Blair out of the cup
Local side are defeated by Hermes in Aberdeenshire
Hermes ................. 3 Blairgowrie ........... 1
Blairgowrie exited from the Scottish Cup with a defeat to Aberdeen Superleague side Hermes.
It was a threadbare squad who made the journey north with injuries and absentees leaving only a half-fit Gary Axworthy and coaches Mark Brash and Mark Christison on the bench.
To their credit, Blairgowrie battled away for the entire game and only a late goal finally put paid to their chances.
However, the dominant team won, with the visitors from east Perthshire certainly not getting the rub of the green they needed to upset the odds.
Blairgowrie started brightly, despite playing in a howling gale.
Hermes began to get crosses into the box and midway through the first-half they took the lead with a powerful header.
Gordon Norrie tried a long-range effort for Blair and a Darren Neave lob drifted narrowly wide as the visitors grew into the game.
Blair struggled to make chances after the break but, while the deficit was only one, they were still in the tie.
The game’s decisive moment came after 62 minutes, when Blair were awarded a routine goal-kick.
But, to the amazement of both sides, the referee changed his decision and awarded a corner.
Hermes scored from this with a header that was half-blocked on the line, before the wind took the ball agonisingly into the net.
Neave pulled a goal back for Blair with 20 minutes left, latching on to a loose ball and finding the net with a clever lob.
Blair pressed briefly and Neave was fouled on the edge of the box, only to see a rather vague advantage come to nothing.
Corey Gray became yet another injury casualty before Hermes clinched the tie with a late goal. A misplaced pass led to a hanging cross which was nodded in at the far post.
There was a late flurry from Blair with Matty Adam’s shot saved and a drive by Ian Plenderleith flying just over, but it was too little, too late.
Blairgowrie put up a good fight under difficult circumstances, with several playing out of position and Jack Dempster still recovering from illness.
Blairgowrie: O’Brien, Scott, MacNaughton, Pirie, Simpson, Gray, Dempster, Plenderleith, Adam, Norrie, Neave. Subs: Axworthy, Brash, Christison and Madoc-Jones.
This Saturday, Blairgowrie are at home to Newburgh in the North League, with an early 2pm kick-off.
This week’s lottery numbers were 4, 7, 10 and 20. There were no winners and the prize money next week will be £1200.