Results
| Club | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Goals | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Stirlingshire | — | — | 2 | Win |
| Linlithgow Rose | — | — | 1 | Loss |
Recap
East Stirlingshire secured their first win of the new year with a battling 2-1 victory over Linlithgow Rose at the Falkirk Stadium.
A first half Linlithgow Rose own goal had East Stirlingshire ahead at the break before a Jamie Pyper OG equalled the game for the Rose at the start of the second half, but Scullion’s men responded quickly with a brilliant finish from Jamie Penker restoring the home side’s goal advantage.
Pat Scullion named two changes to his side after defeat away to Bo’ness United as Morgaro Gomis and Oliver Ecrepont made their competitive debuts for the Lowland League club.
It was the visitors who took control of the game with a penetrating run from Linlithgow Rose’s Louis Maguire whose long-range effort glanced the outside of the woodwork following a controlling spell from the West Lothian side.
The Shire, however, opened the scoring against the run of play with a Linlithgow Rose own goal finding the bottom corner of the net after a scramble in the oppositions box led to a flux of activity.
Gordon Herd’s men started the second brightly and was awarded when East Stirlingshire skipper, Jamie Pyper forced the ball beyond the impressive Oliver Ecrepont from on incoming Rose cross levelling the game at 1-1.
Linlithgow Rose’s efforts proved momentary, as five minutes later the oncoming Jamie Penker neatly shifted the ball onto his right foot curling his effort into the roof of Cammy Binnie’s net, giving the Shire a quick response and 2-1 cushion from an emphatic finish.
Linlithgow Rose continued to threaten with a flurry of efforts, with the best of those chances falling to Calum Rae, who failed to cleanly connect with the ball after a tempting cross dangerously rolled beyond the Shire’s penalty area.
During the dying stages of the game Luke Rankin broke away from the ensuing Rose defender, but ultimately sent his effort wide of the mark.
It was an impressive scalp for Scullion’s side as they look to reinforce the positives from the game and gather momentum after securing a long awaited three-point performance.
Ellis Wilson.
