The Seasiders travelled to West Lothian on Saturday for their first competitive away fixture of 2015/16, with spirits high in the camp following wins in their opening two matches against Crossgates Primrose and Whitburn Juniors, the latter among most people’s candidates for promotion.

Blackburn United also fall into that category and had won their opening fixture before sitting out the previous week as the South Division’s odd team out. Dunbar boss Geoff Jones was without brothers Keith and Steven Tait, along with Chris Grant – he drafted in Ross Cowan, Dean Ballantyne and Darren Gillon, the latter making his competitive debut for the club. Two recently recruited youngsters in Ano Subasic and Chris Hogg were named among the substitutes.

The opening 45 minutes didn’t pan out quite as Dunbar might have hoped, with Blackburn slightly superior overall and relatively few scoring opportunities coming the visitors’ way. Contentious refereeing decisions regularly infuriated players and spectators on both sides, the man with the whistle seeing fit to interrupt play all too frequently for their liking when it seemed unnecessary, and overall it was far from a thrilling encounter.

The hosts went ahead with eight minutes of the first half remaining, Mildren the scorer, and that was all that separated the sides at the interval – a fair reflection of what had gone before.

After the break, however, Dunbar gave a much better account of themselves, though nonetheless they were still some way from the heights reached against Whitburn seven days earlier. Blackburn felt they had a strong penalty claim which, had the referee concurred, could have given them a 2-0 lead and a likely three points – Dunbar, though, had similarly to contend with the unpredictable and inconsistent officiating and their cause wasn’t helped when Ballantyne was harshly red-carded.

Despite their handicap, the Seasiders continued to plug away and they were rewarded in the second minute of injury time when Shaun Hill took advantage of a goalkeeping slip to rescue a point.

To draw at New Murrayfield Park isn’t a bad result in context and Dunbar can be pleased they have extended their unbeaten start to the season.

They now have to wait another fortnight before their return to league action – tomorrow they’re without a competitive fixture as this week’s odd team out in the South Division, and next week the East of Scotland Cup first round takes precedence.