Bo'ness Athletic go 11 points clear at the top of the table after win

Bo’ness Athletic moved 11 points clear at the top of the East of Scotland Third Division on Saturday after a 4-0 win over bottom club Harthill Royal.
By Ben Kearney
Published 18th Jan 2023, 00:12 BST
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Willie Irvine’s side picked up the three points thanks to a double from former Arbroath ace Dylan Paterson and goals from top goalscorer Tiwi Daramola and Blair Woodburn.

The Newtown Park outfit have now won eight matches consecutively in all competitions, but boss Willie Irvine is staying grounded.

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"We are so far ahead already in terms of the promotion spots at the top and that is pleasing,” he told the Falkirk Herald. “We want to win the league but need to stay grounded in that sense. We need to take each game as it comes.

Dylan Paterson celebrates scoring Bo’ness Athletic’s opening goal as they defeated Harthill Royal 4-0 in the East of Scotland Third Division to move 11 points clear (Pics by Scott Louden)Dylan Paterson celebrates scoring Bo’ness Athletic’s opening goal as they defeated Harthill Royal 4-0 in the East of Scotland Third Division to move 11 points clear (Pics by Scott Louden)
Dylan Paterson celebrates scoring Bo’ness Athletic’s opening goal as they defeated Harthill Royal 4-0 in the East of Scotland Third Division to move 11 points clear (Pics by Scott Louden)

“It wasn’t a nice day for a game of football. It was cold, windy and wet. It was one of them that wasn’t about a big performance, it was just about getting the three points. It is going to be like that for the next couple of months until the weather dies down a bit.

“We are lucky that we have an okay astroturf surface because if we were on grass the game wouldn’t have been played. We know from last season that you don’t want to have a backlog of games waiting to be rescheduled.”

On the winning performance, Irvine added: “We dominated the game from start to finish. I don’t think they had a shot at goal or a corner kick in the match.

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"Defensively we were very good again and that is pleasing, especially with the wind going the one way.

Dylan Paterson feeds a cross into the boxDylan Paterson feeds a cross into the box
Dylan Paterson feeds a cross into the box

“It is easy to look at our goal tally but we are so strong at the back compared to all of the other teams in the division. That is a big factor in how have been so consistent this year.”

Centre-half Woodburn has now grabbed three goals in his last two matches, with the boss praising the defenders impact in both boxes.

“His overall game has been really good and he is a big part of why our defence has been so solid,” Irvine said. “We’ve only lost five-odd goals at home this campaign.

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"Of course Warren is a big threat at set-pieces and he got one in again on Saturday but he has so much to his game. He is overlooked probably by other teams.”

Bo’ness Athletic now face Pumpherston on Saturday afternoon at Newtown Park.

Related topics:Bo'ness Athletic

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