Bonnyrigg Rose: Lee Currie issues warning after starring role against Fraserburgh

Midfield maestro Lee Currie says their job is only half done after Bonnyrigg Rose’s 3-1 first leg victory over Highland League champions Fraserburgh at New Dundas Park in their pyramid play-off.

Rose will take a two-goal advantage north for the second leg this Saturday with League 2 basement club Cowdenbeath lying in wait.

Currie, 32, was the best player on the park with a typically talismanic performance as the set piece expert set up Keiran McGachie for their opener and netted a trademark free-kick to restore Rose’s two goal lead when they looked wavered.

“It’s only half-time to be honest,” said Currie. “The boys did well, it was quite a hard game; they were quite a stuffy team, they came in and kind of sat and put it long. It was hard playing for second balls.

Lee Currie, left, celebrates after Kieran McGachie scores with a header for Bonnyrigg. Picture: Joe Gilhooley LRPS

“It was always going to be frantic, all the games are like that. It will be hard up there but the boys are looking forward to it.

“I don’t think we played as well as we could by trying to get the ball down. It’s only half way, we need to go up there next week and be compact and hard to beat.

“We know it’s going to be hard, they will come at us and put it long. We need to be strong and stand up to it, and to be honest, we have that in our locker.”

McGachie’s first half header - just seven minutes before the interval - gave Rose a boost at the right time with Fraserburgh growing in confidence the longer the score remained goalless.

Kieran McGachie heads Bonnyrigg in front from Lee Currie's free-kick. Picture: Joe Gilhooley LRPS

Callum Connolly’s exquisite volley early in the second half had the hosts comfortable, but the Broch struck back out of nowhere through Paul Young. Currie stepped up to fire in from the edge of the box to quell Rose nerves.

Currie continued: “We had to be compact and ride it out when they got a goal back. I thought we did well and we could have scored right at the end with big Kerr [Young] getting his header cleared off the line and then Callum [Connolly] had a chance when it came back out to him. A three goal lead would’ve been better but we would’ve taken a two goal lead before the game.

“I was due one, I haven’t scored a free-kick like that in a while. The boys have been giving me a wee bit of stick saying I haven’t scored one for sometime, so luckily it went in. Nobody was going to take the ball off me, I got the ball and wee Dean Brett was hovering about but he got put in his place.”

Rose boss Robbie Horn hailed their fans for turning up in their numbers for the all-ticket match, with over 1500 in attendance, as he urged his side to complete the job.

Ross Gray holds off a Fraserburgh defender. Picture: Joe Gilhooley LRPS

Horn said: “It was a tremendous support again, when we lost that goal they got behind the players and they lifted them to go again. Hopefully there will be a big enough travelling support to get behind the boys.

“We looked like we can cause them problems. Our strikers did really well and caused them issues, and I think we can score goals up there. If we can keep it tight at the back then hopefully that will be enough.

“There is so much at stake and there will never be a better opportunity to get out of this league, I think the Lowland League is only going to get tougher.”

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