The Hi Hi’s made a little bit of history last Saturday when they won a league match at Riverside Stadium, Perth, the home of Jeanfield Swifts, for the very first time. Haddington were victorious in a cup visit a few years ago, but not a single league point had been picked up. Before the match the odds would be stacked heavily in favour of Jeanfield, sitting in third place and having won at Millfield earlier in the season. Although Haddington hadn’t picked up many points since the turn of the year, they had been competing well and had been unfortunate in some matches.
Manager Scott Bonar brought back both Brandyn Neil and Gary Windram with recent signing Ryan Quinn starting in a more central attacking position. This move paid off in the early stages when a terrific strike from Quinn beat the Swifts goalkeeper all ends up and gave the Hi Hi’s an early lead. Time 14 minutes. However it was all square in the 22nd minute when a free kick just outside the visitors box, was headed past Jamie Wilson for a preventable equaliser. Two minutes later Brandyn Neil had to leave the park injured and was replaced by Corey Robertson who went on to play his part in a good defensive performance. It was 1-1 at the break but the visitors restored their lead within a minute of the restart. Tom Davies dispossessed a Swifts defender on the edge of the box and netted with a cool finish. This proved to be the winning goal as the Haddington defence stood firm in the face of some strong Jeanfield pressure. The nearest the home side came was in the 68th minute when they hit the bar but for all their possession, Haddington goalkeeper Jamie Smith had few direct shots to save. The introduction of Grant Rose gave the swifts something to think about as the visitors looked dangerous on the break.
A famous win for the hardworking Hi Hi’s and a welcome three points to give them a share of fourth place.
