Dev League: Berwick Rangers 0 – 2 Raith Rovers

Match Report

Shielfield, 3rd April 2017

Berwick Rangers U20’s 0 – 2 Raith Rovers U20’s (Court, 4′ & B Barr 27′)

Rovers magnificent 7 wins on the trot and near the finishing line for the league title.

Rovers start the game with Scott Roberts at CM and Bobby Barr on the left wing.

Berwick kicked off and started brightly with Watt breaching the defence inside the first minute, Rory Brian showed initiative by forcing him out left and making him slice his shot wide. Barely had the game had time to get into a rhythm when Court ran the ball into the opposite box, taking a tumble in the process, Mr Cairns blew for a penalty, Fairbairn being cited as the culprit.

Johnny Court stepped up and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner sending Goodfellow in the wrong direction 0-1.

Both sides exchanged possession with a Porteous header testing Brian and an Osei run and shot being blocked. Yaw was to get into the action moments later, but for the wrong reason, his tracking down of Orru in the Rovers box resulted in the Berwick LB going to ground and once more Mr Cairns pointed to the spot.

Jamie Henderson took a short run up and fired the ball low to the right, unlike his counterpart, Rory Brian picked the same corner for his dive and parried the ball wide, Sam Jones followed up but struck the ball high over the bar.

Both sides had decent spells of pressure, Berwick testing Brian with shots from Fairbairn, Watt and Jones, but the Rovers stopper just grew in confidence every time he handled the ball. Roberts and Court had efforts go just wide with shots from 6 yards.

Just before the half hour, Bobby Barr who had been causing Herriot bother beat his marker and lashed the ball into the net from the corner of the box 0-2

The home side spent the rest of the half containing the Rovers, limiting the visitors to one shot from Osei, forcing a great diving save from Goodfellow with a rocket from the corner of the six-yard box. At the other end, Brian frustrated the Berwick attack with save after save, plucking the ball out of mid-air from successive free kicks and blocking a couple of tame shots from the edge of the box.

After the restart, Berwick camped out in the Raith half with a good ten minutes of pressure, the back line stood fast and showed why they have conceded the least amount of goals in the league. Kyle Scott had a rasping shot go across the face of goal which would have needed just a toe from Watt or Jones to reduce the lead, Chapman came close, this time with a glancing header at the back post.

For all that Brian was impressing for the Rovers, it was the turn of Goodfellow to shine at the other end.

Ryan Stevenson, from 25 yards out hit a dipping free kick towards the bottom left corner and in a move reminiscent of Gordon Banks from Pele’s header in World Cup 70, got down and flicked the ball onto the roof of the net for the save of the game.

A late surge from Berwick saw substitute Helm tease the Rovers defence with deceptive runs, with five minutes left on the clock he controlled the ball on the penalty spot and with back to goal, turned and shot just past the right post, two minutes later he had the ball in the net but the assistant referee judged him offside.

With two added minutes played, Mr Cairns called time on this entertaining game of football and a jubilant Rovers side came off the pitch to be congratulated by Chairman Alan Young.

Since defeat to Forfar in early January, this young side with Craig Easton at the helm have just got better and better, culminating in this seven-game winning streak, they have one more game on the 25^th April against Livingston to clinch the division, this of course will be moot if Forfar fail to take full points in any of their remaining games.

Remember, RRFC Season Ticket holders get free entry to all Development League games. View the Development League (East) Fixture list & Table here.

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