Berwick vs Gretna 2008 – Match Report 24-25
Berwick drew 2-2 with Gretna 2008 in a hotly-contested Lowland League clash at Shielfield Park.
Ben Scarborough opened the scoring for the Gers, before Dan Orsi and a Mark McConnell own goal gave Gretna a half-time lead. Alfie Robinson headed in a late equaliser as the points were shared.
The game started slowly but on nine minutes, Rayan Mohammed managed to win the ball in the scrappy midfield and laid it off to Buchanan. His through ball was a terrific one to feed Scarborough down the left. He seemed to take the ball slightly wide, but his shot looped over Jim Atkinson and into the net, despite the attempted clearance from Stuart Douglas.
Gretna 2008 responded just five minutes later. Greg McCaragher delivered a wonder of a cross from the left that beat Berwick’s defensive line and was tapped into the net by Orsi at the back post.
Straight from the kick-off and Gretna nearly shot themselves in the foot as a loose back pass was almost capitalised on by Mohammed. The Gers forward seemed to follow through on the visitors’ keeper which sparked a mass confrontation between the two sets of players. Mohammed was first to be confronted by Sam Atkinson as Mohammed responded with a shove that sent Atkinson down like a ton of bricks as he rolled around holding his face. Liam Buchanan got involved too and it took the referee several minutes to calm things down. Mohammed and Buchanan went into the book with Gretna also receiving two yellow cards.
Berwick’s gameplan of beating the offside trap with long balls wasn’t working too well with multiple offsides being called against the Dream Team. However, on the half-hour mark Mohammed who seemed offside managed to get in behind with no flag being raised. He managed to cut inside, but his shot flashed just wide of the right-hand post.
Minutes later and Mohammed received another long ball on the edge of the box. This time he managed to delicately lay the ball to Kyle Somers, but he scuppered the great opportunity as his shot trickled wide.
Gretna’s threat was minimal in the first half, but they managed to create another chance just over five minutes from half-time. Another whipped in cross from the left was poked past Calum Antell by Orsi. The ball was edging over the line as Gers debutant McConnell’s attempted clearance could only smack off the bar and into the net. Not the debut goal Berwick’s new signing was looking for as his own goal put Gretna into a fortunate lead.
The visitors nearly had a third a few minutes later from a corner. Sam Atkinson’s driven delivery was met by the head of an unmarked Douglas at the back post. However, his header went well wide in a great chance for Gretna to go two goals ahead.
The second half started in scrappy fashion with Gretna 2008 opting for time wasting tactics for the entire half as frustrations grew at Shielfield Park.
Just under ten minutes into the second half, Sam Atkinson tried his luck 30 yards out, but his shot flew over the bar.
Mohammed and Somers were replaced by Jamie Watson and Ben McCrystal early in the half as Berwick chased an equaliser. The referee wasn’t helping the Gers’ chances either as he gave several free-kicks to Gretna for minimal or no contact on their players. Lewis Barr and Scott-Taylor MacKenzie were shown yellow cards for late challenges.
Chances were few and far between in the second period and the first real chance fell to Gretna’s Orsi. The deflected cross from the left found the goalscorer at the back post whose first-time volley was expertly tipped over by Antell to keep Berwick alive in the game.
The Dream Team had a late corner and up stepped MacKenzie. His left-footed inswinger was begging for a header and that it got as Alfie Robinson rose the highest to nod the ball into the top left corner to spark wild cheers in the stands. Berwick getting the equaliser which is the least they deserve from a much-improved performance compared to recent weeks.
Berwick piled the pressure on the visitors as they tried to grab a last-gasp winner that would push them clear of the bottom of the table. However, Gretna held out with some late challenges and the spoils were shared in a frantic game at Shielfield Park.
The draw sees Berwick remain in 15th with Gretna remaining in 11th place. The Dream Team’s next two games are away in the league, starting with the trip to Caledonian Braves next Saturday, followed by University of Stirling on February 22. Berwick return to Shielfield Park on March 1 when they host Cowdenbeath.
🧑💻 | Ben Langley
