Reivers 4
Kinross 2
EAST MENS DIVISION ONE
The Reivers welcomed Kinross to Tweedbank on Saturday for a league encounter, having lost in their last two fixtures with the Taysiders.
The Reivers went into the game slightly underpowered as trips to rugby in Wales and work commitments left the home team shorn of six players who had featured in the loss to Edinburgh University the previous week. There were returns for Jordan Bure on the right wing and Jamie Lamb on the subs’ bench.
Kinross, too, were lacking players when they had a man green carded for persistent fouling within the first five minutes. Reivers took advantage of their numerical superiority by opening the scoring. Good work down the right wing by Bure and Lofthouse led to the ball being fired across the circle and Pitman was on hand at the back to drive the ball home with aplomb.
By this time Kinross were beginning to compose themselves and look dangerous on the break out, with skilful play in the midfield and good running from the forwards.
Reivers were showing good skills too and it was from one of these moves that the second goal came, Tim Watkin, making his first start of 2012, the scorer.
With a two-goal lead, Reivers relaxed a little and allowed Kinross to gain a toe-hold on the game. The pressure eventually paid as Kinross snatched a goal just before the interval.
Half-time words from captain Lofthouse seemed to pay dividends when, early in the second half, Reivers’ Andy Bell, broke his seven-year goal drought with a cool finish.
This seemed to galvanise Kinross who replied with a straight strike from a short corner rising all the way into the net, the fact it was not a flick seemed to be lost due to it having been touched by the goalkeeper who could not keep it out.
This perceived injustice fired up the home team who promptly fired in the fourth goal to kill the game, the mis-firing Pitman of the previous week seemingly replaced with a far more potent version.
Captain Lofthouse said: “This was far closer to what we are capable of. We could have killed the game by half time, however three points which were badly needed have been bagged.
“If we can show this level of consistency we will not be far away come the end of the season.”
Reivers: S. Young, S. Conkie, P. Conkie, B. Montgomery, R. Girvan, J. Bure, A. Bell, G. Lofthouse, T. Watkin, G. Roberts, S. Pitman. Subs: J. Lamb, P. Gibson, D. Johnston.