Kieran Mitchell stroked the ball home after a slick passing move, the quicksilver teenager latching on to an inch-perfect through ball and clinically slotting low into the corner of the net, cue joy in the success-hungry crowd.
The pencil-slim, 19-year-old is on loan until the end of the season from Scottish Championship outfit Raith Rovers after making 18 appearances for the Kirkcaldy club, signing as a modern apprentice.
Talented Mitchell, nicknamed Mitch, desperately seeks regular football to develop his game and, after his Man of the Match performance in the 2-0 win over Annan Athletic, he is already a favourite with fans after only three games in the red and white hoops.
Mitchell’s goal came from one of the best moves of an entertaining tussle. The busy player was set up by a superb pass from George Hunter and the strike delighted the majority of the 589 fans on a perfect night for football weather-wise at New Dundas Park.
And it was Hunter who had earlier eased nerves by putting the Rosey Posey in the driving seat with his first of the campaign after 24 minutes, a glancing header after a superb cross from Lee Currie.
It was no more than Rose deserved after a bright opening and it lifted the fans who were anxious to see their favourites snap a four-game losing streak.
There were scares, but not many, mainly because of solid defending with 33-year-old Alan Horne, Rose’s longest serving players with over 300 appearances, a calming influence. Lewis Hunter was just wide for Annan from the edge of the area before Rose boss Horn had to make an enforced change when Dean Brett was forced to leave the field with what looked like a leg injury, Josh Grigor replaced him.
However, Rose continued to press towards the break but Scott Hooper gave home fans a scare, heading over early in the second half, but the Midlothian combine moved back into attack and Hunter fired over after Mitchell and Scott Gray were involved in the build-up.
Mitchell kept busy, popping up in different areas of the pitch, and he was always a danger. His moment came in 65 minutes and it was the icing on the cake for the Fife-based forward.
Rose, to be fair, had a short sticky spell in the second period, but they burst back into life with Callum Connolly denied three times by desperate Annan defending.
Horn replaced Mitchell and Hunter with fresh legs after 83 minutes and the two men left the pitch to an ovation from supporters. Kieran McGachie and Ross Gray came on.
They kept a clean sheet to move to 13 points from ten games and into mid-table, leap-frogging Stranraer who are a point behind. Annan are eighth with nine points followed by Albion Rovers in ninth and Forfar Athletic in tenth. They both have eight points.
Rose take that five-point cushion into Saturday’s league clash with fifth-placed East Fife at New Dundas Park (15.00), a team they beat 3-0 on August 6 on the road in matchday two and who have accumulated 14 points from their ten games.
Mitchell knows two of the East Fife players and believes it will be a close match on Saturday. That is in the future but he left the ground clutching a bottle of bubbly courtesy of the match sponsor, Mark Robertson plumbing and heating (pictured).
He’s enjoying himself at Bonnyrigg and he added: “It was good to get a win and the crowd were great. The boys have been really good with me. I’ve gelled quickly with them and we’ve had a couple of training sessions.
“I can play on the left or right or up-front, whatever. I probably prefer up-front like against Annan. A lot of clubs in this league are physical but me being the size I am they get in about me.”
There is no question that the Galabank boys got in about Mitchell on Tuesday night and he left the ground with an icepack, not for the champagne.
Now, he’s looking forward to Saturday and the visit of East Fife. “Hopefully, we can get a result on Saturday. There is a little pressure off after we got three points against Annan, but we have to take this game by game, getting three points each week. Anything else is not good enough. Momentum is the big thing.
“Coming here (to Bonnyrigg) was always about game time. The manager told me that he wanted me for a while and he’s been very good.”
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