Doune win set the mup for the Challenge
DOUNE CASTLE ................................... 1 RHU ......................................................... 0 William Turner Challenge Cup
Tam Nelson sent Doune into the second round of the Challenge Cup with an expertly-converted penalty.
The Castle controlled most of the possession, but too often failed to threaten their robust and resilient opponents.
On the half hour mark, Chris Stevenson’s glancing header from 14 yards looked to heading in at the far post until the Rhu keeper pulled off a fine save.
The pivotal moment of the game came after 35 minutes.
A defender clearly pushed Callum Smith as he raced towards the bye line, for a clear penalty. Tam Nelson gave the keeper no chance with a confident finish into the corner for 1-0.
The pattern of the first half was repeated after the interval. Doune controlled the game but struggled to create clear chances. Rhu continued to tackle fiercely and the game still lacked fluency.
Rhu’s hopes of a fight back evaporated on 77 minutes when their keeper received a red card for an unnecessary tirade of dissent towards the referee.
With four minutes remaining, Calum Scott stung the fingers of the stand-in keeper with a blistering strike from 20 yards. To Rhu’s relief, the ball ricocheted to safety.
Before the end, Alan Inglis blasted over from a good position as the match petered out to a narrow, but thoroughly deserved win for the
Castle.
The win takes the Castle into a second-round home clash with Stirling University, with a date for that fixture yet to be announced.
DOUNE CASTLE: Pacitti, Gillespie A Innes, Macdougall, Nelson (Manson), Paterson, Hill (Scott) Burns, Smith (Inglis) Stevenson (Gibson), Macdonald (Steven) Substitutes: Cullen, Wardrope