East End F.C. welcomed Rothie Rovers F.C. to a sunny New Advocates Park, in the first afternoon of earlier kick-off times in the North Region Premier League. East End head coach Stuart Shinnie will be looking for a decent reaction from his side, who were comprehensively beaten 5-0 by Buchanhaven Hearts last week. Rothie, who have played the least amount of games in the league sit bottom after a tough run of fixtures, the last being a home defeat to Banks o’ Dee Juniors.

Without the assistance of linesmen, referee Derek Mitchell began proceedings as the wind picked up, with a lively opening period ensuing. East End’s Jack Odin was felled in the Rothie box after just 4 minutes, but his plead for a penalty was quickly denied by the referee. East End continued to cause trouble, this time down the left wing with Antonio Jam. His drilled cross met Odin, who couldn’t quite get enough on the ball to divert it goalward. Jam was eager to collect passes lofted over the Rothie defense, but the away team held firm and nullified East End’s attacks.

Rothie managed a venture up the park, where a quick reverse pass split the East End defense and unleashed Rory Brown. His shot from the right flashed across goal and seemingly away from danger, but the ball was picked up by Kyle Gordon and slotted home in the 27th minute. The goal will have disappointed Stuart Shinnie, with his side looking strong until Rothie scored. It could have been an audacious second for the away side, with Mackenzie Taylor fancying his chances from nearly the halfway line. His shot fell wide, to the relief of East End keeper Grant Corbett.

East End struggled to recover from losing the goal, with little forays forward before half-time. Rothie were happy to play it safe in possession, making for an uninspiring end to the half.

Rothie came racing out of the second-half traps, looking to kill of East End early on. Substitute Jamie McKinnon got on the end of a deep corner, forcing a smart stop from Corbett who tipped over his headed effort. More substitutes on the hour seemed to swing the game back into East End’s favour, but they lacked vigour going forward, allowing Rothie to soak up the pressure.

Lewis Milne was eventually called into action for the away side, when East End’s Fraser Thomson cut in from the left and curled an effort towards the bottom right corner. Milne was alert and made a smart save, pushing the ball away from danger.

Minutes ticked away whilst the sides continued to cancel each other out, little action to note towards full-time. Rothie’s Rory Brown had the chance to kill the game off with 10 minutes to play, but his free kick was lofted just over the bar. An injury time corner for East End sparked ideas of a late comeback, but Rothie cleared well and looked comfortable until the referee blew the final whistle.

A game that will soon be forgotten by those involved, but a precious three points for Rothie, who record their first away win of the season. Results elsewhere means Rothie rise from bottom spot and into 14th, whilst East End drop to 12th. Next up for East End is a trip to Newmachar, and Rothie welcome Maud.

Match Facts

Goals:

East End	Rothie Rovers
	27′ K. Gordon

Bookings:

East End	Rothie Rovers
80′ L. May	42′ M. Tewnion
	54′ R. Brown

Substitutions:

East End	Rothie Rovers
58′ C. Sharp ↓ C. Bloomer ↑	46′ C. Wood ↓ J. McKinnon ↑
76′ J. Odin ↓I. Tarasenko ↑	56′ M. Tewnion ↓ T. Ward ↑