Saturday 19th Feb-22
Tranent 2 - 2 Haws
Scorers:- Ross Allum & Lyle Kellichan
MOTM:- Jake Mitchell

MATCH REPORT by Dave Edler

TRANENT 2 HAWS 2

On a pleasant day for football that may just have heralded the first signs of spring, Haws were to come away from Foresters Park with a burning sense of injustice after being denied all three points by a controversial piece of refereeing late in the game.

The healthy crowd were expecting a home win for their title chasing favourites and the atmosphere was added to by a crowd of young drummers in the corner of the stand ready to cheer their team on to victory. However, they were almost silenced just two minutes in after Ross Allum placed the ball in the back of the home net, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

It did not take long for Tranent to get into their stride, though, and it was easy to see why they were flying so high in the table. Steven Thomson fizzed a dangerous effort right across the front of the Haws goal and there was a real buzz about the home side every time they attacked. Haws still looked dangerous on the counter attack, however, and Allum had a 13th minute chance but headed straight at Kelby Mason.

Tranent took the lead on the quarter hour mark. Stuart Hall raced off his line to intercept Wayne McIntosh but in committing himself he was unable to wrest the ball from the home forward, who made space for himself before coolly slotting home. Five minutes later McIntosh was through on goal again after beating the Haws offside trap, but this time he drove wide when he probably should have done better.

Allum was involved in most of the visitors forward play and on 32 minutes he almost produced an equaliser but saw his effort from the right cannon off the crossbar. The leveller did however arrive five minutes later when Ryan Connelly beat his marker down the left before firing in an inch perfect cross and this time Allum couldn’t miss.

Incredibly, the Haws were still not finished before the break. Rather than sitting back and taking what they had into the break, they broke forwards again and Lyle Kellichan lobbed the ball over Mason from the left to take a 2-1 lead into half-time and silence the home crowd.
H-T Tranent 1 Haws 2.

The second half started with a real sense of urgency from the home side and Hall had to block an effort on the line following a corner one minute after the re-start.
The pattern of the first half was repeating itself with Tranent looking menacing going forwards and enjoying the lions share of possession but the Haws still looking very dangerous on the counter, illustrated by Allum again going close from Shaun Leishman’s 49th minute long throw but scooping his effort over the bar.
McIntosh was again guilty of profligacy in front of goal one minute later, miscuing his effort in a real let off for the visitors.
In the 62nd minute a pivotal moment in the match came when Connelly appeared to be taken down inside the box. It appeared clear that contact had been made but instead the Haws man was booked for simulation.
There was still one more chance for the Haws to put the game beyond doubt when Callum Adamson got clear of the home defence, but his effort was blocked by Mason.

And the game then ended in controversy as Tranent were awarded an 83rd minute penalty with no clear infringement having been made. Ben Miller converted but in the protests that followed Leishman received his marching orders. Haws boss Jason Dair would have taken a point before the game but the manner of the defeat left the whole squad and management team fuming at the conclusion.
Full-Time: Tranent 2 Haws 2.

TRANENT: Mason, Stevenson (sub. Miller), Rutherford, Greig, Anderson (sub. Currie), McKenzie, Thomson, Bauld, McIntosh (sub. Docherty), Murphy, Knox (sub. Wringe).

HAWS: Hall, Leishman, Grierson, Mitchell, M. Watt (sub. Adamson), Galloway, Connelly (sub. Quinn), MacLachlan (sub. Luke), Elder, Allum, Kellichan.

Attendance: N/A

SHOTS ON TARGET: Tranent 4 Haws 6

SHOTS OFF TARGET: Tranent 8 Haws 5

CORNERS: Tranent 5 Haws 3

YELLOW CARDS: Tranent 1 Haws 3

RED CARDS: Tranent 0 Haws 1

HAWS MAN OF THE MATCH: Jake Mitchell.