Bonnyrigg Rose v Shettleston Juniors

Saturday 23 September 2017, 14.30, New Dundas Park

Scottish Junior Cup First Round action between East Super League’s Bonnyrigg Rose and Shettleston of the West Super League First Division.

It was good to get to the football after plans to go to the League Cup Quarter Final between Motherwell and Aberdeen on the Thursday and the Scottish Cup tie between Spartans and Vale of Leithen both didn’t pan out.

A first sight of Rose this season and despite the fantastic season they had in 2016-17, they ended up empty handed.  They will be looking to rectify that this season.

Runners-up in the East Super League to the now senior side Kelty Hearts, a semi-final defeat in the Junior Cup to Glenafton, a penalty shoot-out defeat to Tranent in the East of Scotland Cup Final and a run to the fourth round of the Scottish Cup where they went out to a clinical Hibs.  The plaudits were plentiful, but the silverware was not as the number of games caught up with them at the end of the season.

Since last season, they have signed goalkeeper Bryan Young from Whitehill Welfare, left back Neil Martynuik and midfielder Lee Currie from Newtongrange Star, Ross Gray from Linlithgow Rose, Mark McConnell from Edinburgh City and right back Dean Brett, who had left Rose to join Montrose, but changed his mind and came back.

Left back Ruaridh Donaldson has signed for Stenhousemuir, Chris Tobin has gone to Craigroyston, Scott Gray has gone to the United States and Ross Archibald has re-retired.  Striker Sean Jamieson went to Penicuik Athletic in the week leading up to the game against Shettleston.  The biggest loss has been the departure of manager Robbie Horn, who has taken the reins at Berwick Rangers.  Coach David White has stepped into the Rose hot seat.

Rose have had six wins and two draws in the league and sat in second place, two points behind leaders Penicuik.

It’s a long time since I’ve seen Shettleston in action.  Formed in 1903 they are nicknamed ‘The Town’ and are currently in the West Super League First Division, the second top league in the West Juniors.

They started life playing at Well Park, but were forced to vacate at short notice in 1932 as the land was required for house building.  They moved to Frank Field Park and renamed it Greenfield Park, where they still play their home fixtures today, in the East End of Glasgow.

They have won a number of trophies in their history including the Central A League in 1959-1960 and 1976-1977 and the West of Scotland Cup in 1974-1975, 1992-1993 and 1994-1995.

Their solitary appearance in the Junior Cup Final came in 1959 when they lost 2-1 to Irvine Meadow at Hampden Park.  They also reached the semi-final in 2001.

They have become a bit of a yo-yo club in recent times and most recently played in the top league in 2014-15, but it was a one season stay.  Last season saw them finish in seventh spot.

Some may recognise the name of goalkeeper Gary Whyte.  He gained nationwide fame last season for being sent off in a match against Shotts Bon Accord for urinating behind his own goal during the match.

It’s been a tumultuous start to the season for Shettleston.  A new management duo of James McKenna and Keith Docherty were sacked 36 days after being appointed and just before the start of the season.  The two had made a raft of signings after being left with just 4 players for the season ahead.

Seven players had come on board from Broomhouse Amateurs where Docherty had been manager, and a further nine had also been signed up. Hugh Kelly and Bernie Beacom have now taken on the managerial duties and several of the players brought in over the summer departed after the changes in management.

It had been a tough start and they went into the cup tie rooted to the bottom of the league, with a solitary point from their five games and they also finished bottom of their Central Sectional League Cup Group.

There’s been a few changes at New Dundas Park since we were last there, with some smoothing of ground and new dugouts etc.  Although it may have been the undulations of the pitch, it looked as if the edge of the box had been lined by someone at the end of a night out.

There were around 250 in attendance.

Rose looked to make a positive start and in the opening minute McIntosh found Gray on the left, but his ball into the middle was too hard for anyone to get on the end of.

As a gentleman arrived next to us, he was greeted with “Alright Jock, how’s things?”  Jock replied “F*cking terrible.”  When asked what was wrong, he replied “oh nothing, just living the dream.”

In the sixth minute, Hoskins struck a shot on the Shettleston goal from the left which whistled just past the post.

Brown curled a free kick towards goal in 13 minutes from around 22 yards, but it hit the side netting of the visitor’s goal.

With 17 minutes gone, Martin trotted across to take a Shettleston free kick and sent an attempted cross behind the goal for a bye-kick.  This was the second time he had wasted one from a promising position.

Brett crossed into the Shettleston box in 18 minutes and the ball was booted high in the air by a defender.  It dropped at the edge of the box to McIntosh, whose half volley was just wide of the post.

McGachie was next to have a go from the edge of Shettleston’s box, but he skyed his shot from 20 yards.

Rose’s Moyes had to go off for treatment in 20 minutes with a bleeding nose but quickly returned to the fray.

In 23 minutes, Hoskins took out Makofo on the right touchline.  Martin went across to take the free kick and again sent the ball behind the goal.

Shettleston worked the ball to Kisuka near the edge of the Rose box in 25 minutes, but his shot lacked power and it was comfortable for Young, although Kisuka may have been caught as he struck it.

A long ball forward into the Shettleston box by Young in 28 minutes saw a defender put the ball behind.  Currie’s corner was met powerfully by the head of Young and it flew into the top corner to give the hosts the lead.

Young was involved again in 31 minutes when his through ball saw McGachie racing into the box on the right and as Whyte came out he dinked it over him, but could only hit the side netting.

Rose put some good football together in 37 minutes after Currie had intercepted the ball in midfield.  It ended with Brown playing the ball to Currie who beat a defender before seeing his shot take a nick as it went narrowly wide.

A minute later Rose came forward again and Gray passed to McIntosh on the right.  His cross was taken down expertly by Gray before he volleyed just wide of goal.

After McDowell had been booked for a foul on McGachie, Brown put Rose’s free kick into the box in 41 minutes.  It was half cleared but played back in to McGachie who looked to miskick, which took him somewhat fortuitously past the keeper, before he rolled it into the net to make it two-nil.

Scott picked up the game’s first booking in 43 minutes, for taking out Rose’s McIntosh as Bonnyrigg broke.

Two nil to the home side at the interval.

With three minutes of the second half gone Currie chipped the ball into the Shettleston box for Brett, but he couldn’t keep his header down.

A Brett cross from the right in 49 minutes picked out the head of McGachie in the heart of the Shettleston box and his clever header completely wrong-footed Whyte, but shaved the post as it went wide.

McGachie was brought down just outside the “D” on the edge of the Shettleston box in 60 minutes and it was three Rose defenders who discussed who would take it.  Brett eventually won the argument and his effort took a deflection off the wall and spun into the net past a helpless Whyte to make it three.

Rose showed no sign of being happy to rest on their lead and when McGachie laid the ball back to Brown in 62 minutes, his first time cross picked out Brett at the back post, but he headed over.

Shettleston’s McIntosh needed treatment in 65 minutes after a challenge by Hoskins.  He limped back on soon after.  He only lasted another five minutes though.

Kisuka won the ball for Shettleston in 70 minutes and Luczi took it forward, but his shot was too high.

In 74 minutes, Brett cut the ball back to Turner from the Shettleston by-line, but Whyte blocked his shot.

Martin was yellow carded in 75 minutes for bringing down a Rose player on the side of the box after being nutmegged.  Brown played the free kick back to Currie on the edge of the box and he hit a very well controlled shot low into the corner for Rose’s fourth.

A Rose corner in 80 minutes by Currie was met well by the head of McConnell, but Whyte pushed the ball away from goal.

McEwan picked up a loose ball in 82 minutes and had a go at the Rose goal, but there wasn’t sufficient power in his shot to trouble Young.

With 6 minutes to go Brett’s cross into the Shettleston area eluded everyone in the middle and came to Martynuik at the far post.  He fired the ball back into the mix and McConnell showed good reactions to nod the ball into the net to make it 5-0.

Currie played a one-two with McGachie inside the Shettleston box in 87 minutes, but off balance, he was unable to get a good strike on the ball and Whyte gathered.

In injury time Young was booked for bringing down Kisuka as Shettleston looked to break.

An easy win for Bonnyrigg who never really looked to be at the top of their game but were very comfortable throughout.  A tough afternoon for Shettleston but they never gave up and kudos goes to them for continuing to try to play football as the match progressed.

Moyes and Currie were both excellent for Rose and Brown also had a very good game, although the whole defence looked very solid.  Shettleston won’t be up against that level of defender every week, but Kisuka, McIntosh and Makofo all showed good touches which suggests they will cause problems in the league this season.

Rather than the Shettleston keeper, it was the crowd that were relieved this time.  Relieved that he managed to hold on until after the game to go to the toilet.

Full Time: Bonnyrigg Rose 5 Shettleston Juniors 0

Admission: £6

Bonnyrigg Rose: 1 Bryan Young, 2 Dean Brett, 5 Ewan Moyes, 4 Kerr Young, 6 Dean Hoskins, 3 Jonny Brown (Martynuik 78), 7 Scott Gray (Turner 66), 11 Lee Currie, 10 Alan Horne, 9 Wayne McIntosh (McConnell 57), 11 Kieran McGachie.  Subs: 12 Neil Martynuik, 14 Lewis Turner, 15 Adam Nelson, 16 Mark McConnell, 25 Michael Andrews.

Shettleston Juniors: 1 Gary Whyte, 2 Lee Martin, 3 Robert Crumlish, 4 Michael McDowell, 5 Calum Nolan, 6 Ryan Scott, 7 Mate Luczi, 8 Cristiano Kisuka, 9 Rikki McIntosh (McEwan 75), 10 Steffa Graham (Treacy 66), 11 Makofo (Kelly 75).  Subs: 12 Greg McEwan, 14 Stuart Kelly, 15 Kyle Robertson, 16 Cathal Tracey, 17 Gareth Watson.

Referee: Alastair Grieve

Programme: None.

Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare v Thornton Hibs

Saturday 8 October 2016, 14.30, Newbattle Complex

The first round of the Fife and Lothians Cup and a game between Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare of the East Region South Division and Thornton Hibs of the East Region North Division.

The Fife & Lothians Cup dates back to regionalisation in 1968 and is a knockout tournament for former East (Lothians) and Fife Region clubs in the current East Region.  It is administered by a separate Fife & Lothians committee.  Last season’s trophy was won by Penicuik Athletic who beat Bonnyrigg Rose in the final.

It’s my second viewing of Lily this season after seeing them in a pre-season tournament at Preston Athletic.  They sit seventh in the league, with three wins and three defeats.

Thornton Hibs began as a juvenile side in 1913 and became a junior side in 1935.  They’ve had a fair bit of success in Fife over the years and have twice reached the Junior Cup semi-finals, most recently in 2008.  They’ve had one season in the East Superleague, in 2004-05.

The Junior Association restructured prior to the 2006-07 season and Hibs found themselves in the 12-team East Region, Central Division. They finished ninth in their first season in the division.  They won the Central Division in 2009-10.

Season 2014-15 saw them win the East Region North Division and gain promotion to the East Premier Division, but relegation came at the end of last season.

The Fife men have made a number of new signings for this season.  Goalkeepers Matthew Clark has come in from Greig Park Rangers, and Dean Gear from Leven United, defenders Matthew Robertson from Rosyth Juniors, Dean McMillan from Lochore Welfare, and Nicky McGowan, who returned to the club after a season at Oakley United.  Midfielders Max Coleman from Balgonie Scotia, Shaun Keatings from St Andrews United, Dale Robertson from Burntisland Shipyard, and forwards Ewan Henderson from Newburgh Juniors and Garry Thomson jnr from Kennoway Star Hearts.

Lily’s ground is quite high up and if you go up the bank at the side of the pitch, you can get fine views towards the Pentland Hills.

The game was a minute late starting as it looked as though the referee was having difficulty counting to eleven.  All refs check each team have the requisite number of players on the pitch before a game starts, but it genuinely looked as though he had at least two shots at it, before realising he wasn’t counting the person taking kick-off.

A good run forward by Lily’s Shearer in 3 minutes saw him try to pick out Ferguson in the box, but Shanks was across quickly to clear.

In 5 minutes, Thomson picked up a loose ball in the middle of the park and struck a low shot at the Lily goal from around 23 yards, but it went just wide of the post.

Lily had a free kick on the edge of the box in 7 minutes, but Barrie’s effort went high over the bar.

Hibs played a ball up the right in 11 minutes looking for Keatings, but McManus got there first.  He looked to play it back to Taylor in goal, but the pass was short and the keeper slipped.  Keatings took possession and tried to score from a tight angle, but Taylor managed to block.

A minute later, Barrie latched onto a Hibs clearance and dummied a defender before shooting at goal, but there wasn’t enough power to trouble Clark.

A great pass by Thomson in 18 minutes picked out the run of Robertson on the right hand side of the box and his cross come shot went right across the face of the goal and just wide of the far post.

Hibs Henderson picked up the game’s first booking in 21 minutes after the age old situation where a defender goes to clear the ball (in this case Hamilton) and the forward tries to block the clearance, but ends up catching the defender with his studs, although the defender effectively is the one doing the kicking.  Undoubtedly a sore one for the victim, as it tends to be his ankle that catches the studs.

Henderson was living dangerously though when he caught McManus as he cleared just a minute later.

Lily’s Ferguson had a strike for goal in 23 minutes which Clark did well to push away.

Following a Lily corner in 27 minutes, McDermott played the ball into the box and found Ferguson at the back post, but the striker had to stretch for it and he could only head high and wide.

In 32 minutes, McDermott picked out Elliot, who ran into the Hibs’ box but under pressure, could only shoot straight at Clark.

Crichton played a one-two with Henderson on halfway in 35 minutes as Hibs came forward.  He ran towards the box and managed to get through the challenge of Glodek from behind but was brought down as he got to the box.  The Hibs players thought it was inside the box and he certainly landed well inside it, but the referee gave a free kick right on the edge and booked Glodek.  Thomson took the free kick and made any arguments null and void as he placed a low shot in off the post to give the away side the lead.

Straight up the other end after the restart and McDermott tried a shot from the edge of the box which Clark gathered at the second attempt.

In 39 minutes, McDermott put a Lily free kick into the danger area and it was dropped by Clark, but hit Shanks and went wide of the goal.  The corner was cleared to the edge of the box where Glodek tried an acrobatic effort which went narrowly over.

Some good play on the left by Lily’s Shearer in 43 minutes saw the ball fired across goal and Glodek couldn’t make contact at the front post, but the ball came to Ferguson, who made no mistake to tie the score.

A decent first half with the game still in the balance.

Arthur picked up a booking in 49 minutes and Thomson took the free kick for Hibs 25 yards from goal, which was tipped over the bar by Taylor.  Thomson trotted across to take the corner and found the head of Ireland, whose header was cleared off the line by McManus.

In 54 minutes, Lily’s McDermott played a fine pass into the box to pick out Ferguson’s run and he dinked the ball past Clark and into the net for his second of the match to give his side the lead.

Lily looked dangerous again in 55 minutes when Shearer sent Elliot clear on goal.  The referee decided he was offside and blew up as Elliot knocked the ball past the outrushing Clark, who got a free late challenge on the striker.

Hibs came forward in 57 minutes and Crichton fired a shot at goal that Taylor managed to get a hand to, but it dropped to two Hibs players, Thomson and Keatings, and the latter tapped the ball home to make it two all.  Lily’s Hamilton was booked in the aftermath for, I think, claiming it had been offside.

The away side were back on the attack from kick off and McMillan got to the by-line and his cut back came all the way to Hepburn on the edge of the box, but his effort was high and wide.

Arthur was forced to limp off for Lily in 59 minutes with what looked like a groin strain.

Hibs’ McGowan was next to receive a yellow card in 62 minutes for shouting at the referee that an opponent had “elbowed me square in the fucking face.”

Great feet on the edge of the Lily box in 64 minutes by Keatings created a chance, but he dragged his shot wide.

In 70 minutes, Hibs won a free kick near the corner flag on the right.  Dale Robertson crossed into the box and found the head of Thomson, who powerfully headed into the far corner to put his side in front.

Barrie picked up the ball in midfield for Lily in 71 minutes, but his shot from 23 yards was too high.  There followed a short delay as a dog ran on the pitch to prevent Clark from taking the goal kick.  An embarrassed owner soon headed away with their pet.

Hibs’ Ireland headed on a ball forward to set Crichton through on goal in 72 minutes, but he shot wide of the Lily goal.

Taylor did well to tip a Thomson shot from the edge of the box over the Lily bar in 74 minutes.

With 75 minutes gone, Hepburn tried to score from the half way line after a Taylor clearance had landed at his feet.  It was a well struck first time effort, but the Lily keeper was back in his goal to catch the ball.

Crichton went down the left for Hibs in 78 minutes and found Thomson on the edge of the box.  He brilliantly sidestepped a defender before curling a magnificent effort into the top corner for his hat-trick.

In 80 minutes, Dale Robertson lifted the ball over the top of the Lily defence for Ireland to chase.  The Hibs striker ran onto the ball, but shot wide.

A good ball forward to Lily’s Elliot in the final minute saw him lay the ball off to Ferguson on the edge of the box, but his first time effort went wide.

In injury time, number 17 showed good strength on half way and found Ferguson, but his shot from a narrow angle was saved by the feet of Clark.

An entertaining game between two good sides that sees the Fifers through to the next round where they will face Linlithgow Rose of the East Superleague.

For Lily, Shearer looked a clever player while Glodek was composed in midfield and McDermott looked a fine passer of the ball.  McGowan impressed at the back for Hibs and Keatings was good in midfield.  Thomson though was by far the best player on the pitch and his passing and composure stood out even if he hadn’t scored three goals.  No disrespect to Thornton Hibs, but it certainly looked like he should be playing at a higher level judging by his performance.

Thanks to Easthouses Lily for providing names and numbers for their team.  Thornton Hibs didn’t reply, so hopefully I have their team correct.

Full Time: Easthouse Lily Miners Welfare 2 Thornton Hibs 4

Admission: £6

Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare: 1 Billy Taylor, 2 Shaun Moffat, 3 Ross McManus, 4 David Arthur (Hall 59), 5 Ross Hamilton, 6 James Glodek (Young 81), 7 Stephen Barrie (Russell 72), 8 Steven Ferguson, 9 Gary Shearer, 10 Paul Mcdermott, 11 Ali Elliott. Subs: 12 Liam Hall, 14 Danny Watson, 15 Lewis Russell, 16 Steven Campbell, 17 Graeme Young.

Thornton Hibs: 1 Matthew Clark, 2 Matthew Robertson, 3 Dean McMillan, 4 Nicky McGowan, 5 Ian Shanks, 6 Max Coleman, 7 Shaun Keatings (D Robertson 69), 8 Ian Hepburn (Strachan 87), 9 Ewan Henderson (Ireland 45), 10 Garry Thomson snr, 11 Raymond Crichton. Subs: 12 Dale Robertson, 14 Stuart Drummond, 15 Bryan Strachan, 16 Chris Ireland, Jimmy Shields.

Referee: Michael Addy

Programme: None.

Gala Fairydean Rovers v Fraserburgh

Saturday 24 September 2016, 15.00 Netherdale 3G Arena

The First Round proper of the Scottish Cup and a game between Lowland League Gala Fairydean Rovers and Fraserburgh of the Highland League.

First competitive sight of Gala this season, having taken in their pre-season game against Morpeth Town.  They’ve not been setting the heather on fire with their start to the season and lie in twelfth place in the 16 team league with five games played.  A terrible 6-1 reverse at the beginning of the month was followed up with wins over Preston Athletic and then Heston in the South of Scotland Cup.

Gala qualify automatically for the Scottish Cup as a member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA).  The best performance by the club was reaching the third round, done on five occasions.

Sean Paliczka and David Bonnar, who left the club in the summer and signed for Superleague side Newtongrange Star, have both returned to the club just before the cup game and both go straight into the starting line-up.

Fraserburgh Football Club was formed in 1910 and have played at Bellslea Park since then.

They gained membership from the SFA, making them eligible to compete in both the Scottish Qualifying Cup and Scottish Cup.  The Club gained entry into the Highland League in 1921, having competed in the Aberdeenshire Cup and Scottish Cup up until then.

They have won the Highland League three times, most recently in 2002, when it was the first time in 60 years.  Last season saw them win the Aberdeenshire Cup and Aberdeenshire Shield.  They finished 9^th in the eighteen team league last season and go into the cup tie in fifth.

Fraserburgh, known locally as “the Broch”, play in black and white stripes due to a local harbour worker who had connections in Newcastle.  The first side borrowed kit from Newcastle United and the tradition has remained.

Changes to the Scottish Cup format has meant that since 2007, all Highland League sides go straight into the first round.  The most famous game in the club’s history came in the cup in 1959 when they defeated Dundee, who were one of the top teams in the country at the time, 1-0 at Bellslea Park.

Young midfielder Greg Buchan has signed for Fraserburgh for this season and Marc Lawrence is on loan from Peterhead.  Striker Gary Harris signed just the week before from Deveronvale.

The official attendance was given as 250, although there didn’t look to be quite as many as that.

The first incident of note came in 7 minutes when Gala’s Herdman went down injured after conceding a corner under pressure from Harris.  He may have fallen awkwardly or he may have been accidently stood on by Harris.  There was certainly no intent involved.

In 10 minutes, a ball over the top gave Harris a chance inside the Gala box, but Wright did well to block his shot.

Johnston tried a ball across for Fraserburgh in 11 minutes and with Wright leaving it to go wide, it hit the post and ricocheted into the middle of the box and to the feet of West, but Wright recovered quickly to block

Herdman returned to the fray after treatment, but had to succumb to his injury in 15 minutes.

A slack pass by Main in 19 minutes gave the ball away to Combe who quickly transferred the ball to West on the left.  He played the ball across goal for Harris to slide in and he put it high into the net to give Fraserburgh the lead.

Gala half cleared a corner in 23 minutes, but Combe found Johnston on the edge of the box to put Fraserburgh back on the attack, although he shot well over.

There was a delay in 31 minutes when the ball went over a fence, as there were no other balls to hand, but a replacement was quickly found.

Another corner by Fraserburgh was cleared to the edge of the box in 32 minutes and McBride latched onto it but shot wide.

A long bouncing ball towards the Fraserburgh box in 37 minutes by Waugh didn’t look dangerous, with Hay getting to the ball in front of Gala striker Noble, but he didn’t get enough purchase on his attempted header back to Leask.  Noble nipped in between and took the ball round the keeper and slotted into the empty net for the equaliser.

A Gala one-two in 41 minutes saw Miller deep inside Fraserburgh territory, but a defender managed to get a foot in.  The ball came to a Broch player on the edge of the box, but he miscontrolled it and it fell to McColm on the edge of the box.  He sliced his shot well wide.

That last piece of action summed up the first half really.  Disappointing fare in the first half, with misplaced passes, poor control and bad decision making the order of the day.  The Broch seemed to struggle with the bounce of the ball on the artificial pitch.  I don’t think they are very prominent in the Highlands.

There were some hefty challenges in midfield before the ball came to Gala’s Noble 22 yards out in 53 minutes.  His curling effort was high, wide and not even remotely handsome.

A Gala free kick near the corner flag was taken by McColm in 62 minutes and found Palickza’s run to the near post, but he couldn’t get his effort on target.

McColm featured again in 65 minutes, when he hit a powerful shot towards the Fraserburgh goal from 25 yards, but it was too high.

In 66 minutes, Harris ran through into the Gala box, but under pressure, he couldn’t get power in his shot and it was an easy save for Wright.

Campbell shot for goal from the edge of the box in 77 minutes, but it was comfortable for Wright in the Gala goal.

A ball into the box by Gala’s McColm in 79 minutes was headed into the middle by Simpson and McBride contrived to head the ball into his own net to put Gala in front.

A minute after the goal, Fraserburgh were appealing for a penalty when Johnston looked to be pulled to the ground in the box by Waugh, but the referee gave a free kick the other way.

Johnston must have continued his protests, as in 81 minutes, the referee showed him a red card.

A quick break by the home side in 83 minutes saw them with a three on one situation, but the flag went up.  Simpson ran on and shot into the net and was booked.

With three minutes left, Gala wrapped up the win.  Palickza played the ball from the right into the feet of Noble in the box.  He turned well and held off a defender and shot into the bottom corner to the delight of the home bench.

In injury time, Palickza crossed to the back post where it was headed back across goal by Noble to Simpson, but the Gala sub sclaffed the ball wide.

Both sides can play a lot better, but Gala won’t care about that after progress to the next round.  Fraserburgh will be kicking themselves at losing out on what they would have considered a winnable tie.  Mistakes from their central defenders gave away the first two goals with first Hay and then McBride (who from our vantage point in the stand looked like David Brent from “The Office”) the culprits.

Fraserburgh shaded the first half and Gala the second.  Collins moving into midfield and Hope going to the defence was a good move and Collins’ energy and tackling made a difference in the middle of the park.  Noble was the best on the day, holding the ball up well and scoring two goals.  Harris up front for Fraserburgh had a good first half, culminating in his first goal for the club.

Full Time: Gala Fairydean Rovers 3 Fraserburgh 1

Admission: £7

Gala Fairydean Rovers: 1 Kieran Wright, 2 Lee Stephen, 3 Kevin Waugh, 4 Scott Main, 5 Ben Herdman (Kyle Collins 15), 6 Dean McColm, 7 Billy Miller (Danny Simpson 75), 8 Taylor Hope, 9 Stuart Noble, 10 Sean Palickza, 11 David Bonnar. Subs: 12 Danny Simpson, 14 George Windram, 15 Shane Bonnington, 16 Kyle Collins, 17 Allan Nicol, 18 Steven Noble.

Fraserburgh: 1 Paul Leask, 2 Marc Dickson, 6 Russell McBride (Stuart Taylor 84), 4 Cameron Buchan, 5 Bryan Hay, 3 Dean Cowie, 7 Michael Rae, 8 William West, 9 Gary Harris (Greg Buchan 68), 10 Graham Johnston, 11 Aidan Combe (Paul Campbell 72). Subs: 12 Stuart Taylor, 14 Paul Campbell, 15 Greg Buchan, 16 Ryan Christie, 17 Ryan Cowie, 18 Marc Lawrence, GK Edward Flinn.

Referee: David Dickinson (not that one)

Programme: £2