Match Day 21 | Berwick Rangers vs Broomhill

BRFC vs Broomhill

The ‘Gers ran out convincing winners at Shielfield Park to make it two consecutive 3-0 victories having dispatched of Gretna 2008 the weekend prior by the same scoreline.

Berwick started the game the brighter side, and Sean Stewart went close early on having been slid through by Graeme Taylor – but he was forced wide by the pass and could only strike into the ‘keepers hands from the angle.

An offside flag being raised made that move redundant in any case, but Aidan Denholm forced the Broomhill #1 into a valid save a few minutes later, his strike from outside the box bouncing awkwardly in front of stand-in Broomhill captain Stephen Barr, who did well to collect the ball at the first attempt.

Barr was then alert to prevent Lewis Allan from opening the scoring following a mistake from Broomhill right back Jordan Duncan, the defender allowing a Tam Scobbie pass to slip underneath his feet and through to an alert Allan, who saw his attempted finish well stopped by an onrushing Barr.

Berwick continued to try force the issue and Taylor was next to go close, finding himself out on the left flank after a brief swap with Alex Harris, but the winger could only watch on as his effort flashed wide following a cut inside.

A rare threat for the away side came when Connor Smith played a handy ball over the top, but Andy McNeil was alive to the threat and quick off his line to gather the ball ahead of two Broomhill forwards.

A Taylor corner was then met a looping Michael Travis header, but the defender, who was making his Shielfield Park debut, saw his effort tipped away by Barr.

Berwick’s finest play of the half came when Travis played a ball into the feet of Sean Stewart, and Allan’s clever decoy-run was met by his striker partner, but the ‘Gers failed to take advantage of the situation with Allan opting to try pass once more rather than having a strike himself.

Half-Time: Berwick Rangers 0-0 Broomhill

Berwick returned to the park the better side once more, and didn’t have to wait too long before making a breakthrough that some fans perhaps considered might not arrive at all. Alex Harris’ corner was inch perfect for Travis, who rose high and thundered a header past Barr to mark his home debut with a goal.

Taking confidence from the goal, Berwick continued to attack and Taylor might have thought his strikers should have got on the end of a fantastic low drive across the opposition 6-yard box.

If Taylor did think that though, his disappointment wouldn’t last long. Driving a counter-attack, Taylor found Allan who’d peeled out to the left flank. Allan’s square pass found Stewart on the penalty spot, who laid the ball back to Taylor just inside the 18 yard box to lash one into the top right corner with his right foot – a fantastic strike and a well-worked goal.

Broomhill’s best chance of the game came when a deep free-kick was swung into the back post, but David Ferguson was alert to the danger and looked comfortable when knocking a threatening ball away for a corner kick. It was a calmness that was probably symbolic of how much the ‘Gers dominated the match on the day.

Substitute Lewis Baker should have made it 3-0 when Ciaran Heeps’ clever dummy led to the striker breaking clean through on goal, but with the forward bearing down on goal, he blazed the ball over the bar.

But when more good work from Heeps led to a free-kick 25 yards out, Baker stepped up and slammed a low shot into Barr. The strike had enough power on it that the ‘keeper could only parry it out – and Sean Stewart was alive to knock the ball home and make it 3-0.

Heeps might have made it four when a long switch found him inside the box, but his half-volley dipped and swerved just past the far post.