Edinburgh University second team continued their journey to the BUCS Cup final after a hard-fought, but deserved win against Strathclyde in the quarter-finals. The 3-1 victory means that Burgh will face either St. Andrews or Aberdeen in the semis, where the final beckons.
The game itself did not pass without many an incident, the first of which proved that right-back Nicky Gam is not only a handsome man, but a mini bus driver. Yet, Edinburgh arrived safely in-time for the 2pm kick off; the referee on the other hand, had other ideas and pitched up to the icy 3G surface at 2:30. The elongated wait only seemed to invigorate both sides, as the game spent the first 20minutes in hi-octane fury, with both sides trying to assert some dominance.
Football however, took a backseat 22minutes in when the Strathclyde forward chased a high bouncing through ball but his efforts only saw him find the outrushing goalkeeping machine of Tom Agnew. The clash saw the striker knocked out, with calls for a medic urgently made from all camps. The striker did eventually manage to walk off, to everyone’s relief, being replaced by a centre back upfront.
The deadlock was broken 30minutes in when Steve Kenny flicked on to find Mario Velez in the box. The striker showed his unquestionable ability, and after a couple of step-overs, put the ball on a plate for strike-partner Erskine to slot home.
Erskine then doubled the lead by heading in Steve Kenny’s exquisite cross sending the away team into delirium. The sides then battled out the remaining 10, with Alex Maxwell coming closest to scoring once more for Burgh, but his shot was miraculously saved by the Clyde Keeper.
The second half commenced with Velez being replaced by Kyle O’Neill early on and the two sides once again locked in battle. But Burgh had warhorse Dave Meehan at the heart of their midfield, orchestrating the fight, and winning it comfortably. The Irishman then produced a fine save from the Strathclyde keeper, after his half-volley was tipped onto the inside of the post.
Angus Ramsay and Alex Petrie freshened things up, replacing Antoni and Erskine. And it wasn’t long before Ramsay found himself on the score sheet, following up on a spillage from the keeper to place the ball calmly into the empty net.
Strathclyde did eventually pull one consolation goal back, however their persistence was bettered by the intensity of the Burgh defence, giving no time or space for anyone from the opposition to really settle on the ball.
So, Edinburgh progress into the semi-finals, returning to a snowy city via a mini-bus McDonald’s drive through. The health of their bodies potentially in doubt, but the health of their chances of retaining the cup they won 12 months previously, still in full working shape. Let’s just hope that come the end of March we are still exclaiming “Long live the Tombstone”.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment