Annan Athletic 2-2 Berwick Rangers – Match Report
Berwick picked up their first point of the KDM Evolution Trophy group stage with a deserved 2-2 draw at Annan Athletic.
Kevin Haynes’ reshuffled side were outstanding at Galabank and, on another night, could have got a bounce here or there to turn one point into three.
With Danny Handling, Greg Binnie and Taylor Hendry all injured, Berwick’s starting XI contained no recognised strikers but that didn’t matter as, within 3 minutes, auxiliary number nine Ben McCrystal had got on the end of Struan Mair’s cross to put Berwick ahead.
That lead would only last 90 seconds, though, as Annan player-manager Wullie Gibson would work half a yard to put a cross onto the head of Charlie Maxwell to bring the hosts level.
Berwick were causing Annan problems going forward and forcing mistakes from the hosts’ defence and got their reward five minutes after the break. Caelan McCrone won the ball in midfield and, after a defensive error, found Michael Mbewe whose first effort was saved but the Berwick man showed greater desire to prod home the rebound for his first of the season.
This lead would only last four minutes however as Maxwell headed in another equaliser. With Mair off the pitch after a head knock, Kirk McKnight’s delivery found Maxwell in the centre of box and he dispatched his header beyond Owen Hayward.Maxwell would have a couple of late chances to grab his hat trick but, in the end, both sides settled for a deserved point.
Performance of the season?
Much has been made of the underwhelming performances from Berwick Rangers this season but this performance felt like the Berwick of the tail end of last season.
While injuries have played a massive role in the disappointing start to the season, some defeats have felt particularly painful due to the poor performance on display.
Tuesday night, everything seemed to click. The front three of Mbewe, McCrystal and Liam Gregory tormented the Annan backline with Kevin Haynes calling McCrystal “the best player on the park”. McCrone was a relentless pain for Annan’s midfield while Grant Leitch showcased just how good he can be in the middle of the park with the best performance of his nascent Berwick career.
Fitness concerns
Despite all of the positives, Haynes did confirm that Saturday’s trip to Broxburn Athletic will likely see another enforced reshuffle as Berwick continue to toil with injuries.
Mbewe limping off was already a cause for concern but the volume of football the likes of Ryan Turner, Alex Harris and Liam Gregory play will have to be monitored as they look to get back to full fitness after injuries.