Jeanfield welcomed Burrelton to the Riverside for the first home fixture of the season, and it was the hosts who started the brightest.

After a sustained period of early pressure, the Swifts opened the scoring in the 12th minute. A well-delivered corner from Rian Shillan picked out Benn Blyth, who made no mistake with a free header to put the home side 1-0 up.

Jeanfield looked highly likely to double their advantage, but a couple of missed opportunities kept the visitors in the game. Then, completely against the run of play, Burrelton found an equaliser in the 26th minute. Capitalising on a Jeanfield corner, the visitors launched a rapid counter-attack featuring a simple flick and a through ball, resulting in an easy finish.

Burrelton enjoyed a brief five-minute spell of momentum following the goal, but they failed to trouble the Swifts' defensive line.

Jeanfield reclaimed a well-deserved lead in the 38th minute with a brilliantly worked goal. A ball up to Jack Jardine was knocked down to Kros Brown, who immediately played a fantastic return pass through to Jardine. He brought the ball down superbly and slotted it into the far post to make it 2-1 heading into the break.

The Swifts continued to dictate the tempo and push for more goals in the second half, failing to capitalise on a few good efforts.

Frustration then struck again in the 65th minute. In a carbon copy of the first equaliser, Burrelton countered rapidly from another Jeanfield corner and found the back of the net to make it 2-2. Incredibly, the visitors had converted two shots into two goals, both stemming from Swifts set-pieces.

The equaliser once again gave Burrelton a lift, though the Jeanfield keeper remained largely untroubled.

The Swifts had other ideas and grabbed the lead for a third time in the 76th minute. Kyle Mitchell played Jack Jardine in on goal, and after his initial attempt was blocked, Jardine showed great persistence to force the rebound over the line to secure his brace and make it 3-2.

From that point on, Jeanfield knew they had to close up shop. The squad demonstrated excellent game management, seeing out the victory comfortably despite a grueling 12 minutes of injury time.

Fulltime
Jeanfield Swifts AFC 3
Burrelton Rovers AFC 2

Jack Jardine ⚽⚽
Benn Blyth ⚽

Man of the Match was Benn Blyth who put in a fantastic performance. Not only did he get on the scoresheet with the opening goal, but he looked rock-solid at the back throughout the afternoon. He completely nullified the threat of the Burrelton striker, snuffed out potential counter-attacks, and showcased excellent distribution of the ball.

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