Sunday 26 March 2006
New Victoria Park
League Cup Final
Musselburgh Athletic
Starting XI | Polowj, Munro, Quinn, Sweeney, Gibson, Hay, Porteous, Currie (c), Martin, Turnbull, Tansey
Subs | McCluskey, Barr, Bain, Murray, Cantley
Goalscorer | Martin (36)
Penicuik Athletic
Starting XI | McQueen, Gibb, F.Porteous, Devine, Salton, Auld, Jones, Young, Harvey, Hope (c), Forbes
Subs | McKean, White, Montgomery, Blair, McDermott
Sent off | Gibb (63)
Referee | P. Reid
Assistant Referees | P Wedlock and M Jasinski
Fourth official | C Pennycook
Penicuik Athletic lost out in the final of the Peter Walker Group League Cup Final to Musselburgh Athletic by the narrowest of margins. Played at New Victoria Park, Newtongrange last Sunday, the majority of the large crowd appeared to be supporting Penicuik. Willie McGinlay had to ring the changes as Kevin Twaddle, Brian Foster and Andy Seaton were all unavailable. Robert Ure was also ruled out by an injury picked up in midweek. Goalkeeper Billy Bald is recovering from a hernia operation while Roddy McLeod left for a family holiday in Las Vegas on Sunday morning. The experienced Jim McQueen, formerly of Newtongrange Star, Meadowbank Thistle and East Fife was signed as a replacement. Musselburgh's captain and regular goalkeeper Scott Cantley was only fit enough to take a place on the substitutes bench being replaced by Polowj.
Musselburgh forced four corner kicks in quick succession in the second minute following hesitancy in the Penicuik defence. Musselburgh had grabbed the initiative and it looked like "shooting in" practice for them in the early stages. However Penicuik settled and almost grabbed the lead in the ninth minute when Polowj almost punched a Jones comer into his own net.. Musselburgh were not holding
back in the tackle and Tansey was booked for a late tackle on Neil Devine. Both Johnny Harvey and Paul Forbes limped away from heavy challenges while only the swift intervention of the referee's assistant prevented a nasty situation from developing when Fraser Porteous took exception to
another heavy tackle. However Penicuik's Gibb was yellow carded for a late challenge on
Tansey. As Musselburgh piled on the pressure a Quinn drive came back off the post with McQueen beaten. Martin was pulled up for offside on a couple of occasions as Musselburgh fought hard for a breakthrough. The Musselburgh centre forward came up with the perfect answer in the thirty sixth minute with the only goal of the game finishing off a good move by Tansey and Turnbull. Penicuik replied right away but Auld drove over the bar after a mazy Jones run.
HALFTIME | Penicuik Athletic 0-1 Musselburgh Athletic
The first half had belonged to Musselburgh but Penicuik put in a determined effort as the second half got underway. McKean replaced the injured Forbes as Penicuik looked for the equaliser. Auld shot wide from a Hope pass and then Gibb released Johnny Harvey in the sixtieth minute with a ball over the top but Polowj produced the save of the match to deny the high scoring Penicuik forward. With eighteen minutes of the second half gone Penicuik were dealt a severe blow when Gibb received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Tansey. Reduced to ten men Penicuik were far from out of it and only a desperate goal line clearance by Munro prevented McKean from grabbing the equaliser. Musselburgh hit back late on when a dipping Porteous effort struck the top of the crossbar before going over an Bain shot weakly into McQueen's arms when well placed. The game finished with Penicuik unable to pull the goal back sending the cup down to East Lothian. Paul Tansey was sponsor's man of the match while Scott Cantley stepped up to receive the cup for an ecstatic Musselburgh team.
FULLTIME | Penicuik Athletic 0-1 Musselburgh Athletic
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