Burgh Victorious In Cambuslang

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Five goals from five different scorers (Small, Gillespie (pen), Brophy, McKinlay and Simeon) ensured that Burgh left South Lanarkshire with all three points.

Cambuslang started the game quickly, with an attack in the first 30 seconds which resulted in a corner. The corner came to nothing as the Camby defender headed wide. Following this, Burgh took control of the game, although failed to test the home keeper. The next real chance of the game fell to the home side. The Camby number 10 got the better of Malky McDonald but struck his shot straight at Jamie McGowan.

On 13 minutes, Burgh forced the Camby keeper into his first save of the game. Ally Small fired low but the keeper's save was a fairly comfortable one. With Burgh ramping up the pressure, Camby struggled to get a foothold in the game and conceded a free kick on the edge of the box. Brophy stepped up to take it and fired it into the wall.. With 20 minutes on the clock, Burgh's pressure paid off as Ally Small put the visitors ahead. Gary McCann crossed it from the left, Ross McKenzie flicked it on and Small controlled it then fired home from just over six yards out as he scored in his third consecutive game since joining the Burgh.

Less than two minutes later, the Wee Gers were level as Burgh failed to deal with a ball into the box and Gary Fleming equalised for the hosts.

Four minutes after being pegged back, Burgh had another free kick just outside the box when Esplin was brought down. Brophy took it and thought he'd restored Burgh's lead as his free kick deflected off a defender in the wall and squirmed under the keeper's body into the net but the referee blew his whistle and demanded the free kick be retaken. The next attempt hit the wall and deflected over for a corner. Burgh took the corner short and Gary McCann crossed the ball into the box. The ball ended up in the net but despite Ross McKenzie neither touching the ball nor being in an offside position, the referee blew for offside and disallowed the goal and the looks on the faces of the Cambuslang defenders told you they knew they'd got away with one.

Burgh continued to dominate and looked certain to retake the lead but couldn't find the breakthrough.

As it looked like the teams would go in level at the break, Camby launched a long ball forward into the Burgh box and, with his back to goal, the Camby skipper headed it into the net to give the hosts a half-time lead.

Half time: 2-1

The visitors started the second half brightly as they looked to pull back level. Camby weathered the early storm and grew into the game creating a couple of chances of their own.

16 minutes into the second half, Burgh had a shout for a penalty when Stuart McCann looked to be brought down in the box but the referee wasn't interested and played on. The loose ball then fell to Brophy, whose effort was struck firmly and flew millimetres past the post.

With the rain teeming down in the second half, Burgh flooded the Cambuslang box with ball after ball searching desperately for an equaliser but it looked as though hosts would hold out.

With 15 minutes to play, Jojo Gillespie made his way into the box and was pulled to the ground by the Camby captain and this time, despite the vociferous protests from the home team, the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot for a Burgh penalty. Gillespie, himself, stepped up to take it and duly converted.

With eight minutes remaining, the Camby keeper made two howlers as Burgh scored twice in 90 seconds to take a 4-2 lead. First, Gillespie sent Brophy away down the right and his low cross seemed overhit as both McKinlay and Small pulled up expecting the keeper to easily gather the ball. However, the ball somehow squeezed beneath the keeper and ended up in the net.

Next, it was McKinlay's turn to add his name to the scoresheet as his cross-cum-shot from the right wing looked like an easy catch for the keeper, but the ball went through the hands of the keeper and into the net.

In the 86th minute, Burgh had another appeal for a penalty as the ball appeared to strike the hand of the Camby defender but the referee waved away the protests.

Although the game was over at this point, the Burgh weren't finished. In the third minute of injury time, Brophy put a superb cross into the box, and Dale Simeon slipped away from his man to power his header beyond the helpless keeper for 5-2.

Burgh now sit fourth in the league, only one point off top with just three points separating the top eight. Next up, we take a break from league action as we welcome Dundee East Craigie to Keanie Park in the Scottish Junior Cup on Saturday 2nd September with a, later than usual, 14:30 kick off. Please note that season tickets are not valid for this tie.

Full time: 2-5

Goals: Small, Gillespie, Brophy, McKinlay, Simeon

Starting XI: McGowan, Crooks, Wallace, McDonald, Naismith, Esplin (C), Brophy, McKenzie, Small, S McCann, G McCann

Man of the Match: Del Esplin

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