Berwick Rangers fall to Bonnyrigg Rose defeat as testing start continues

Berwick Rangers slipped to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of high-flying Bonnyrigg Rose at Shielfield Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Borderers’ muted start to the new campaign continued as they were sunk by a pair of first-half goals, before having a man sent off with half an hour remaining to all but extinguish any hopes of a late fightback.

Bonnyrigg struck early in proceedings, with a Kerr Young header handing them the initiative, and would double their advantage shortly before the interval through a smartly taken Rudi Bryce finish.

In a contest of few clear-cut openings, the visitors’ clinical edge in the final third proved to be a decisive factor, and as Berwick toiled without success in their hunt for a way back into the match, their prospects were diminished further when Struan Mair was shown a red card for denying Laurie Devine a goal-scoring opportunity partway through the second period.

From there, Bonnyrigg took control of the action, fashioning a series of chances without managing to add a third. A late flurry of offensive intent from Berwick would see Isaac Deh and Mikey Mbewe go close, but the game would end 2-0, and speaking after the final whistle, Rangers boss Kevin Haynes delivered a typically honest assessment of his side’s display.

He said: “Tough day, yesterday. We conceded goals at poor times in the match. We didn’t impose ourselves on the game as much as I’d have liked. That got harder when we were reduced to 10 men, with 30 minutes still to play. We had little spells where we created but didn’t do it enough throughout the game. I felt that was due to a couple of reasons: first, our lack of available strikers, and with other creative attacking players still in their recovery period from injury, they were still on limited minutes due to the recovery process.

“Secondly, because of the opposition. Bonnyrigg are a top side. They don’t give you time on the ball, they deny space and hold their shape well. They have pace and technical ability throughout their team, and sometimes you have to admit you were second best on the day - and Bonnyrigg were the better team.”