Fauldhouse United came away with the three points against derby rivals Stoneyburn to raise the curtain on the East of Scotland Football League season at a sun-soaked Park View.
A tight game was decided by the finest of margins due to a late penalty decision that saw Fulshie goalkeeper Mathew Craig controversially sent-off before Declan McDonald stroked home the penalty to give the home side a 2-1 win.
Cameron Donaldson gave Stoneyburn the lead in the first half but the visitors were pegged back through Connor Scullion shortly after, and the game seemed to be heading for a draw until the dramatic conclusion.
With fans back in the ground and both teams looking to make a statement as they leave the Junior game behind, the excitement was building as the teams took to the pitch.
Fauldhouse suffered an early blow when their captain Liam Bailey was forced off through injury, with both sides building a good tempo throughout the first half despite the heat bearing down on them.
It was the visitors who drew first blood for the season in the 32 d minute. A set-piece routine saw a shot ricochet off keeper Daniel Tobin into the path of Donaldson, who tucked home the rebound to give the visitors the lead.
The Hoose showed resilience to bounce back from the one-two punch of losing their captain and a goal, and ten minutes later they gained the equaliser when Scullion managed to get hold of the ball in the middle of a stramash inside the box and score.
The hot weather seemed to be taking their toll on both sides but there were still plenty of chances created, with Tobin and Craig being called into action at either end.
The pace of the game seemed to be to Stoneyburn’s liking but shortly before the late Jack Breen beat the offside trap only for his shot to be fired straight at Craig.
The turning point arrived in the 87th minute as Craig Marshall managed to play Chris Lennon through on goal and Craig, who had a terrific game, conceded the penalty after pulling the forward down.
To add insult to injury, he was shown a red card much to the surprise of those in attendance.
McDonald stepped up to the spot and scored to give the home side the late lead and ultimately the three points.
Fauldhouse manager Chris Mackie was pleased with his side’s performance in their first competitive game in the East of Scotland league, saying: "It was pretty eventful, and I expected the game to be a battle. All credit to Stoneyburn because they knocked us off our stride today particularly with the early goal.
"I was happy we got the equaliser when we did but the second half was quite stuffy. But in my opinion the better team won, and it is good to get three points on the board."
He added: "To be honest the captain (Liam Bailey) has been struggling with a hamstring injury so I probably shouldn’t have played him but he’s so important to us.
"We took a bit of a knock through losing him, but these things happen in football, particularly in derby games.
“I thought the ref got it spot on for both decisions at the end. I thought it was a penalty and I also thought it was a red card.
"The rules are clear in that if you pull him down in the box and try to play the ball, it’s a yellow but if you pull him down when there’s a way past you then it’s a red.”
Stoneyburn coach Steven Sharp was equally pleased with his team’s output on Saturday but disagreed regarding the red card decision:
He commented: "You’re coming up against one of the best in the league so it’s always going to be tough. You go in with a few missing but we have got the squad depth to take care of it.
"I thought the boys gave everything, I’m proud of my players and I just want them to show that we are a good side and that we’re competitive.
"It’s a disappointing end to the game with Matty getting sent-off, and you could see he was devastated but I can assure you he’s not let me down. I don’t believe it’s a red card.”
Stoneyburn continue their league campaign on Tuesday night when they host Edinburgh College while Fauldhouse travel to Bo’ness Athletic this Friday night.
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