Paul Tansey is at the double as Penicuik keep up fine run with stunning win at Linlithgow Rose

Penicuik Athletic striker Paul Tansey’s double downed Linlithgow Rose to make it six victories in a row at the top of the East of Scotland Premier League as they came away from Prestonfield with a stunning 3-1 win.
Paul Tansey scored twice for Penicuik.Paul Tansey scored twice for Penicuik.
Paul Tansey scored twice for Penicuik.

The 36-year-old struck twice in the first half and set up another for team-mate Nicky Reid to fire home as they went into the interval three goals to the good. Linlithgow were denied what looked to be a clear penalty when just a goal behind, however, when Robbie Neave handled on the line to prevent Arnie Kasa from scoring. Tommy Coyne’s second half goal proved just to be a consolation for the hosts.

Penicuik, who haven’t yet appointed a permanent successor to Tony Begg who departed for Hibs, with Davie Lees in temporary charge, are seven points clear at the top of the table alongside Tranent and will continue to go about their business quietly according to Tansey.

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“The boys have been flying and training and the games week in, week out. We just carried our momentum into the game, we went there with a gameplan and we knew they would shape up roughly the same way,” said Tansey.

“Saturday was going to be the hardest game so far of our season, and we kept hammering it into the boys that it wasn’t going to be an easy game. We knew that if we stuck to our gameplan we would get the result.

“We’ve been pressing from the front, and that’s certainly how we got the first two goals, we just pressed really high and caught them on the ball. The third goal was unbelievable, it was like a Liverpool goal, we broke away from a corner, I ran the full length of the pitch and played Nicky in and he did well to hold the defender off and stick it past their keeper.

“Going in 3-0 at half-time to any team is amazing, never mind going to Linlithgow. In the second half we knew they would come out after getting a kick up the backside from their manager, and we sort of struggled a wee bit, but we just defended well and our game management was really good.

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“We are just keeping ourselves quiet. With not having a permanent manager, Davie has kept our feet firmly on the ground. We are just going about our business and letting everyone else doing the talking.”

Tansey revealed Linlithgow, who went into Saturday’s match unbeaten themselves, don’t hold the same fear about them as they once did.

He added: “When I first started playing Junior football there was a lot of boys at Linlithgow that had played professional football, and they had that fear factor. When you stepped into places like Bo’ness, Linlithgow and Bonnyrigg, you knew you were in with the big boys, but over the last few seasons it has become more of a level playing field; everyone has caught up with each other because there isn’t that same money about. It doesn’t hold the fear factor that it once was, but it is still a very hard place to go.”

Elsewhere, goals from Jamie Docherty and Craig Stevenson kept Tranent ahead of Penicuik on goal difference as they beat Sauchie 2-0. Liam Reid’s late header secured a comeback 3-2 victory for Musselburgh Athletic at home to Jeanfield who had led 2-0 after just 11 minutes. Whitehill Welfare got their first win of the season in a 3-1 defeat of Lothian Thistle, while Newtongrange Star drew 1-1 at home to Blackburn United.