2.30pm 17 July 2021
East of Scotland League, Conference X
Livingston United 0 Whitburn Juniors 2 (att 102)
A little piece of football history as these two clubs, like all but one of their divisional rivals, played their first match in senior football after switching from the Scottish Junior FA.
Junior football limps on, with leagues in Tayside and north east Scotland, but last season's West Lothian junior clubs have followed other ex-juniors into the expanding East of Scotland League.
They been placed in a league of their own, Conference X, with other new team Edinburgh College. As last season wasn't completed the established senior clubs, in parallel Conferences A and B, will vie for places in the 2022/23 structure. Only the top clubs from the X division will escape next season's bottom tier.
It's complicated, and play-offs will be involved, but Whitburn (who have retained their Junior suffix) will be among the Conference X favourites.
They opened the scoring at Livingston after just two minutes, and although they didn't add their next goal until well into the second half their lead was rarely threatened.
Apparently the visitors were missing a number of players as well, so they look like the team to beat this season. Livingston played their part in a decent game though, and credit to both sides for providing entertaining football after a long lay off and on a hot afternoon.
It was nice to be able to visit a 'proper' non-League football ground for the first time for a while. Livingston United's Station Park has two covered enclosures, although Covid restrictions means the smaller of the two, behind the dugouts, is currently out of bounds for spectators.
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