6 minutes and counting.........

Albion came within 6 minutes of taking the three points at Pilrig last night. The night didn't start too well with the injury list increasing from Saturdays make shift side. The loss of Burnett, Weir and Heaney who all picked up serious knocks from Saturday, left Albion with some serious selection problems. Added to his was keeper Wallace, unavailable due to business commitments, and captain Rutherford, suspended on Saturday, but injured last night due to a niggling shoulder injury. With holidays still an issue, Albion struck a line through nine players on last nights team lines. With only a squad of 12 lining up for the game, it was with some trepidation that Albion approached the kick off. What a difference 84 minutes makes!. From the first whistle Albion stormed at their visitors and Cross should have had Albion in front after only 40 seconds but his angled shot was saved by the outstretched hand of the Academicals keeper. It was fully five minutes before the visitors made their first foray into the Albion half as the home side chased and challenged for every ball and forced their way on top in the game. Albion came close again in 19 minutes when big Robbie Scouse chipped a glorious swerving shot on to the bar only to see the ball rebound to safety. In an eveny balanced first half Albion could be pleased with the reaction. Half time 0-0 It was the visitors who opened the half in a more determined fashion and Albion were under a bit of pressure in the opening 10 minutes. The Albion back line with Grieve, commanding his goal area, stood up well to the pressure. The breakthrough came in 61 minutes when a wonderfully flighted free kick from Reilly found right back Chris Martin who out jumped the keeper to glance home a neat header to give Albion a 1-0 lead. The game ebbed and flowed from there, but slowly, but surely Albion found themselves defending in numbers and the well drilled back line lost concentration for the first time in the game when a low shot across goal found the striker unmarked at the far post who drilled home the equaliser in 84 minutes. The visitors now sensed an opportunity to salvage even more from their pressure and Albion had to pull in some extra effort in order to compete. It was looking like a deserved draw would be the likely outcome, when a dubious free kick was awarded to the visitors on the edge of the area. Albions offside trap failed to deliver, and with four Academicals players stood in the six yard box, Albion waited for the whistle that never came as the ball was headed into the net in the dying seconds. Albion restarted from the centre circle.....and the referee blew for time.Full Time 1-2. The timing of the goals were a sore point. Albion had put enough effort into this game to have deserved more. A draw would have been a fair reflection given the industry of both teams, but in reality the visitors displayed a bit more imagination than the home side in the last third. With strikers playing in midfield and midfielders playing in defence, all things considered, and with Albions pre match selection problems, the effort and display was more than a match for a very good Edinburgh Academiacals side.