It was a really blissful New Yr for Jeanfield Swifts supporters who made the journey to West Lothian on Saturday afternoon.
The Perth facet headed into 2023 with a spring of their step due to a deserved 4-2 Premier Division win in opposition to Blackburn United.
Swifts truly needed to play 70 minutes of this match with 10 gamers after Ewan Moyes was proven a straight crimson for what was deemed a last-man problem.
Fortunately, by that time, Connor McLaren’s double, the primary a deflected strike from vary after which a scientific header, had opened up a two-goal benefit.
Blackburn would retaliate from the penalty spot earlier than Paul Simpson restored the cushion for a 3-1 half-time lead.
Chris McLeish, who led the road nicely and took numerous hits throughout the afternoon, secured the factors with a well-worked fourth which had been kick-started by Kieran Sweeney’s correct lengthy diagonal swap.
The hosts did pull again a comfort – once more from the penalty spot – however not sufficient to cease Swifts’ Hogmanay celebrations beginning early.
“We’d requested to maneuver the fixture a month or so in the past and Blackburn declined,” supervisor Ross Gunnion mentioned afterwards.
“We even requested to play it a bit of earlier however they refused in order that they have been clearly hoping to catch us with our minds elsewhere.
“Given we hadn’t performed since early December, I used to be actually happy with how we began the sport.
“Blackburn tried to press us and drive us to make errors however we formed up nicely and performed by way of the press to go one up, then observe it up with a superb second purpose.
“From there we have been in management however a hopeful ball and a coming collectively of Moyes and their quantity 9 led to a choice to ship Ewan off.
“I feel everybody within the floor was dumbfounded because the ball was by no means going to be collected by their striker. At worst it’s a foul, not even a yellow card, however the referee thought in any other case.
“To then get pegged again to 2-1 with a really comfortable penalty name may have signalled a collapse.
“However the gamers didn’t let the detrimental impression of these poor choices affect them.
“If something we managed the sport for the rest of the half and let Blackburn have the ball in areas they couldn’t damage us. It was a really disciplined and professional efficiency general.”
Gunnion was significantly happy with the self-discipline and mentality proven by his squad after happening a person.
“Having Connor McLaren, Chris McLeish and Paul Simpson in a position to create and rating the objectives they did provides the squad an enormous quantity of confidence to make use of the ball and look to play by way of groups,” Gunnion mentioned.
“And that’s what we did all afternoon by way of the midfield, full backs and centre halves.
“The ball from Kieran Sweeney for the fourth purpose, contact from Paul Simpson and end from Chris McLeish is pretty much as good as you’ll see at any degree over the weekend.”
Swifts moved as much as second within the Premier Division standings, though stay 9 factors again of leaders Linlithgow Rose.