Match report by AMY CANAVAN

A few sore heads could be found ringing round New Dundas Park at the early kick-off on Boxing Day. While yesterday revolved around the big man in the red and white suit, today was all about the big man in the red and white strip.

Keiran McGachie had the last laugh of the afternoon, but in truth, he never stopped all afternoon. Within the opening five minutes, McGachie met two successive Lee Currie corner’s identically. His first attempt was well saved by the Caledonian Braves goalkeeper while the second rose over the bar.

The corners kept coming, Currie’s heat map would’ve been a deep red across each box, running from corner to corner to whip in ball after ball. With pressure mounting on the Braves defence, a crack dually appeared with 15 minutes on the clock.

The clearance from Currie’s corner was only as far as Jonny Stewart who was lurking on the edge of the box. As he was about to take a stride into the box, he was tugged to the ground by Buttersworth.

A different dead-ball situation, same man hovering over it. Currie sent the ‘keeper the wrong way as his strike drifted along the deck and into the bottom right-hand corner.

Moments later and the ball was in the back of the net again. Ross Gray, deployed at right-back for the afternoon, crossed a dangerous ball into the back post which bounced off a Braves defender and into the net. Confusion followed however, as the referee ruled Kieran Hall had affected play from offside position.

Rose were brimming with confidence and utilised the wide men expertly well. Bradley Barrett, always a threat in the final third, unleashed a powerful strike, which looked destined to hit the back if the net, before it was cleared off the line.

You’d struggle to find a more dominant first 45 from any side in the country on what was a freezing cold Boxing Day. In normal times with such low temperatures, the queue to the snack bar is never ending, however that cannot be the case as football returns to abnormal times. However, the 500 allowed inside NDP kept entertained at half-time by deliberating - just how many corners did Rose have in the first half?

Despite the dominance, the lead was slender and within 30 seconds of the restart, it was non-existent. With their first delivery into the Rose box of the match, a Caley Braves head nodded an equaliser in at the near post.

A switched off Rose were left rueing the abundance of missed opportunities in the first half as the reset button needed activated again.

Frustrating would best describe how the second half unfolded. For every Rose set piece, including the 20 odd corners, Caley Braves had all 11 men behind the ball. Bodies were literally thrown on the line when Hall found himself on the spin and striking.

McGachie had another header goal-bound just after the hour mark but a Braves defender cleared, rather unorthodoxly, by kneeing the ball behind.

Fresh legs were injected in the forms of George Hunter and Nathan Evans, with Robbie Horn throwing all he could at it with three strikers on the park.

A frantic final five minutes took place. Barrett burst into the box more than once, Evans failed to beat Henry in the Braves' goal after latching onto a Hunter pass and McGachie saw another header go wide. A point a piece appeared assured as extra time arrived.

The resilience of this table-topping Rose side however can never be doubted. For what felt like the 100th time of the afternoon, Currie curled in a perfect corner that was met by the rising McGachie and finally, one ended up in the back of the net.

Limbs in The Shed, limbs on the park, limbs in the dugout. A Christmas miracle.

Far from a Christmas cracker, but three points is the best Christmas present of the lot.

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