
Bonnyrigg Rose bounced back from last week's league defeat to Linlithgow Rose with a convincing win against a hard working Spartans Reds side.
Goals from Erin Brigham (2), Natasha Selkirk (5), Megan Johnston, Lori Brownwright (2), Aimee Dilworth, Chloe Ferguson and Nicole Selkirk without reply from Spartans.
Spartans got the game under way and Elif Yildirim set off down the left hand side and put a good cross into the box but Bonnyrigg cleared the danger then it was Spartans' Jodie Barnes who had to show her defensive qualities when she covered good ground to halt Nicole Selkirk's advancement down the left side.
Both teams started with a good tempo to the game but it was the home side who opened the scoring with only three minutes gone. Lori Brownwright picked up the ball and after good work down the left she whipped the ball into the box. The ball found its way to Erin Brigham who saw her initial shot blocked by Spartans' Corrina Hamilton, but she found the back of the net with her second attempt after firing home the rebound.
The visitors had no time to recover from losing the opener when Natasha Selkirk picked up the ball just inside the Spartans' half, drove in on goal and rounded Amy Gracie who had come out to try and close the angle but the Bonnyrigg forward slotted home to put Bonnyrigg two goals to the good with only five minutes played.
It was pretty much all the home side and when Brownwright found Natasha Selkirk on the left with a delightful through ball, she was off again and drove into the near post and from two yards out squeezed the ball between Gracie and the near post to claim her second of the game.
Spartans were working hard but the pace of the Bonnyrigg forward line was causing them real problems every time they got on the ball.
The visitors won the first corner kick of the game on ten minutes which was whipped in by Nica Watt and put out for another corner. Watt sent in a dangerous ball that caused a bit of panic in the Bonnyrigg box who eventually managed to scramble the ball clear. The girls from Ainslie Park then had another opportunity when they were awarded a free kick all of 30 yards out. Kara lynch stepped up but Courtney Mcdonald save easily from her long range effort.
Aimee Dilworth tried to find Natasha Selkirk but Barnes cut out the ball to stop another attack on her goal but the same two players combined again to produce Bonnyriggs fourth goal. Dilworth played a ball from her own half into the path of Selkirk who was offside but as they always say play to the whistle and this is exactly what she did. The ref did not blow for the off side and Natasha Selkirk completed a fifteen minute hat-trick when she finished comfortably leaving Gracie in goal with no chance.
Spartans gifted the home side a goal on twenty minutes when a poor goal kick was latched onto by Dilworth who played the ball into the box and slight hesitation by Gracie in the Spartans' goal allowed Natasha Selkirk to nip in and toe poke the ball beyond her into the net to collect her fourth goal of the game from twelve yards out.
The visitors must have wondered how they found themselves 5-0 down after twenty minutes as they had not played that badly but Bonnyrigg had been so clinical in their finishing when the chances came their way.
The home side created several other chances but good defending firstly from Karolina Kamienska who produced a great tackle to halt Dilworth in her tracks, then Sophie Calder denied Dilworth with a good block after good combination play with Brownwright.
Chloe Feguson came close to getting on the score sheet on 27 minutes for Bonnyrigg when she saw her effort go inches wide of the right hand post after she latched onto a deflection from Brownwrights initial shot. The visitors were relentless and a great ball in from Brownwright on the left flank was cleared over her own bar by Lizzy McElroy for a corner. Dilworth played in the corner from the left and after a scramble the ball fell to Brownwright but she put her shot wide with half a hour played.
Gracie in the visitors' goal showed great concentration to keep her eye on the ball and collect after a long ball from Ruth Gorman found Brigham, who played another high ball into the box.
Spartans should have reduced the deficit minutes from half time when Elif Yildirim had a great chance but she put her shot straight at McDonald from eight yards out after a great run into the box, anywhere else and she was scoring.