Vics finally win shoot-out after 27 years of penalty pain

Paul Gascoigne sobbed before England’s World Cup Final hopes slipped away on penalties… Aberdeen lifted their last Scottish Cup on spot-kicks… and little Whitletts Victoria won a shoot-out.

The year may be remembered least of all in football circles for the last of those unless you’re a Vics fan – given that 27 years of spot-kick shame followed.

Last Saturday’s 4-2 shoot-out victory over Petershill in the West of Scotland Cup was the club’s first in 16 attempts.

And boss Neil Duffy quips that a screening of his own spot-kick heroics as a player gave his side the confidence to crush a hoodoo that has haunted Vics learned of their achievement after the Peasy win, said: “The chairman mentioned that we had a terrible record in shootouts but I didn’t realise exactly just how bad it was.

“To go that long, it’s unheard of – it’s incredible. Usually it’s a lottery – you’ll win one, lose one – but to go that long, it doesn’t make any sense.

“Let’s just hope it’s not the same time again before the next one! It’s quite strange because a couple of weeks before, a clip of the Killie penalty shoot- out from when I played was doing the rounds on social media.

“Of course all the boys were laughing and joking about it. A few Kilmarnock supporters on my team weren’t happy about it, but hey.

They were all commenting about my penalty, maybe it gave them a wee confidence boost.

“All four of our kicks were excellent – their keeper didn’t get close to any of them. It is definitely nice to get the monkey off our back.”

Duffy wasn’t on the Dam Park touchline yesterday after Vics’ Ayrshire District League clash with Muirkirk was called off.

The 50-year-old almost found himself playing three weeks ago due to injuries, albeit he insists he’s not chasing a comeback.

He added: “We only had two fit subs. I wouldn’t have done much if I’d played but it’s a body on the park rather than 10 men, that was my thought process.

“We could face the situation again this season because I’ve got a small squad.”