Following their exertions against Civil Service Strollers the previous Tuesday, the Hi Hi’s faced another Capital test when they visited Ainslie Park to meet Hutchison Vale in a Premier League match.
Manager Scott Bonar had to make a few changes with Dale Cornet, Guy McGarry, Gary Windram and Mark McGovern all unavailable. With a strong wind blowing and the lively artificial surface, it was never going to be a classic encounter and so it proved. The home side held the upper hand early on and fashioned one chance which was sent wide of Campbell McLellan’s goal. Haddington battled hard with the two Taits, Dylan and Joe, stretching the Vale defence. The visitors took the lead with a well worked goal on 40 minutes. Skipper Gabri Auriemma did the spadework on the left and his accurate pass was met by the inrushing Joe Tait, who netted with a neat finish.
The home side pressed for an equaliser after the interval but the Haddington defence stood firm. In fact it was the visitors who created the best two chances of the second half. First Corey Robertson broke into the box and just failed to find a teammate from a few yards out and then Auriemma broke clear on the left but just took a touch too many as he bore down on goal. Both sides used substitutes but there were no more goals and the Hi Hi’s recorded their third successive victory on the road.
