Students stroll to East of Scotland Cup win
An early red card killed the game as a spectacle in this eagerly anticipated East of Scotland cup final. Stirling, appearing in the competition final for the first time, came up against a Lothian Thistle outfit looking to win the trophy for the 5th time in the decade. Taking place at the Falkirk Stadium, the professional outlay was a step up for the players and Stirling took to the occasion better than their Borders opponents.
Stirling put out a strong side, set up in conventional 4-4-2, and the superior technical skills showed from the off. Using the wide pitch to full advantage, the early possession belonged to Stirling while Lothian struggled to gain a foothold in the game. The first chance of the match fell to ex-Cardiff City man Craig Mason. Slipped through delightfully, Mason was one-on-one but couldn’t find the finish to match the build up as the keeper blocked the ball away.
The game-changing moment arrived after 15 minutes with the Lothian number 10, Ean Grieve, receiving his marching orders. Liam Corr took a touch away from the attacker and was on the end of a terrible lunge, which the referee was quick to deem a red card and an early bath loomed for the forward.
The breakthrough wasn't long in coming soon after, as Jason Atkins broke the deadlock. The ball was whipped in from a corner and headed back across goal. Atkins was first to the ball to bullet home the opener and give the vocal travelling fans something to sing about. Playing in front of a couple of a hundred fans, the main support was for the students as , in particular, a 30 strong contingent gave tremendous vocal backing.
Playing wide on the right, Michael Pentland got himself on the score sheet arriving late at the back post. A whipped ball across was tapped in from close range, bringing out a front flip from the delighted Pentland. It wasn’t long before he doubled his tally to give Stirling a comfortable lead. Emmot Parr-Gallagher played the ball across the edge of the area and, after a great dummy by Mason, left Pentland with time to drill past the helpless Lothian goalkeeper.
Stirling made it 4 before half-time with the tricky Corr troubling the scorers. Finding himself one-on-one with the frustrated keeper, the two players were both committed to the 50/50 challenge. Corr got there first to slot home, and a combination of Corr and the covering defender conspired to cause the goalkeeper to receive a serious injury. He bravely battled through to half-time, having received what turned out to be a break, before being replaced by a centre half for the remainder of the game.
Having the game sown up by half-time, the second half was a procession as Stirling dominated possession and ‘keeper Sam Filler could have been in the travelling support, such was the Lothian attacking threat. Mason got in on the act 10 minutes after the break, slotting home first time after a wonderful cross from Corr.
Mason and Corr were replaced by Danny Denholm and Abraham Keller as Stirling mixed it up having a comfortable lead to rely on. It was Swiss-born Keller who made it 6 after Parr-Gallagher’s effort was blocked and Keller was on hand to drill the ball home, although the stadium announcer had other ideas and gave Pentland the delight of hearing his name for the third time on the day.
Captain Lee Nichol, alongside Calum Scott, was dictating play from the centre of the park, looking at ease with the surroundings and completing pass after pass. It was from customary Nichol build up that Keller added his second and Stirling’s 7th. Keller, fresh from scoring 4 against Glasgow Uni, looked dangerous but couldn’t find the hat-trick as Lothian survived a long-range dipping free-kick.
Pentland was then replaced to standing ovation; with Darren Dalrymple his replacement and the substitute caused problems for a tiring Lothian side. It was Creag Robertson who was to complete the scoring on the day, rewarding an energetic performance and countless supporting runs down the left, as the ball was bundled over line from a Nichol corner.
Filler was to see his only action of the day with minutes to go, as a weak free-kick summed up Lothian’s day as they froze on the big day giving little opposition to the University outfit. The final whistle was a relief to the Borders team, and the trophy went, for the first time, into Stirling hands. Captain Nichol lifted the cup to the delight of teammates and fans alike to complete a day where the supporters definitely got their money’s worth.
Nichol said: “I didn’t think it was going to be as easy a first trophy as it turned out to be, but Lothian were always going to find it hard being down to 10 men and four goals down at half-time. Still, we had to give 100 percent and it was great to see so many of the team get in amongst the goals. It’s an honour to be the captain of the side to win the first Cup and it is another step forward for our young team. We want to win as many cups as we can and challenge for the Premier title. To win the final the way we have will give the guys a lot of confidence for the rest of the season.”
Delighted coach Stevie Burchill said: “I was very pleased with the attitude of the players. From start to finish, they kept trying to do things properly, stuck to the game plan and got their rewards. It was an excellent team performance to win what will hopefully be the first of many trophies.”
Stirling University: Filler, McCullagh, Atkins, Drummond, Robertson, Scott, Nichol, Corr (Denholm), Pentland (Dalrymple), Parr-Gallagher, Mason (Keller). Subs: Walker, Neilson
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