Edinburgh University 0-2 Bonnyrigg Rose

Edinburgh University 0-2 Bonnyrigg Rose

Lowland League

Saturday 26th February 2022

Bonnyrigg Rose have been the runaway leaders in the Lowland League for pretty much the entirety of this season and this comfortable win over Edinburgh University means they're now on the brink of guaranteeing themselves a shot at promotion to the SPFL.

With Rangers and Celtic's 'B' teams ineligible for promotion, there's now only East Kilbride who could still mathematically topple Bonnyrigg, but with a 13-point gap to claw back in just five games which remain for Kilby then unless you've somehow escaped from the men in white coats, you'll know that a miraculous comeback isn't going to happen!

It means Bonnyrigg could have things wrapped up as early as this coming Tuesday when they take on Cumbernauld Colts at what's likely to be a bouncing (and baltic) New Dundas Park.

This win at East Peffermill - a tiny ground on the outskirts of Edinburgh which I've wanted to visit ever since passing it on a diverted train a few months ago, wasn't as straightforward as it perhaps ought to have been for the 'Rosey Posey' who initially struggled to make a breakthrough.

Once they finally went ahead just shy of the hour mark, another goal quickly followed and it was a rather comfortable away day success thereafter!

Knowing this was my last day in Scotland for a while then I was keen to tick off another 'new' ground without venturing too far outside the capital and a glance at the fixture list presented me with two options: this game or a trip up the road to Linlithgow Rose's home game against Whitehill Welfare.

This one 'got the nod' and in pleasant weather it was around a 50-minute stroll from Edinburgh Waverley through the backstreets to pretty much the other side of Arthur's Seat. Regular buses (towards Musselburgh) run from the city centre, but why waste money on a bus fare when the daytime weather is relatively pleasant?

As is the case with quite a few Lowland League venues there isn't actually a lot at the ground and facilities are quite basic. A small stand (capable of housing around 200 people) offers some shelter, toilets are literally just two portaloos that you'd expect to see on a building site and there's no social club on-site to socialise before or afterwards. The scenic backdrop of Arthur's Seat, plus two nearby tower blocks, at least adds some character to the place and make's it more pleasant than, say, a trip to Caledonian Braves! 

A few Edinburgh University fans were dotted about here and there but the overwhelming majority of the fairly decent crowd were there to support Bonnyrigg who donned their yellow away strip.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for the champions in waiting to start creating chances and they had quite a few during a first half in which they were frustrated with their attempts whilst their own 'keeper, Marc Weir, wasn't ever seriously tested at the other end.

The visitors went close for the first time just shy of the quarter-hour mark when Lee Currie flashed his effort narrowly wide in a one-on-one before Callum Connolly forced a routine stop from University 'keeper Nick Buxton (not to be confused with the Doncaster Rovers goalie coach of the same name) with a shot which was straight at him on 27 minutes.

Buxton was lucky not to be given his marching orders when he came flying outside of his area and collided with Connolly in a separate incident just moments later and though it wasn't quite an onslaught at this stage; Edinburgh did have a few alright spells of possession, they struggled to effectively stem the pressure in the run-up to half-time with Buxton saving expertly from Ross Gray's half-volley and Brad Barrett also being thwarted at the near-post having done the hard work to get in-behind and to a position from where he could pull the trigger.

Edinburgh felt they should have been awarded a spot-kick just a minute or so before the break as Innes Lawson (one of their better players!) went to ground inside the box under pressure as he attempted to latch onto a ball across the goalmouth. There were appeals by Lawson and others which were heard by the referee who remained unmoved as he allowed play to continue.

That incident proved to be as close as the capital club ever got to pulling off what would have been an upset because the second half saw Bonnyrigg dominate again and find their cutting edge.

It took 56 minutes before the goal arrived and it was one which was preventable. Amidst pressure, Scott Gray was left completely unmarked so when the ball landed at his feet just a few yards out, he had the time to take a touch and smash it emphatically into the net.

Things got even better for Bonnyrigg just the other side of the hour mark as they doubled their lead with Barrett volleying home from a cross. It was simple stuff but clinical and their two-goal cushion thereafter never looked in danger as they saw out the game with relative comfort.

Stepping onto the 16:44 bus towards the city centre just as the referee blew the final whistle, I was back in Edinburgh less than a quarter-of-an-hour later - along with a couple of others who'd left slightly before full-time and opted to watch the remainder of the game from the bus stop.

Whether Bonnyrigg can follow in the footsteps of last year's Lowland League winners Kelty Hearts by progressing through the Play-Offs and into the SPFL remains to be seen, but there is absolutely no doubt they are champions in waiting who'll soon be celebrating winning the league.

Good luck to them!