Doune dumped after poor first-half show
Castle’s East cup hopes disappear at Lochend
Lochend ......... 4 Doune Castle.3
East of Scotland Cup Doune’s East of Scotland Cup hopes died on Saturday after a poor first-half defensive display proved costly.
Trailing 3-1 at the interval, they did recover to dominate the second half but having worked so hard to draw level, they crashed out the competition when, against the run of play, Lochend snatched a late winner.
The home side scored twice in the opening quarter, both from free headers.
Castle pulled one back when Jacob Macaloney scored his first-ever Doune goal, smashing a blistering right foot drive that flew high into the net.
Lochend made it 3-1 after 28 minutes. They took full advantage of hesitancy in the Castle defence to hammer home from 10 yards.
Their route-one football, and physical play, unsettled Doune as the home side made full use of the strong wind.
But with the wind at their backs, from the restart Doune looked a different side and they made it 3-2 after 53 minutes.
Alan More turned quickly to angle a shot on the turn beyond the advancing keeper and Lukasz Duszynski followed up to take a touch before slotting home from six yards.
Six minutes later, it was 3-3. Macaloney put Chris Ogilvie clear just inside the box and the keeper allowed his snapshot from 12 yards to slip under his gloves and into the net.
More and Dylan McGowan spurned great chances to edge Castle ahead and as so often happens in football, when a goal came it was at the other end.
There were only three minutes left when a Lochend forward —looking well offside — played the ball into the box for his team-mate to make it 4-3.
Doune forced two late corners but Lochend withstood the late barrage to take their place in the last eight. Doune Castle: Fotheringham, Innes, Currie, Docherty, Duncanson, McClymont (Burns), Macaloney (McGowan), Graham (Statter), Ogilvie, More, Duszynski. Subs not used: Morrison, Gallagher.