Hall Russell United F.C. played under their new floodlights in the North Region Championship for the first time, drawing against Westdyke CC Juniors 1-1. An early away goal from Westdyke’s Tom Chalmers was cancelled out by a late Miller Keir strike, with both sides settling for a point on a historic day for the Bridge of Don based side, which saw over 170 fans through the Denmore Park gates.

Hall Russell had the livelier start finding space down the left wing. Junior Emea looked to pick out Jay Neill with a lofted through-ball, but Westdyke’s defense was alert to the early threat. Hall Russell continued to be the stronger side until Westdyke’s first foray forward ended in a goal. The ball was whipped into the box from the left wing and Tom Chalmers split the centre backs and nodded home from close range on 16 minutes.

Westdyke’s opener took the wind out of Hall Russell’s sails and they struggled for quality up top. Westdyke pushed for another and made their way up the pitched with flair as Ethan Smith and Reece Taylor linked-up through the midfield.

The latter part of the half was marred by injuries to Westdyke players and a bizarre moment where a fan was ejected by the referee, with neither team producing enough quality to drive forward and score.

Hall Russell got the second half underway and quickly rejuvenated their attack with a trio of substitutions on the 50th minute. Kai Halliday, Rory Butchart and Boima Willie changed the complexion of Hall Russell going forward, and they began to pin Westdyke in their own half.

Butchart came close on the hour mark, striking wide after finding space to shoot from the centre of the box. A slew of Hall Russell free-kicks looked to threaten Westdyke’s lead, but the away side were able to clear each one.

With time ticking away for Hall Russell, they grabbed their all-important equaliser on the 78th minute. The ball was drilled in from the right wing and Miller Keir was on hand to guide it home from close range.

The equaliser made for a tense ending, with Hall Russell pushing hard for a late winner. Westdyke defended well and goalkeeper Ross Stark made a terrific save at the death to ensure a point would head back to Westhill.

Full Time- Hall Russell United 1-1 Westdyke CC Juniors

After the match, I caught it up Hall Russell manager Craig Carroll, first discussing his team’s hard-earned point.

He said: “I think a draw was fair in the end. Full credit to Westdyke, first half they were head and shoulders above our boys. We made a few changes, allowing guys who had trained really well this week to come in. Unfortunately they didn’t quite manage to execute what we were trying to do. We can’t get away with that level of performance in the first half. We try and keep the ball on the ground and play from the back but conditions at this time of the year really make it difficult.”

“We only really had the one chance in the second half to grab the draw which I feel is frustrating. I think of this more as two points dropped. The team may enjoy their night out tonight, but I won’t enjoy my weekend- that’s for sure.”

Craig was pleased at his substitutes making a positive impact on the game.

He said: “The three guys that came on all started last week, so I felt a bit of rotation was necessary. Jay [Neill] has worked so hard in the past three months to recover from a punctured lung- he deserved his chance. It wasn’t through his performance that he came off, I felt that we needed a different approach. Although our second half was much better, I shouldn’t be waiting 45 minutes for the level I expect.”

“They’re just young loons, inconsistency is to be expected. I know they are good enough though, and they were hard on themselves after the full-time whistle.”

Whilst this league fixture was held under the lights, the new floodlights are primarily for the development of the under-18 squad, who play in the Monday night development league. I asked Craig what the installation of the floodlights mean in regards to the ambition of Hall Russell.

He said: “The year we went into abeyance, the whole discussion surrounding our comeback was on how we could consistently develop under-18s and have a steady source of players for the senior team. My dad has been in charge since 1986, and our ethos has always been to give young players the chance to play Junior football. The under-18s is a major part of the club, so to get the floodlights in instrumental to our future. Gordon Davidson was a key figure in securing our funds, through business lunches and his contacts, and we are really grateful for his efforts.”

“We had a season at Westdyke, where Brian Bridgewater helped us out and allowed us to use the astroturf at Lawsondale in Westhill, whilst we fundraised our own lights. To have a home base for the under-18s is so important, but it also allows us to have nights like this, we were can get a decent crowd in. The numbers here tonight are really financially beneficial.”

“To put into perspective how important our under-18s are, 5 players this season graduated from the youth team and we have had 7 players ranging from ages 15-18 helping us out this season.”

Looking on to the rest of the season, Craig and Mccolly aim reside in the promotion spots.

He said: “It was our target at the start of the season, to be up there fighting at the top. We knew it would be difficult with such a young team, our age average at least five years less than anyone else. We do have quality however, and our team spirit is very high. Promotion is certainty possible, and we are taking it one game at a time. We’ve got a big game against Lossiemouth [United] next week so hopefully we can get back to winning ways.”