"Goals from Ryan Hill and Blair Ross were enough to earn Haddington an easy victory in a wet and windy match against Currie Star", writes NOAH MEHMETI.
The first half began with Haddington in control and their good play almost resulted in the first goal of the game. Adem Dursun was played through after a piercing Blair Ross through ball, but the winger did not strike the ball cleanly and the keeper was able to collect comfortably.
Shortly after, Haddington centre-back Reece Rudyj saw his 25-yard free-kick come inches away from the back of the net as it struck the crossbar, much to the keeper’s relief.
The following minutes saw a host of half-chances fall Haddington’s way, with a couple of tame shots from the edge of the box being saved comfortably by the Star stopper.
Currie’s first chance came in the 15th minute when a free-kick from their own half bounced around the opposition box, but the Haddington defence managed to clear the ball away easily.
Following the clearance, Haddington striker Ryan Hill was through on goal but an excellent bit of defending from Currie centre-back Mohammed Kuri stopped Hill from scoring what seemed to be a golden opportunity.
One of Currie’s few chances, in what turned out to be a frustrating match for them, was a free kick from just outside the box. The free kick was smashed disappointedly into the wall which set Haddington on the break.
The danger seemed to have disappeared when Kuri won the ball back for Currie with a solid tackle but he played a weak back-pass to the keeper that Hill pounced on and led to the first goal. The number 9 shot straight at the goal but the keeper failed to get a strong hand on it and the ball crept in, giving Haddington a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute.
The remaining minutes of the first half saw only one more chance, which fell to the goal scorer Hill, however Kuri made up for his prior mistake and won the ball back with a strong tackle.