Tranent vs BRFC Match Report – 25-26

Berwick picked up a fantastic point away at Tranent on an evening somewhat overshadowed by an injury to Liam Campbell.

In what no doubt will go down as one of the better 0-0s in the Lowland League this season, both sides never gave an inch and both had chances to win the game outright.

Greg Binnie and Liam Buchanan both saw goalbound efforts cleared by a Tranent defender while Binnie also forced Kelby Mason into a good save.

Yet, as Berwick tired a little toward the end, it was Callum Antell, on in place of Campbell, who would be the hero for Berwick, denying Guy McGarry and Harry Girdwood in 1-on-1s.

A Performance And A Point

“It was points rather than performance”.

Kevin Haynes, like everyone associated with Berwick, was happy to get the win over Cowdenbeath on Saturday but wasn’t delighted with the performance. This felt like a bit more of what the Berwick boss will be looking for.

Tranent showed at times why they are one of the favourites for the Lowland League title this season but, time and again, this Berwick side stood up to the physical battle and technical challenge.

The back four was outstanding again, Mikey Mbewe caused Dean Brett plenty of hassle out wide while Scott-Taylor Mackenzie and especially Kyle Somers were fearsome in midfield.

Improving Players

Sometimes in football, a player can go away for the summer break and return a completely different player. The potential that people can see is now being realised on a more consistent basis.

For Berwick, there appears to be two who have came flying out the blocks and look to be big building blocks for the future – Alfie Robinson and Kyle Somers.

Alfie’s debut campaign certainly showed his quality but was also littered with some poor performances and errors but these opening two games have seen the big defender in imperious form, winning every aerial battle and dealing with every situation with ease.

For Somers, he came into a struggling Berwick team mid-season and only showed flashes of what he could do. At Foresters Park, we saw why he was Kevin Haynes’ first signing – tenacious in the press, willing and more than able to take and keep the ball in tight spaces, an eye for a killer pass and, crucially, the mentality and desire to do the defensive legwork as well.

Campbell’s Injury

The obvious headline from this game was the scary head knock for keeper Liam Campbell, which required a 20 minute stoppage. Fortunately, Liam was able to walk off the pitch under his own power and went to hospital for further checks.

Credit must go to the players around Campbell first, the match official and physios from both teams for reacting quickly and ensuring that a scary situation was dealt with quickly.

We obviously wish Liam a speedy recovery and hope to see back between the sticks soon.

Up Next

There’s no rest for the weary as Berwick hit the road again on Saturday to face Broxburn Athletic at Albyn Park.