This was a smashing game to watch, full of positive and passionate football to both thrill and entertain those lucky enough to be watching from the sidelines in glorious sunny conditions at one of the most atmospheric football pitches in Edinburgh. Both the teams in action have made good starts to the new season in the under-21 set-up and the game kicked off in brilliant fashion, with both these fit, well-organised and coached outfits committed to attack. There was no negative approach to this clash and it went on to become a great game of football.

Bonnyrigg will celebrate their 75th Anniversary next year and they certainly had something to spark off the celebrations with this emphatic success at Leith Links. The home side went in front from a well-worked goal in the 14th minute of a contest brilliantly handled by experienced referee, Bill Crombie. In another of the lightning quick attacks mounted by Leith, Euan Campbell played the ball in perfectly from the left wing for team-mate Jordan Hall to ram it past Bonnyrigg keeper, Craig McKenzie, for the opening goal.

A couple of minutes later, it was 1-1 and what a disastrous goal that was for Leith to lose. A good ball played in to the goalmouth in the inside right channel caused a terrible mix-up between the home keeper and a defender, the ball breaking kindly for the challenging Chris Graham to stick it in to the empty net to square the game. From then on until half-time, it was 'game on' with a vengeance and the quality of play and commitment from both sides was magnificent. Action in both goalmouths was stepped up but it was the visitors who used the ball just that little bit better than the home outfit and they got their reward with a second goal in the 25th minute. It was another cracking counter, with Sammy Hassan - what a great game he had - beating Leith goalie, Gary Howie, to the ball before squaring it in to the middle for Chris Bain to knock it over the line to make it 2-1.

The home side attacked the Bonnyrigg goal from the restart but their shooting did not match the quality of their approach play. The Midlothian side then raced away and the home defence was caught out again, another mistake giving Hassan the opportunity to set up John Lawson to hammer the ball in to the net off the inside of a post to take the margin to 3-1 in their favour. Jordan Hall saw a tremendous free kick swerve wide of the Bonnyrigg goal but the homesters were then thrown a life-line when Danny Munro was shown a second yellow card and he was sent off. And all this happened in the first half!

However, although playing the second half with only ten men, it was Bonnyrigg that went on to look the better side, scoring their fourth goal from the penalty spot after Hassan (who else) was floored by James Reid as he raced in to the box from the left. Bain gave Howie no chance from the resultant spot-kick. Leith pounded away at the magnificent Bonnyrigg defence but, time and time again, shots went wide of both posts and over the bar. If Leith had scored from any of the chances they created, they could have got themselves back in to contention but, frankly, their shots at the Bonnyrigg goal were poor. McKenzie and his defensive colleagues were let off the hook by the failure of the home side to reduce the deficit, indeed, when the visiting team attacked they looked more likely to add to their total.

Hassan continued to impress in raids on the home goal, but the next goal did eventually come at the other end, Grant Fairbairn showing great skill to beat a Bonnyrigg defender on the left before boring in to send a superb shot off McKenzie's hands in to the net to make it 4-2. Sadly, for the home side, it was too little, too late. Bonnyrigg were deserved winners on the day, but it was under-21 football that was the real winner in this tremendous game. Both sides and their coaches deserve great praise for showing how good the game at this level can be when two teams set out to play at such a high standard.

Talks are ongoing at the present time with SFA Regional Manager for South East Scotland, to create a new and exciting league set-up for clubs such as Leith and Bonnyrigg who have a structure that provides a pathway from very young to adulthood. This new league would give clubs with such a structure the chance to keep their under-21 squads together to go on and play at the highest possible level in a Senior League set-up, with games played on pitches in enclosures and roped-off pitches. Both clubs have already stated they would be interested to attend talks when current discussions with a sponsor are concluded. Certainly, the standard of the game at Leith Links was outstanding with so many good players in both the Leith and Bonnyrigg squads.

This Saturday, Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic under-17s entertain Roseburn Boys Club in a first-round replay in the Dunfermline Building Society Scottish Cup. On Sunday, another crack Midlothian team, Dalkeith CYP host Leith Athletic in an under-16 first-round replay. I was at the first clash at Leith Links and it was a wonderful game between two very good sides. A repeat performance this Sunday will give youth club football another tremendous boost. In the under-15 age group of the national event for youth football clubs, Inch Colts and Eskmills meet in their replay at Double Hedges, while Edinburgh South and Roseburn Colts face each other in yet another first-round replay along while North Berwick Colts and Musselburgh Windsor Colts will play to finish to get a result in their replay in the same age group.