Jeanfield Swifts 0-1 Bo’ness Utd: BUs up to fourth

In the end a first half Brian Morgan strike was the difference between the sides who largely cancelled each other out in the Perthshire sunshine.

There was a more familiar look to the Bo’ness line-up with Stuart Hunter, Mark McKenzie and Ian Nimmo all restored to the starting XI after sitting out the cup win over Oakley.

United had the ball in the back of the net midway through the half when Ross Campbell headed a deep Ryan Stevenson free-kick home, unfortunately for the big defender the whistle had blown for an infringement and both teams were still level.

With ten minutes of the half remaining Mark McKenzie powered a Hunter cross goalward but was thwarted by a fingertip save from home goalkeeper Mitchell. Terry Hewitt was next to try his luck with a header from a Tom Grant cross, but his effort was always rising and didn’t trouble the goalkeeper.

Bo’ness had the momentum and opened the scoring shortly before the interval. McKenzie held the ball well deep in the Jeanfield half and released Grant wide on the left, the BU winger headed forward and sent a low cross across the face of goal which kindly deflected into the path of United’s top scorer Brian Morgan who swept the ball home.

The hosts swarmed forward after conceding and thought they had levelled the match deep into first half stoppage time when up stepped Jeanfield danger man Connor McLaren and his drive beat the wall but not Andy Murphy who showed great reflexes to tip the ball over the crossbar.

Fraser Keast spurned a golden chance to double the United advantage shortly after the hour mark but dragged his shot wide.

Two minutes were remaining when the big chance that Jeanfield were waiting for arrived but the otherwise excellent Scott fluffed his lines and knocked the ball well over the crossbar.

Bo’ness: Murphy, Stevenson, Hunter, Hewitt, Campbell, Gemmell, Nimmo (Comrie), Keast, (Donnelly), Grant, Morgan and McKenzie. Unused: Snowdon, Mooney.