penalty area, and the latter squared for Michael Glennon to thrash the ball into the net.

Shortly before half time, Ballantyne again posed as the insurmountable obstacle, again using his feet to repel a shot from ten yards by Breck's Ryan Scott after Marc McKenzie's cross from the right.

Bruntsfield added a third to their lead midway through the second half, but there was plenty more action to follow even after Michael Glennon broke free of a tiring Breck defence and sent a tame shot trundling past visiting goalkeeper Prentice at the near post.

A lapse in concentration at the other end three minutes later, with Bruntsfield custodian Ballantyne perhaps allowing a touch of complacency to blot his otherwise pristine report card, allowed Breck a sniff of a comeback. Ballantyne flapped at a long, lofted ball into the box by Thistle full back Jordan Dunsmore, letting the ball bounce past him and into the path of Paul Martin, who turned the ball effortlessly into the empty net.

Further alarm in the hosts defence followed swiftly, as Marc Mason darted into the box from the left wing and dinked a deft shot over the sprawling Ballantyne and into the net to reduce the deficit further and make it 3-2.

In the last ten minutes, though, Bruntsfield rediscovered that goalscoring touch. Hannan's cross on 83 minutes eventually fell to the feet of Murray Fleming, who half-volleyed the ball into the net from ten yards past Prentice. Soon after, Hannan himself benefited from another switch-off in Breck defensive ranks, loping onto a forward ball and rocketing a left-foot shot into the top left-hand corner of the net.

New Bruntsfield coach Alex Rankine saw the score as a stepping stone for his side.

"We've done well at training and the big bonus for us today was the passing and the talking among the boys."

Club founder and No.9 on the field, Dan Carson, was delighted with the turnaround of his team. "Weeks ago we were losing seven, eight, or 9-0, so it's coming together for us," he said.

Breck Thistle: Darren Prentice, Jordan Dunsmore, Marc McKenzie, James Russell, Neil Simpson, Steven Duchart, Paul Martin, Ryan Scott, Ciaran Williamson, Kevin Robertson, Marc Mason, Paul Lawrence.

Bruntsfield Park: Stewart Ballantyne, Michael Glennon, Cameron Edwards, Blain Alcorn, Stuart Aitchison, Dan Carson, Stephen Stewart, Oli Davies, Paul Henderson, Murray Fleming, Ryan Hannan, Alex Rankine, Ged McCallion, Matty Golden.