There was late drama to be found at Meadowbank at the weekend, where visiting side Livingston went home with all the points from the SWPL 2 clash, snatching their winning goal just moments after an added time equaliser from Boroughmuir.
Livi would take the lead with a stunning free kick from Rachel Walkingshaw which would be the only goal of an eventful yet unimpactful first half.
Thistle grabbed an equaliser early on in the second period, with Cailin Michie curling the ball beyond the Livingston goalkeeper to find the bottom left corner. Thistle would continue to dominate proceedings but it would be Livingston who found themselves ahead when Hannah Davie found the back of the net with 10 minutes to go.
All the drama was yet to come it seemed, as many believe Rebecca Galbraith had won at least a point for the home side when her header from close range evened the scoreline in added time. However, the visitors from West Lothian would sucker punch the girls and leave their trip to the capital city with all three points thanks to an instinctual finish from Emma McFadyen.
The result sees Boroughmuir fall 12 points behind leaders Hamilton, albeit with a game in hand, as the difficulty of securing promotion increases for Andy Enwood and the team.
It was a quiet start to the match, contrast to the start in the same fixture in the Sky Sports Cup this season, with Livingston setting up well and hard to break down. It would be the guests who started the game with the better of the chances, when attacker Erin Burns bared down one on one with Toni Harkness, who won the battle of wits to deny Livi the opener with an incredible save in the 18th minute.
This would be undone a minute later however, as the away side took the lead in spectacular fashion. Rachel Walkingshaw stepped up for a free kick 25 yards from goal, finding the top left corner from distance and well out of reach for Harkness to keep out.
Falling behind never demoralised Thistle though, who had the chances to go into the break at least on level terms, but the breakthrough just never materialised despite the constant pressure.
Thistle came flying out the traps in the second half and played much like how they ended the first, which quickly transpired into an equalising effort. Cailin Michie picked the ball up at the edge of the box, and her effort beat the despairing Rachel Pirie who could not stop the ball finding the corner of the net as the scores were levelled at one goal a piece.
Thistle could so nearly have taken the lead just minutes after Michie’s equaliser. Rebecca Galbraith got onto the end of a low cross to steer the ball goalbound, but the linesman was quick in his decision to rule the goal out before any celebrations could take shape.
There was a special moment in the 73rd minute of the match, when Caitlin Lynch took the field to mark her first appearance following a horror period out on the sidelines with injuries since December. She replaced Leni Parrish and Holly Aitchison was also replaced by Emily Reid.
Despite arguably being the better side, Thistle could not make this control count for anything as they would again find themselves behind in the 80th minute, when Hannah Davie would put her side in front with a tidy finish, to the frustration of the home side.
Thistle had no other choice but to throw the kitchen sink at this game to get at least a point from a game they deserved something from, and they thought they would be getting at least that when Galbraith got on the end of SWPL 2 Player of the Month Cara Borthwick’s cross and connect a header beyond Pirie to make the score 2-2.
Boroughmuir perhaps suffered from the old cliché that you are most vulnerable when you’ve just scored, which proved to be true as Livi snatched a winner at the death when Emma McFadyen’s first time finish went past Harkness.
An agonising one to take for Thistle this weekend, however they will have to dust themselves down and prepare for a trip to the South West as they travel to Ayr United.
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