Nine-man United fightback for share of spoils and stop Star's ascendancy

NEWTONGRANGE STAR went some way to avenging their 4-0 drubbing by Bo'ness in the first game of the season but they should have held on for victory in this top-of the-table clash.

Bo'ness took the early credit as they pushed hard for an opener but it was Newtongrange who made the initial breakthrough. In the 21st minute Darren Gourlay crossed deep to the back post for Scott McCulloch to loop a header into the net.

Their lead lasted only three minutes though. United forced play into the Star penalty box before Chris McFadyen scrambled the ball home for the equaliser.

Deep into the second half and with play very scrappy, Newtongrange took the lead again against the run of play. McCulloch scored his second of the afternoon, taking a pass from sub Grant Meaney and driving the ball past the keeper from 25 yards. And, only five minutes later, they added a third.

Meaney was brought down in the box by a last-man tackle from Rodger Duffin, who was sent off, before Stevie Thomson scored from the spot.

Down to ten men, Bo'ness regrouped and again forced Newtongrange on the back foot. They were awarded a soft penalty in the 82nd minute when McCulloch was adjudged to have held sub Paul Shields down at a corner.

Andy Shirra stepped up and scored from the spot to give Bo'ness a fighting chance But they were dealt another blow in the 85th minute when Nicky Walker was given a straight red card for a bad tackle on Paul Forbes.

The game wasn't finished though and nine-man Bo'ness found a dramatic equaliser in the dying minutes. The ball wasn't cleared by the Star following a corner. It fell to Chris Donnelly some 20 yards out in the centre of the park and he volleyed the ball past Chris Hill to the delight of the visiting supporters – and the despair of the homes side.

Newtongrange: Hill, Gourlay, Forbes, White, Woodburn, Hutchison, Brown, Thomson, McCulloch, Umotong, Roseburgh. Subs: Meaney, R Fairbairn, Patton, Swaney, Affleck, Gielty, Lunn.

Bo'ness: Longmuir, Brown, Fleming, Forrest, Duffin, Morrison, Nixon, Shirra, McFadyen, Walker, Donnelly. Subs: Ballantine, Gribben, Shields, Snowdon, Kiczynski.