Semi-final exit for Tranent but the chance for revenge is instant
EAST Lothian had on Saturday been set to host a full house of half-a-dozen senior football fixtures; however, waterlogged pitches reduced that number to four – then wetterstill conditions put paid to two county clubs’ scheduled midweek action.
Tranent were beaten by the odd goal in three by Lowland League rivals East Kilbride in their South Challenge Cup semi-final at Foresters Park, but they have an early opportunity to try and redress the balance as the pair meet for the fourth time this season in the League Cup final at Cumbernauld’s Broadwood Stadium this Sunday. Then on Wednesday evening, Albion Rovers are first-time visitors to Tranent for a Lowland League fixture.
Only Musselburgh Athletic of four local East of Scotland League Cup second-round participants were knocked out, also going down by two goals to one against Sauchie Juniors. Preston Athletic’s tie with Kinnoull fell foul of the weather, while Haddington Athletic and Dunbar United ran out winners against lower-division opponents – Haddington 2-0 against Heriot-watt University and Dunbar 6-1 against Edinburgh United. The local rivals now meet at Millfield in the third round.
Ormiston Primrose saw their King Cup tie with St Andrews United called off, with New Recreation Park deemed unplayable once again.
Heavy rain early in the week wrecked the Tuesday-evening schedule, with Dunbar’s East of Scotland Football League (EOSFL) Premier Division fixture in Fife against Dundonald Bluebell postponed well in advance and Preston’s EOSFL First Division trip to Vale of Leithen likewise.
A full league card is scheduled in the EOSFL this weekend, though the prospect of further call-offs seems far from remote given a week of near-constant rain. Ormiston have the county to themselves on Saturday, pitch permitting – they have a stiff challenge against EOSFL Second Division championselect Bo’ness Athletic. In the Premier Division, Haddington and Dunbar are both due in Fife, at Crossgates Primrose and Glenrothes respectively, while Musselburgh are set for Luncarty. Preston have business in Fife too, against Lochore Welfare.
On Tuesday evening, Ormiston are due in the Capital for a veritable relegation sixpointer against Edinburgh United, then the following evening, Dunbar are in the north of the city to face Hutchison Vale in a Premier Division contest.
TRANENT Tranent 1 East Kilbride 2
THE third of five contests this season involving Tranent and East Kilbride saw the pair in South Challenge Cup semi-final action at Foresters Park on Saturday.
Since their first meeting at the start of last season, they had encountered one another five times – East Kilbride had run out winners on three occasions, twice in East Lothian, while Tranent’s sole win was their stunning 7-0 Scottish Cup victory at the end of October.
Ian Little’s Belters had enjoyed mixed results in the build-up to the important cup clash, though they had posted a good 2-1 Lowland League victory in the Capital against Civil Service Strollers, while their visitors’ hopes of arriving as newly crowned champions had been dashed by the postponement of their own visit to the Strollers in midweek.
Tranent’s starting XI showed just one change from that which had lined up in the Capital seven days earlier, top goalscorer Cammie Ross returning after suspension to replace Scott Mccrory-irving.
The afternoon did not start at all as they had hoped, East Kilbride taking the lead as early as the fourth minute thanks to a composed finish from Balde – then four minutes later, home keeper Kelby Mason was called into action to parry away a Flanagan effort.
The match settled into something of a wellmatched midfield battle after this, with the visitors edging possession – Tranent’s first real sight of goal came in the 17th minute when Scott Gray’s effort was comfortably stopped by Avci in the opposition goal.
The home goal was under threat just before the half hour but East Kilbride had to settle for a corner, then a good spell for Tranent saw them create a real chance on 32 minutes – Broque Watson did well on the right before crossing the ball into the visitors’ goalmouth, Ross not quite able to connect with his head.
Four minutes later, however, the levelling goal materialised, Watson finding the net from distance after Gray’s effort did not quite pay off.
Five minutes on from the equaliser, Ross could not make the most of a headed opportunity at the back post presented by Gray’s tempting cross and then, shortly before the interval, East Kilbride restored their lead – Balde once more beat Mason, this time after a well-worked free-kick from the halfway line.
Having worked their way back into the tie, it was naturally a blow for Tranent to lose a goal at this point in proceedings – they had acquitted themselves well against the championsto-be, though, and had cause to believe they could overturn the deficit in the second half.
Kieran Somerville’s good play on the left on 53 minutes saw him create space for a shot on target which Avci did well to keep out.
Tranent’s hopes were given a boost on 65 minutes when Robertson’s second yellow card saw East Kilbride reduced to 10 men, but the visitors organised themselves ably and restricted the Belters to just a handful of scoring opportunities. Ross shot just wide with 14
minutes left and, in injury time, the same man could not quite connect with Dean Brett’s freekick towards the back post.
Late pressure saw the East Kilbride crossbar rattled shortly after this but it was not to be and the visitors held on to their 2-1 lead until the final whistle – they will now meet West of Scotland Football League outfit Kirkintilloch Rob Roy in the final, after Rob Roy overcame Cumbernauld Colts in the other semi-final.
East Kilbride are Tranent’s opponents again this Sunday in the final of the Lowland League Cup, to be played at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld. Given results in the series to date, their opponents hold the tag of favourites, but there was not much between the sides overall at Foresters Park and it is likely to be another close affair.
On Tuesday, Albion Rovers are the visitors at Foresters Park in the Lowland League.
MUSSELBURGH ATHLETIC Musselburgh 1 Sauchie Juniors 2
UNBEATEN in seven outings since their extra-time defeat away to Lowland League outfit University of Stirling on February 14, Musselburgh on Saturday welcomed Sauchie Juniors to Olivebank for the second time in the space of 11 days.
The Clackmannanshire outfit had been beaten 2-1 when they had visited on EOSFL Premier Division business, and Burgh hoped to see them off again and secure their spot in the third round of the League Cup – at stake was a home tie against Blackburn United or Bathgate Thistle.
With the teams occupying second and fifth spot respectively in the Premier Division table, and their last meeting having been as tight as it was, the tie looked too close to call.
A competitive affair saw both sets of players putting in a great deal of effort, but it was Sauchie on this occasion who had the edge – a well-drilled unit across the pitch whose goalkeeper Robertson was in excellent form.
The tie was barely nine minutes old when Cunningham beat Burgh keeper Daniel Laing for what would prove the only goal of the first half – however, Sauchie looked the hungrier outfit in general and would have doubled their lead seconds before the half-time whistle had it not been for a tremendous save by Laing.
The second half, however, started badly for the hosts as Smith added Sauchie’s second goal within three minutes of play restarting, and try as they might, Burgh struggled to find a way past a resolute opposition rearguard.
Birthday boy Jonny Court pulled a goal back 18 minutes from the end to set up a grandstand finale but there would be no more goalscoring before the end and so Sauchie will now entertain First Division Blackburn United in the competition’s third round.
With their interest in cup competition now over until next season, Burgh have seven Premier Division fixtures remaining before their 2023-24 campaign concludes, starting this Saturday with a first ever league visit to Luncarty. The Perthshire outfit were promoted from the First Division last May and have occupied a relegation spot since early in the season, however their recent results have given rise to hopes they might avoid relegation. The Bleachers visited Olivebank on the season’s opening day and were beaten by the game’s only goal – Burgh cannot afford to take them remotely lightly.
Haddington 2 Heriot-watt University 0
THE last of five successive home fixtures across March saw Haddington on Saturday up against EOSFL First Division opponents in Heriot-watt University in a League Cup second-round tie, the prize for the winners a home tie in the third round against either Dunbar United or Edinburgh United.
The previous four matches had yielded two wins, a draw and a narrow defeat – four weeks earlier, at the start of the sequence, victory snatched from the jaws of defeat with two very late goals against Luncarty had kept the Hi Hi’s interest in the League Cup alive.
Boss Scott Bonar made four changes to his starting line-up, handing recalls to Ross King, Robbie Peffers, Riley Haston and Joe Tait.
With Heriot-watt’s students acquitting themselves well to First Division life following last season’s promotion, and memories of previous close contests between the teams reasonably fresh in the Hi Hi’s collective mind, there was no scope for complacency.
The hosts had their first good opening in the sixth minute when patient play on the right led to Corey Robertson crossing a dangerous ball into the six-yard box, but prolific Development League goalscorer Haston’s header went over the bar – the visitors responded immediately with a shot not far over the bar.
Tom Davies, seeking his fourth goal in five outings, was not far away with another Haddington effort shortly afterwards as the tie developed into an open contest.
Trained to play football on the ground, the students gave as good as they got but, just past the 20-minute mark, they fell behind – their dugout felt they ought to have been awarded a free-kick for handball against Davies, but the referee allowed play to continue and, when the ball sat up for Gary Windram 22 yards out, he hit his shot into the back of the net, aided by a slight deflection.
Both sides had openings over the remainder of the first half, King coming closest to a second Haddington goal in the 38th minute, while Heriot-watt’s pressure on the home goalmouth just before the break posed the home
defence some challenges – when the half-time whistle blew, just the one goal separated the sides, with the tie very much in the balance.
The visitors continued to probe in the Haddington half whenever opportunity arose – they were, however, caught out in the 62nd minute when Davies won possession and kicked off the move which seconds later saw him heading the ball past the opposition keeper, Gabri Auriemma setting him up with an inviting ball in from the left.
A real chance for the visitors to pull a goal back five minutes later was not taken, the shot hit straight at home keeper Dale Cornet, then a couple of minutes later at the other end, the Watt keeper denied Windram his second goal.
Heriot-watt battled away in the hope of rescuing something from their efforts but Haddington had done enough to earn a thirdround derby tie with Dunbar.
It is a return to Premier Division business this Saturday and a visit to Fife to take on Crossgates Primrose, who were beaten 3-1 when they visited Millfield on the season’s opening day. Crossgates find themselves deep in the relegation mire at present, second bottom of the table, and with their need to pick up points intensifying, are likely to provide dogged opposition.