Kellar Double Can't Save Burgh From Defeat

Burgh started their home fixtures for 2023/24 with a visit from a very strong Armadale Thistle to East Shore Park.

The visitors didn’t take long to stamp their authority on the game taking the lead in just the 3rd minute when Donnelly headed home a corner. The pressure in the early period continued and Wood had a chance deflected for a corner moments later.

Harris Mitchell then blocked another effort in the 23rd minute with the loose ball then falling to Feeney who had another shot blocked for a corner. In the 31st minute David Chalmers saved well from Abubakar with the parried shot falling to Baillie who hit the post.

Burgh tweaked their system a bit and started to grow more into the game and Kellar Harris stated his first impact on the game when he beat the Armadale keeper to a ball flicked through by Lewis Stevenson, but the chance bounced wide of the post.

The second half started with Cai Macdonald coming the closest for Burgh with an effort that just looped past the far post with the keeper beaten.

Armadale finally found their 2nd goal of the game, and started a rapid flurry of activity, in the 57th minute when Watson replicated his side’s first goal heading home a corner at the back post.

Play switched to the other end and the referee was pointing to the spot in the 60th minute when Macdonald was brought down by the byline. Kellar Harris stepped up and smashed home from the spot and scored his first goal of the season.

Armadale had a quick double response within minutes by adding two goals in as many minutes when Kane and Wood both netted to make it 4-1, which was harsh on Burgh who were improving into the game after a difficult opening half an hour.

Harris had another good chance after substitute Kyle Tracey poked the ball through into the Harris’s path but the Armadale keeper made a tremendous point-blank save. Harris wasn’t going to be denied though when he was in the right place in the 90th minute to stab home his second and, ultimately, a consolation goal.

It was a disappointing result for Burgh with a decent crowd, bolstered by the new Burgh Ultra’s. But the opening fixtures haven’t been kind and present a big challenge and manager Allan Moody and his team can take heart that they battled back into the game and posed a few questions of their own against a very good Armadale side.