Match preview submitted by JOHN SPOWART!

Match Preview 2020 2021

Berwick Rangers, Lowland League, Newtown Park, Saturday 07 November 2020

Bo’ness United’s postponement at Dalbeattie Star last weekend was the only game to fall to the weather meaning they dropped back to fifth place in the Lowland League table. On Saturday Berwick Rangers visit Newtown Park and the BUs hope to resume their good form to date with four wins and a draw from their first five games.

Berwick were founded in 1884 and competed in various leagues before joining the Scottish Football League in 1951. They played in a number of grounds and it was not until 1954 that they settled in their current home Shielfield Park. Research by Bo’ness United historian Don Burns found the town’s former senior club Bo’ness FC played a number of games against Berwick Rangers in the 1930’s. They met in the 34/35 season in the qualifying cup with a no score draw at Newtown but Bo’ness scored five without reply in the replay. In what turned out to be Bo’ness FCs final season the league games between the two had Bo’ness with maximum points as well as winning at Berwick in the King Cup. Berwick gained some revenge, beating Bo’ness in the Qualifying Cup. This was the 38/39 season when Bo’ness won the East of Scotland League, the final competition before the outbreak out of World War II.

Berwick played in the SPFL until last season when they dropped into the Lowland League after losing the League 2 playoff to Cove Rangers. Their first campaign in tier five saw them finish in the bottom half of the table but they are looking to improve this time round. So far ten points from a possible eighteen has not been a great start although the games have been tight, including a narrow loss versus East Kilbride and a draw at BSC Glasgow.

Bo’ness United’s last outing was a hard-fought home draw against Civil Service Strollers. Thomas Grant headed the BUs into an early lead but just before the half hour Craig Comrie was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Alieau Faye. Just short of the break Ross Guthrie equalised for the visitors but resolute defending ensured a share of the points for Bo’ness who might have snatched the win at the end.

Again, no fans are allowed in the ground but once again they can watch the game, filmed by Sanctus Media, access to the live stream via Fanbase at www.fanbaseclub.com. Tickets are purchased through the site, where registration is required, and the link to watch the match is emailed prior to kick off. The advice is to buy your ticket early to receive your link in ample time. The coverage provided by Sanctus Media is excellent with the use of multi cameras following the action completely.

Saturday’s contest means Bo’ness have only had one away game so far and they know there are many difficult journeys ahead of them. However, they hope the points so far will stand them in good stead for cementing their place in this league. In saying that, Bo’ness once again know another difficult game beckons and only a top performance will do to gain a positive result

John Spowart
05 November 2020