Peebles Rovers 0

Heriot-Watt University 0

Neil Hobson at Whitestone Park

PEEBLES Rovers banished the looming spectre of defeat at home this season, with a well-deserved point against high-flying Heriot-Watt, a point that sees Peebles climb up the table to seventh.

Rovers’ boss, Ger Rossi, will have undoubtedly let out a sigh of relief following this clash, as his side successfully stopped the rot at Whitestone Park. Prior to the students rolling into town, Peebles had failed to pick up a single point at home, with the only three points of the campaign coming against Burntisland Shipyard at Recreation Park.

But, whilst the Rovers can enjoy what really was a well-deserved point, it was once again the same old story for Rossi’s team; an almost sickening deluge of chances came the home team’s way, but a curious inability to tuck away even the most clear-cut of chances is undeniably becoming a huge setback for the Whitestone club.

Rossi made just the one change in the starting XI, with Colin Smith, returning from suspension, coming in for the unavailable James Dodds.

He moved into the role of sweeper, as part of wide ranging structural changes to the side.

James Runciman was moved to right-back to cover for Dodds and the injured Jamie Mackay, whilst striker David Lindsay dropped back to his preferred role in the middle of the park, and Rossi took his spot up front to partner Scott Inglis.

It was a switch up that almost immediately paid out a handsome reward.

Lindsay was tremendous in the middle, his physical presence and uncanny ability to detect and disarm danger before it manifested itself, gave the Rovers the capacity to add some serious steel to the backbone of the midfield.

Peebles landed the first punch early on, some fantastic movement from Schulz-Keith saw him rampage down the right flank, sending a cross flying into a packed goalmouth, Lee Zavaroni came the closest to heading it past Craig Saunders, but, it ultimately came to nothing.

The new strike partnership of Rossi and Inglis was working out a treat, with Rossi’s experience and predatory intelligence a huge asset to the maverick unpredictability of Inglis.

The charge continued, with Ben Brown playing a great long-ball to Inglis who was unlucky to see his run killed off by Saunders.

Watt responded through the talismanic figure of Elliot Sutherland who darted down the left channel, cut inside and promptly mishit his shot, making it a straight-forward save for Ben McGinley.

This was one of few chances for Heriot-Watt, with McGinley almost as much a spectator as those in the stand.

This was the single most recurring theme of the game, with an almost totally uninterrupted 90 minute spell of red and white dominance. The second half saw a toilet-roll long list of chances fall the way of the Rovers, but, without divine intervention, Peebles simply had no chance of getting past Saunders.

Scott Inglis was the closest to breaching this wall, with two great efforts banging off the woodwork on 52 and 65 minutes respectively.

But, this was another unsolved case, another day where the goals simply didn’t appear and Peebles were left scratching their heads, wondering how they walked away with just the one point.

Peebles: McGinley, Runciman, Brown, Robertson, Cockburn, Lindsay, Zavaroni, Smith, Rossi, Inglis & Schulz-Keith.