Bo'ness United boss Allan McGonigal nearly drove off after first half debacle
Bo'ness United manager Allan McGonigal
Craig Goldthorp
Published: 15:43 Thursday 12 October 2017
Bo'ness United were so bad in the first half last Saturday that boss Allan McGonigal thought about making an early exit and driving away from the stadium there and then.
McGonigal's troops trailed 2-0 after a disastrous opening period at minnows West Calder United in a first round Fife and Lothians Cup tie.
"My thoughts at half-time were how quickly I could run to my car or should I go into the dressing room and lambast the boys instead," McGonigal said.
"It was absolutely shambolic in the first half.
"There are no excuses, three or four of my experienced players were absolutely horrific.
"I did end up going into the dressing room and I was tearing the paint off the walls."
And Allan's tirade had the desired effect as Bo'ness – boosted by the introduction of substitutes Fraser Keast and Scott Sally – produced a much better second half display to fight back for a 2-2 draw before winning 4-2 in a penalty shootout.
"West Calder never even touched the ball in the second half," McGonigal added.
"They just defended for their lives and ran out of steam.
"Although we eventually got through, we missed a lot of chances and it wasn't pretty."
Allan praised the Bo'ness committee and fans for sticking by him in tough times.
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