Berwick v Cumbernauld Colts Match Report 25-26
Berwick suffered an agonising 3-2 loss to Cumbernauld Colts at Shielfield Park, with Liam Campbell conceding a late penalty.
The visitors took an early lead after an error in the Berwick defence gave Thomas Horn an easy header. Daniel Hatfield doubled Colts’ lead ten minutes from half-time. Berwick completed a comeback with goals from Taylor Hendry and Harry Wright. However, Cumbernauld Colts took victory after a late Joshua Jack penalty following Campbell’s error.
The Gers began the game flying ass they threw the ball forward to Liam Gregory. His pass deflected into the path of Wright outside the box before he unleashed a shot that was deflected just wide.
Berwick continued their early momentum as a nice through ball by Kyle Somers found Wright bursting down the right. His cutback found Hendry, but the forward failed to make sufficient contact with the ball.
Cumbernauld Colts responded just before the ten-minute mark. As Berwick looked to clear their lines, Ben McCrystal played the ball back to Campbell. However, his attempted clearance cannoned off McCrystal and fell perfectly for Horn to dink his header over Campbell and into the goal. An unfortunate chain of events sees Berwick fall behind early.
The Dream Team continued to show good signs going forward as Gregory received a through ball down the left. He found himself running at goal and his shot was well saved by Harry Broun at his near post.
Midway through the first half, and Cumbernauld nearly had a second goal. The visitors were taking full advantage of the blustery conditions at Shielfield Park, with the wind direction pushing the ball towards the Berwick goal. Jack had a corner from the left that whipped towards the goal in aid of the wind which took a deflection and went just wide.
Just under ten minutes from half-time, Carrick McEvoy found himself in space in the middle. He managed to pick out Hatfield on the edge of the box. His low shot was struck with force that managed to beat Campbell and hit the back of the net to double Cumbernauld’s lead.
Cumbernauld nearly had a third just before half-time which would have been a totally unjust reflection of the first half’s play. The visitors’ threat from set-pieces was coupled with their quality on the counter-attack. Horn managed to pick out Joshua Farquhar before he cut inside and bent a shot that was tipped wide by Campbell. Berwick trailed 2-0 at half-time.
Berwick began the second half they like they did the first as they put Colts under some early pressure. McCrone’s corner broke nicely to Hendry inside the box. He swivelled before unleashing a shot that smacked the post before Cumbernauld managed to clear.
Another corner just after the hour mark caused more issues for the visitors. The ball broke to Isaac Deh who poked the ball towards goal before Hendry got the final touch as the ball nestled in the bottom left corner to half the deficit for Berwick.
The Dream Team had the advantage of the wind in the second half, and they were taking full advantage as they created numerous attacks. A long ball found McCrone on the right before he picked out Somers. He cut inside before unleashing a shot that was tame as it rolled wide.
Less than two minutes later, Hendry received a long ball which he touched down nicely for Wright to gather. The Berwick winger used his pace to run towards goal before he rounded Broun and slotted the ball into the net to level the game once again.
Berwick were building momentum to complete an exceptional comeback as they dominated the chances in the closing stages of the game. Hendry managed to find the dangerous Wright once again who struck another shot that was blocked by Liam Allison.
Minutes later, Berwick’s momentum was sucked out of them as Campbell was caught on the ball before being pounced on by Hatfield. Campbell brought down the Colts forward and the referee gave the visitors a penalty. Jack stepped up and slotted the penalty into the bottom left corner to give Cumbernauld Colts the lead again. A mass brawl endued after the goal as Berwick were left frustrated once again.
The visitors nearly added to their lead just before the end as Jack had a free-kick in which he struck the ball just over the bar.
Cumbernauld Colts secured a 3-2 win to continue their strong run of form. Berwick will feel they deserved something from the game after a strong performance, with individual errors proving costly. The Gers remain in 10th place whereas Cumbernauld Colts remain 7th. Berwick’s next game takes place this Saturday as they play University of Stirling at Shielfield Park.