Eyemouth United 3

Peebles Rovers 2

Neil Hobson at Warner Park

A TRIP to the seaside ended in despair for Peebles Rovers as they went down 3-2 to high-flying Eyemouth at Warner Park.

The burning issue etched in the management teams mind before this match was undoubtedly the nightmarish conundrum of why Peebles simply couldn't score goals, despite an almost alarming plethora of chances falling the way of their misfiring forwards. But, following this particular encounter, they'll be wondering why they couldn't score enough.

The season so far has seen the Whitestone club score only a handful of league goals; a Colin Smith free-kick against Heriot-Watt the only notable highlight in a pitiful goalscoring CV.

But, the re-signing of last season's goal-scoring hero, Scott Sutherland, saw Peebles enjoy a resurgence up front, even if his colleagues at the back enjoyed a slightly less pleasant time.

As the game kicked off, both sides were generally even in an attacking sense. Peebles arguably had the better of the opening exchanges, with Saul Schulz-Keith unlucky unlucky to see his shot narrowly whizzed over the bar after ten minutes.

But, the Rovers did eventually find themselves trailing, much to the fury of manager Ger Rossi after a controversial decision from the referee. Michael Cockburn was hauled down just outside his own 18 yard line. Most stopped in anticipation of a free-kick, but Eyemouth played to the whistle.

As the ball was cut back inside the six-yard box, the ball was eventually stabbed past McGinley by Andrew Sword.

What followed, proved to be the first chapter in a running conflict between Rovers and referee. Such a decision unsurprisingly sparked the fury of the Peebles squad, and young striker, Lewis Marshall was the next one destined for the ref's noose. Marshall took exception too what happened and was swiftly handed his marching orders with a straight red.

The madness was set to continue, and Peebles promptly equalized and then lost the services of their goalkeeper; all in a 5-minute spell. Schulz-Keith, who had looked menacing all game, latched onto a marvellous through-ball from Colin Smith.

He quickly sped off, cut inside and smashed the ball home to pull it level.

But, just when things were looking up, Rovers lost Ben McGinley following a clash in the box with Andrew Sword.

The post-match analysis revealed ligament damage and the stopper is likely to be on the sidelines for the coming months.

With no sub goalkeeper permitted, Chris Robertson was forced to fill the breach.

Surprisingly, Peebles came out at half-time looking the superior side.

Morale was boosted with the introduction of Sutherland , who swiftly marked his return in red and white with a tremendous header on 52 minutes that the Eyemouth keeper simply had no chance of stopping.

Peebles looked dangerous every time they went forward, with Schulz-Keith and Sutherland both looking lethal. But, Lady Luck once again was posted missing for Peebles, as a sublime 20-yard strike from Sean Campbell pulled the Fisherman level.

As the game went on, it looked as though the footballing deadlock was not going to be broken.

But, if Peebles were going down, they were going down in style. Striker, James Wilson, came out of nowhere to smash an unbelievable 30-yard strike home past Robertson.

This ultimately proved to be the last chance of a game littered with talking points, and the wait for a second win for Ger Rossi continues.