Our media office Jack Harris reports from last night's game below.
Edinburgh South danced to a 2-0 victory beneath the Meadowbank moonlight, defeating Leith Athletic in Wednesday night’s 8pm kick-off.
An early goal from Ciaran Vaughan and a penalty slotted home at the start of the second half by Kenny O’Brien were enough to bag South a victory on the road. Late opportunities nearly heralded greater festive cheer, but a much-needed three points will nevertheless be a welcome early present underneath Ainslie Hunter’s tree.
The result takes South to 10th in the table, as the capital club will ring in the New Year confident in their desire to stake their claim in the East of Scotland league.
A tense opening to the match saw Hunter’s men looking to find a rhythm in the game, but relentless passing sequences from the hosts had the men in red struggling to build possession. South displayed admirable defensive solidity, with few chances percolating through an industrious backline that allowed Lewis Whitelaw to enjoy a calm first half.
South’s industry was particularly evident in their attacking play, with Ciaran Vaughan and Stuart Martin sparkling at the spearhead of the South trident. Both displayed quick feet, technical trickery and positive offensive thinking to create a number of good chances in and around the Leith box.
The pressure cracked through the resilience of the hosts relatively early on, as Vaughan grabbed the opener on 21 minutes. Again, it was the link-up between Martin and Vaughan that broke the deadlock: the former gliding a wonderful through-ball to the latter’s feet, as South’s number 7 shot early, driving a low strike into the bottom far corner.
One goal did little but whet the appetites of the visitors, who continued to knock on the Leith door with a number of opportunities to double their lead. Martin had the visiting support on their feet as he surged towards the area in pursuit of a ball from Vaughan, but the cross was just too low to be met by his diving header. Minutes later – just before the half-time break – Martin’s denial was nearly Blake Wales’ reward, the latter unable to keep an effort on target that would’ve been chalked off for an earlier foul.
Emerging from the changing room, South would need little time to find their second of the night. A corner was clumsily cleared by the Leith defence, as the ball found its way to Sean Stewart in the box. Leith’s keeper rushed out to claim it, hacking Stewart down and leaving the referee with little to consider. Captain Kenny O’Brien made no mistake from the spot, sending the keeper the wrong way before rolling a cool finish into the other corner.
South’s defensive displays offered scarce space for Leith to forge a path back into the game, the visitors never looking like squandering their hard-fought clean sheet. Late substitutes Reece Ferguson and Reece Standen both had very late chances to find a third, the former enjoying the pick of the crop with a superb effort that crashed against the post from range.
A well-earned victory sees South leapfrog their opponents on the night in the standings, taking them 7 points clear of the drop-zone. Following the Christmas break, they will face high-flying Heriot Watt University at Saughton Enclosure on January 4th, hoping to produce an upset in front of their home crowd.
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