Match report by Amy Canavan.

Clear blue skies welcomed the travelling Rose faithful upon their first of two trips in a matter of weeks to The Indordrill Stadium. A welcome sight given the treacherous conditions on the other side of Kincardine Bridge.

We’re onto supporter’s bus number three for the Scottish Cup clash against Alloa Atheltic on November 27th, but as always, a strong Rose contingent squashed into the main stand for this Lowland League clash. And right from the off, their voices could be heard all afternoon.

Dean Brett lapped up being within a stones-throw distance from the Rose fans and spent the majority of the first half cantering up and down the right flank whilst simultaneously, being lauded and applauded for his efforts.

However, it was his fellow wing-back, Bradley Barrett, who created the opening opportunity. Keiran McGachie held the ball up before laying off to Barrett, who crossed in a wicked ball, but Kieran Hall had slightly mistimed his run and overran the ball.

McGachie used his strength again from a goal kick, but the referee deemed it too forceful. The number nine then queried the official on said decision and a yellow card was quickly shown.

Sticking to his guns, McGachie capitalised on Regan O’Sullivan’s dilly-dallying from a short free-kick, to find himself faced with the onrushing Jamie Smith but the goal centurion used all his experience to calmly slot the ball home underneath the goalkeeper and give Bonnyrigg Rose a well-deserved lead.

The first 40 minutes of the encounter remained fairly uneventful. The visitors pummelled Smith’s box with crosses, passes, the lot. Lee Currie had corners of either side, but none were met accurately by a Rose player. Brett put a few on a plate for the top two, but neither could connect.

The ‘pretty uneventful, five minutes of the half remaining’ tweet was milliseconds away from hitting the timeline when the main stand erupted. Scott Dunn’s squared, under-hit pass for Smith inside the box turned into a race between the ‘keeper and Barrett, which the latter looked to have won. In turn, Barrett felt the effects of Smith’s momentum and was swiped onto the deck. The referee remained idle, and no penalty was awarded.

The hosts only real moment to mention in the first 45 came in the dying seconds. Neil Martyniuk’s slack pass to Jonny Stewart in the middle of the park was intercepted by Finlay Gray. He galloped into the box but was outmuscled in a stellar defensive block by Alan Horne.

Broomhill started the second half the brighter and saw more of the ball in the first five minutes from the restart, than they had in the first half all together. O’Sullivan had the opportunity to make amends from his error that lead to the goal when he peeled off from the Rose defensive cohort, but he failed to keep his header on target.

Up the other end, Currie opted to shake things up with his corners. His driven cut-back to Martyniuk stunned the Broomhill defence but his shot skimmed the outside of the post.

Rose had a firm footing in the second half and were enjoying troubling the home side. On the far side, McGachie darted in the box towards the byline but was caught in a tumble with Adam Moss when the Broomhill number seven tripped into him. Contact was made but no calls for a penalty were heard, merely a coming together. However, with McGachie on a booking, the referee deemed the goal-scorer to have dived and showed him a second yellow card.

Being reduced to 10 didn’t stop the attacking prowess of Robbie Horn’s men. Moments after the dubious decision, Brett found himself on near enough, the exact scene of the crime, when he pulled back his pass to the surging Barrett, but his shot was well blocked by Lewis Crawford.

Lone striker Hall worked tirelessly until his substitution. In the first of his two final acts of note, he held from the half-way line and drove into the corner before he was supported by Barrett. The left-back fed into Ross Gray with the latter attempting a one-two but it was intercepted.

And finally for Hall, Currie’s free-kick took a colossal ricochet, so the number 12 chased the loose ball with Smith, who appeared to wipe Hall out at shoulder-level, if not higher. As was the story of the afternoon though, the referee saw nothing in it.

Hall then made way alongside Ross Gray for Nathan Evans and Scott Gray.

Broomhill had one final roll of the dice to salvage a point against 10-man Rose. Justin Devenny produced a looping header but the unmentioned, Mikey Andrews, had it covered in the Bonnyrigg Rose goal.

Three more points on the board for Horn’s men who welcome Vale of Leithen to New Dundas Park on Tuesday evening.

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