A fortnight of excellent cup action for the Rose comes to an end with the return of Lowland League football as Civil Service Strollers visit New Dundas Park this weekend.

Midlothian rivals Arniston Rangers were conquered in the South Challenge Cup before East Stirlingshire were defeated 3-0 in the Scottish Cup second round last Saturday to set up a trip to Barry Ferguson’s Alloa Athletic in the next round.

Kerr Young scored a customary beaut, Bradley Barrett nodded in from close range and George Hunter wrapped up the scoring with a composed finish that was made all the more special by the sweet first touch and effortless nutmeg that preceded it. As Amy put it in the match report: check out the highlights for that third goal pronto.

Though it wasn’t just the Rose celebrating last weekend. Our upcoming opponents travelled to Fife and managed to pull off an upset by shocking League Two side Cowdenbeath to reach the Scottish Cup third round for the first time in the club’s 113-year history.

The hosts took the lead twice at Central Park but the Strollers fought back to earn an admirable 4-2 victory. Two red cards for the Blue Brazil - the first of which is debatable, the second not so much - with the score tied at two apiece may have impacted proceedings but regardless, it was goals from Danny Irwin, Euan Valentine and top scorer Alieu Faye (who grabbed a brace despite missing a poor penalty beforehand) that really sealed the historic win.

The last meeting between Bonnyrigg and Civil at NDP came just shy of 12 months ago in November 2020 and ended in a 2-0 victory for the Rose, with Hunter and Keiran McGachie strikes sealing all three points during the shortened campaign.

The two in-form sides have already clashed since then, however, with Civil walking away from Marine Drive with a 3-2 win in July. Composed finishes from Hunter and Lee Currie weren’t enough to stop a deflating outing for the Rose, in which Gary Jardine’s men took the lead within 60 seconds and snatched a winner with the last kick of the ball.

Thankfully, that dispiriting loss contributed to a sudden turnaround in form for Bonnyrigg, starting off an eight-game unbeaten league run that has helped the boys in their rise to the top of the table where they still remain. Strollers, meanwhile, are sitting in fourth place - level on points with both Rangers B and Spartans above them.

Kick-off at NDP is at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Admission is £7 for adults and £4 for concessions, while under 12’s with a paying adult go free.

Article Copyright © 2021. Permission to use quotations from this or any article on the website is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and for online use source credit and hyperlink to www.bonnyriggrosefc.co.uk