Berwick Rangers 2 – 2 Tranent: Match Report
📸 | Cammy Graham in action on Saturday afternoon. Credit: Alan Bell
Berwick were left reeling after conceding a last-minute equaliser to draw 2-2 to in-form Tranent in Thomas Scobbie’s first home game in charge.
The Dream Team went two goals up through goals by Lewis Barr and Cammy Graham to give the hosts a deserved lead at the break. However Tranent fought back late on with Aiden Walsh pulling one back which was followed by a 94th minute equaliser by Ben Miller.
Tranent took hold of the game early on as they camped Berwick into their defensive third. The away side had plenty of joy down Berwick’s left-hand side with the hosts struggling to deal with Tranent winger Kallum Higginbotham. The pressure almost told as Higginbotham crossed from the right which was headed on by Cameron Ross who found Broque Watson on the edge of the box. The Tranent forward had time and space to get a shot away, but his effort went just over the bar.
Berwick began to gain momentum and Graham Taylor received the ball on the left and his cross found Drew Cummings. Cummings managed to get his head onto the ball in the box and the ball fell nicely for Lewis Barr who fired a shot that crashed against the crossbar. The ball then came back to Barr who slotted the rebound into the net to give Berwick a lead that was arguably against the run of play.
The hosts seemed to gain confidence from the opening goal as Tranent’s threat began to falter. The away side had a sniff of an equaliser as Scott Gray, who is the brother of former Berwick player Ross Gray, ran onto a loose ball outside the box but his left-footed shot was well blocked by Gers’ skipper Jamie McCormack.
Berwick began to play some quality football in the middle of the park as Graham Taylor linked well with Grant Nelson who almost slipped Cammy Graham past Tranent’s backline but the visitors managed to scramble the ball away.
A minute later Scott Bright played a nice cross-field ball to Grant Nelson who had a shot from outside the box and the big deflection left Tranent keeper Kelby Mason helpless as he watched the ball flash just wide to force a Berwick corner.
The play at Shielfield was greeted with fireworks on the night before Bonfire night and seemed appropriate when Bayley Klimionek received the ball in the middle and slipped a delicious through ball to Cammy Graham after a perfectly timed run who then calmly slotted the ball past the keeper to make it 2-0.
There was concern for Berwick after McCormack suffered a blow to the head after an aerial duel and he would eventually be subbed off at half-time after the effects of the collision. Berwick ended the half in dominant fashion as they controlled possession to seal out a 2-goal advantage at the break.
Callum Mackay was the replacement of Jamie McCormack to begin the second half as The ‘Gers started as they finished the first half as Lewis Barr played the ball to Graham Taylor who teed up a volley for Drew Cummings with his effort whistling just past the post. A minute later Berwick had another chance as Bayley Klimionek’s cross-field ball on the left fell to the feet of Grant Nelson whose shot went just wide of the left-hand post.
Scobbie’s men began to focus their mindset to defence as the clock ticked past the hour as they sat deeper in the second period with the visitors beginning to take control of the ball but showed little threat to getting back into the game. Berwick looked to launch counterattacks on Tranent and got the ball with Barr who fed in Graham, but his shot was tame as Tranent’s keeper gathered.
Tranent looked to the bench with a triple substitution as Alassan Jones, Ben Miller and Aiden Walsh came on for Dean Brett, Kallum Higginbotham and Scott McCrory-Irving. Thomas Scobbie turned to his bench five minutes later as Ben Lamont replaced Cammy Graham who had ran his feet into the ground impressively.
Berwick’s threat up front again came through Klimionek as his lovely through pass to Lamont led to his effort that flashed across the box with the substitute perhaps caught in two minds on whether to cross or shoot. The second half was quieter than the first as Berwick looked assured defensively.
With just over five minutes left Tranent were launching long balls into the box and one from the left led to a miscommunication between keeper Calum Antell and Callum Mackay as the two came together with Antell losing grip of the ball which then fell to Tranent’s Aiden Walsh. Walsh managed to get round Antell and smashed the ball into the roof of the net to give the visitors late hope out of nowhere.
Berwick looked to get over the line as Tranent piled on the pressure as the match entered stoppage time. The Dream Team were camped in their box as sub Kyle Baker defended well from Jones’ free-kick as he headed clear.
However, the pressure would finally tell as Tranent sub Cairan Brian had time to cross on the right and the whip of the cross was too much for Berwick’s defence to handle as Ben Miller glanced his header past Antell to score a dramatic last-minute equaliser that broke Berwick hearts. The goal sparked wild scenes as Miller was booked for taking his shirt off in celebration as Tranent looked to have secured an unlikely point.
That would prove to be the last play of the game as the ref blew for full-time with Berwick feeling hard done by after a solid team display that would have merited all three points.
Thomas Scobbie’s first home game in charge showed great promise to the home support but must now look ahead to an away trip to Broomhill on Tuesday (6th Nov) in their next Lowland League encounter.
Match Report from Ben Langley.
