Selkirk 2

Whitehill Welfare 4

David Knox at Yarrow Park

SHELLSHOCKED Selkirk boss Ian Fergus admitted on Saturday that he’d just been subjected to the worst 10 minutes of his football career.

The home team had edged a competitive first half to take a narrow lead in at the interval.

But a sudden collapse in the Selkirk defence allowed Welfare to rattle home four goals during a nine minute free-for-all.

Fergus told us: “We had to ride our luck a little in the first half but we had more than enough chances to deserve the lead.

“I was worried that we would be hanging on in the second half due to having no substitutes left but it was like we just switched off.

"If you do that at any level of football you will get punished and lose goals.

“I would have been astonished if anyone ever told me that my team was to lose four goals in 10 minutes, but that’s what happened. That was undoubtedly the worst 10 minutes I’ve had as a player or a manager.”

Whitehill had fired in an early warning with the ever-dangerous Michael Osbourne forcing Gregor Amos to make a fantastic finger-tip save after five minutes, pushing his 25-yard effort onto the post.

But Selkirk were looking good coming forward with Phil Addison heading Murray Christie’s cross straight into the arms of Bryan Young from 10 yards out.

Both Gary Nicholson and Kerr Scott, who limped off moments later, fired over from inside the area.

And the visiting keeper did well to block Addison’s cut back after the Selkirk striker had weaved through almost the entire defence.

But just before the half hour Whitehill yet again struck the woodwork with John Ross Kerr rattling the bar from outside the area.

Selkirk’s opener came on 36 minutes with substitute Ed Valatka collecting a deep cross before bursting past his marker to smash the ball across the face of goal and allow Jordan Hopkinson to steer into the net.

Whitehill almost responded immediately but Amos saved well at his near post to deny Dale O’Hara.

And it was the home team who went closest to scoring again before the break.

Hopkinson did have the ball in the net on 42 minutes but Addison’s cross was judged to have gone out of play.

And on the stroke of half time an Addison effort from close range deflected inches past the post.

While the first half was evenly balanced, the next quarter hour was one-way traffic.

Osbourne’s screamer whistled past the upright from outside the area on 50 minutes.

Just two minutes later the Rosewell team were level as Daryl Healy beat Amos with an angled effort.

On 54 minutes Osbourne picked his spot with a low, hard drive from 15 yards as the home defence was pulled ragged.

Amos picked up an injury after winning the race for a through ball just a minute later.

And the keeper appeared to be struggling as both Connor Brydon and Healy both fired home as the onslaught continued.

Somehow the home team did regroup and from the hour onwards were probably the better team.

Hopkinson had another goal disallowed for the cross yet again being deemed to have went beyond the byline.

Gary Nicholson should have scored on 80 minutes but elected to attempt a pass rather than shoot with only Young to beat.

But the attacking midfielder made amends in stoppage time as he darted past his marker to blast the ball beneath the keeper.

Fergus added: “We got back some respectability towards the end with the way we fought back. We need to make sure we don’t switch off like that again.

“I thought we would have got something from the game today but the lack of numbers is hurting us.”

Selkirk: G Amos (E Tshinbangu 60), R Sclater, M Christie, R Miller, A Fleming, R King, G Nicholson, K Scott (E Valtka 23), P Addison, J Hopkinson & U Koroma.