It’s Scottish Cup Day on Saturday (weather permitting) as Bo’ness United visit Luncarty in round two of the National Tournament. The Perthshire side are in the Premier Division of the East of Scotland League, currently sitting second bottom having lost nine of their eleven games played. It’s worth noting though the two wins came in their most recent matches at Glenrothes and Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts. The ‘Bleachers’ home game against Jeanfield Swifts on Saturday was postponed due to red weather warning affecting the area because of Storm Babet.

Bo’ness United and Luncarty have met on three previous occasions, the most traumatic for the BUs coming thirty six years ago at Newtown Park where the underdogs dumped Bo’ness out of the Scottish Junior Cup winning by the odd goal in three. George Allison got the only goal for Bo’ness that day. More recently in the 2012/2013 season Bo’ness visited Brownlands Park in an East of Scotland Cup tie scoring eight goals without reply. Chris Donnelly bagged a hat trick that day with a brace from Steven Hislop. The other goals came from. Stewart Devine, Alan Lawson, and Ryan Scanlan. Two seasons later Luncarty were back to Newtown, again in the East of Scotland Cup this time Bo’ness winning by a single Zander Miller strike.

Luncarty have already played three Scottish Cup ties, winning at home to Loch Ness and at Newton Stewart in the preliminary rounds. In the last round they scored a significant victory at Highland League side Keith. Bo’ness entered the competition in round one and enjoyed a home victory against Darvel, starting with a penalty strike from Ryan Porteous and further goals from Lucas Stenhouse and Ryan Stevenson. A report from that game plus the two more recent clashes with Luncarty follow this preview.

Bo’ness come into this tie after a disappointing day at University of Stirling. The BUs edged the first half creating the better chances and went ahead just short of thirty minutes thanks to a penalty kick conversion from Ryan Porteous after Tom Grant was tripped in the box.

The second half started badly for Bo’ness as a few minutes in BU keeper Musa Dibaga charged out to the edge of his box in an attempt to clear a long ball but only succeeded in taking out a Stirling player. Ciaran McAninch scored from the resulting penalty and only four minutes later Bo’ness went behind, a good Ben McIvor Redwood shot from the edge of the box finding the back of the net. At this point Bo’ness were struggling to cope with a rejuvenated university team and their cause was not helped as captain Lewis McArthur was injured and had to be replaced.

Towards the end Bo’ness rallied somewhat as they pushed forward and with a minute of the ninety left, were awarded a penalty for a handball in the box. Unfortunately for the BUs Stirling keeper Yan Gromov Godik got down to make a great save, turning Fin Malcolm’s shot round the post. Undaunted Bo’ness kept at it but in time added on with the emphasis on attack, were caught short at the back as Stirling broke forward, Cameron McKinley slotting past Dibaga even though he looked well offside when he received the final pass.

Bo’ness United’s recent exit from the South Challenge Cup at the hands of a supposed inferior side Cumbernauld United means no one connected to the club are taking anything for granted on Saturday. Every Bo’ness player knows they have to be at their best to win through to the next round this game providing no second chances for a positive result.

Given the attraction of watching your home team in the ‘Scottish’, the ranks of the BU Faithfull will be swelled with a larger than normal visiting support. A noisy reception awaits the Bo’ness players and hopefully they’ll reciprocate with a performance that can keep the decibel levels high throughout the game. An exciting day is in prospect and all going well the trip back down the road will be all about who Bo’ness will be drawn against in the next round.

John Spowart
Friday 27 October 2023

Date – Saturday 23 September 2023
Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Round 1

Bo'ness United 3
(Porteous 34 pen, Stenhouse 58, Stevenson 70)
Darvel 0

Following on from last week’s South Challenge Cup disappointment, Bo’ness United turned things round with a great Scottish Cup victory against Darvel. A large Newtown Park crowd witnessed a performance where every BU player worked their socks off over the whole ninety minutes to achieve a memorable result.

Darvel created some good early chances only to face an in-form Musa Dibaga as the Bo’ness goalkeeper made a great double save from Dean Cairns and Ross Caldwell and from the resultingcorner Caldwell again got a shot in well saved by Dibaga. Inspired by their keeper Bo’ness kicked on and just after half an hour Ryan Porteous was tripped in the Darvel box and the same player got up to convert the subsequent penalty.

The visitors worked to get back, before the break Murphy smacking a shot off the Bo’ness post and just after turnaround Dibaga made spectacular save from Ian McShane, JJ Henderson heading the following corner off the line. Defending well, Bo’ness were also getting forward and just on the hour scored a second goal as a poor clearance found Lucas Stenhouse who ran forward before hitting a shot from outside the box, the ball finding the bottom corner of the net. With twenty minutes remaining Bo’ness scored what proved to be the decisive goal when Keir Macaulay chased the ball to the line before hitting over a cross headed in by Ryan Stevenson Darvel were not giving up but came up against a resolute Bo’ness who refused to give anything away. The final whistle was greeted on and off the park with both delight and anticipation as to the possible opponents in the next round.

Bo'ness: Dibaga, Stevenson, Rutherford (Macaulay 18), Hawkins, Irving, Gemmell, Stenhouse, Johnston, Dalziel (Malcolm 75), Porteous (Mooney 72), Henderson.
Subs (Not Used). Kennedy SG Fullerton

Date – Saturday 06 September 2014
DJ Laing East of Scotland Cup Round 1

Bo’ness 1
(Miller 14)
Luncarty 0

Bo’ness United made their way through to the second round of the competition, though it proved to be a tough encounter against lower league opposition.

United started the game well and visiting keeper Mark Mitchell made two early good saves from Keiran Anderson. The breakthrough came on 13 minutes when Zander Miller fired home from twelve yards after Luncarty failed to clear a Robb corner, and Robb nearly added a second shortly after when he got on the end of an Anderson cross. Bo’ness continued to push for a second and Mitchell again kept his side in it when he bravely blocked Anderson, who had been put through by a perfectly weighted Scott Pittman pass. The visitors began to grow in confidence and on the half hour Scott Finlay floated in a free kick and John Anderson saw his header well saved by Stewart Baillie. It was Luncarty who now looked more likely to score and just before the interval Anderson had another header that went narrowly wide as Bo’ness went in at the break with a narrow advantage.

After the break it was the visitors who had the first chance after Scott Gibb had been harshly adjudged to have made a deliberate back pass. From ten yards out, Finlay rolled the ball to Anderson and his shot was deflected behind for a corner. Bo’ness were struggling with their passing game and making uncharacteristic errors, and it took until the fiftieth minute for them to have another meaningful attack. Pittman picked the ball up on the half way line before being cynically blocked by Joe Shields who received a yellow card. From the resulting free kick Robert Sloan saw his effort go just over the bar. Surprisingly the lethargic performance from Bo’ness continued and they had Gibb to thank when he made a fine block to deny Kevin Fowler whose shot looked net bound, and from the resulting corner Anderson headed over the bar.

Bo’ness looked to increase the tempo for the last quarter of the match by bringing on Darren Gribben and Chris Donnelly, though it was Luncarty who went close when Fowler picked up a loose ball and shot wide. With the home fans becoming more frustrated and concerned Bo’ness got back onto the front foot and with quarter of an hour remaining Gribben had a dipping twenty-five-yard effort well saved and seconds later Ian Nimmo played in Anderson whose shot was deflected over.

With ten minutes to go Gribben had a free kick saved and it appeared as if Bo’ness would see the game out when deep into injury time the visitors were awarded a penalty. Slack defensive play resulted in the ball coming to Anderson and just as he was ready to shoot Gibb made a challenge that referee Scott Millar decided was a spot kick, much to the disappointment of the Bo’ness players. Shields stepped up to take it and his effort was brilliantly saved by substitute keeper Connor Wallace to take Bo’ness into the next round.

Bo’ness: Baillie (Wallace) Highlands, Leiper, Gibb, Campbell, Nimmo, Robb (Gribben) Sloan, Miller (Donnelly) Pittman, Anderson. Subs (Not used): Philp, Murphy

Luncarty: Mitchell, Whytock, Brown, Shields, Nicol, Finlay, McAllister, Fowler,(Cook) Anderson, D Kelly (J Kelly) , Fyfe (Mills) Subs (Not Used): Moon

Saturday 27 April 2013
East of Scotland Cup Round 2

Luncarty 0
Bo'ness United 8
(Donnelly 4 8 53, Devine 19, Lawson 71, Hislop 75 88, Scanlan 83)

Bo’ness United cruised into the next round of the East of Scotland Cup at the expense of a Luncarty side who kept to the task but seldom threatened. The BUs went ahead in only 4 minutes when a throw in found Chris Donnelly who made space for himself before shooting in from just inside the Luncarty box. Four minutes later it was two for Bo’ness, this time a Snowdon cross that bounced over a Luncarty defender and Donnelly headed in from six yards. In between Donnelly had almost scored with a great volley from the edge of the box that had smashed off the post. The tie looked to be over in 19 minutes when Bo’ness scored again. Steven Hislop returned a corner to James Donaldson and his deep cross was headed in at the back post by Stewart Devine. There were no more goals in the first half although Bo’ness created further chances. Luncarty had only managed a couple of efforts although just before the break Allan Baillie did well to hold off the Bo’ness players around him, but his through pass was just too hard for Karl Higgins.

Eight minutes into the second half Chris Donnelly got his hat trick as Stewart Devine put James Donaldson through. Donaldson slipped the ball past keeper Gordon McGillivray and although the ball looked to be going in Donnelly made sure from a few feet out.

It continued to be one way traffic and the next goal came in 71 minutes when Ryan Scanlan passed up the left to Alan Lawson who cut in before firing low into the opposite corner of the net from the acutest of angles. Four minutes later Bo’ness made it six when Steven Hislop, who had started in defence, reverted to his centre forward role and got up to head a Declan McAvoy cross in off the post. With seven minutes remaining Ryan Scanlan got himself on the score sheet as he fired in a great volley from the edge of the box. Finally, it was eight in 88 when Will Snowdon sent over a cross and Hislop got up to head the ball back across, directing it into the opposite corner of the goal.

Luncarty: McGillivray, Hynd Walker, Wylie, McCulloch, Peletier (Wilson 37), K Higgins, Scott, Wilcox (M Higgins 64), Baillie (Hampton 76), Neil. Subs: Feeney

Bo'ness: Peat (Allan 73), Snowdon, McAvoy, Devine, Kennedy, Hay, Donnelly (Scanlan 64), Nimmo, Hislop, J Donaldson, Lawson. Subs: Walker, Hunter