MATCH REPORTS

The well anticipated semi final in the Elginshire cup game between Deveronside and Inverness City ended up being a ten goal thriller. With both sides determined to try and play football the spectators were treated to a game which had everything, including five sending offs, one being the Deveronside Manager.

 

Pollard said “We are delighted to have made a cup final but we’re not going to celebrate until we have some silverware in our hands. Deveronside is one of these grounds that no team likes to visit so this result shows how well the boys played. It was nice to get away from the pressure of the league and concentrate on something else for a change. The best part of this is that we now have something to really focus on and possibly finish on a high.”

 

The game started at a very high tempo with both sides determined to make a claim on the cup final. But it couldn’t have been a better start for City when the free scoring Murdoch added to his impressive scoring tally when he scrambled the ball over the line in the first 2 minutes to give City the lead. 

 

It didn’t take the home side long to find the equaliser when on the 18^th minute a poor clearance by City was punished to make the score 1-1. Five minutes later Deveronside were awarded a penalty where the slightest push by Keith Mason was penalised. Deveronside extended the lead and put City on to the back foot. Captain Colin Mason wasn’t going to let this tie go Deveronside’s way, when he did a great run and set up McCraw for his first and City’s equlaiser on the 30^th minute. City claimed the lead back eight minutes later when a great ball was played through by Colin Mason for the nippy Gary Miller to run on to and coolly slot the ball in to the net. On the half time mark, a rush of blood to Mapplebeck’s head saw him swipe the Deveronside forwards legs away to earn Deveronside’s second penalty, which they made no mistake in scoring, making the score 3-3.

 

With the excitement of the first half, most spectators would probably think the second half couldn’t be as exciting. It did in fact prove to be just as exciting when on the 54^th minute City took the lead when McCraw ran on to a long ball to lob the Deveronside keeper to put City ahead once again. 

 

This was still an open game and it looked as though all the missed chances might have played a big part but on the 83^rd minute City extended their lead when Jamie Fraser’s quick thinking put McCraw in to claim his hat-trick. The game was far from finished with only a minute of normal time to play, the home side were awarded their third penalty to make the score 5-4. City finished on a high when only a minute later, Kevin Fraser smashed the ball in to the Deveronside net to give City a two goal advantage and passage in to the Cup Final. Final score Deveronside 4 City 6.

 

Team: Young, MacDonald, Mapplebeck (McNiven 76), Maclennan, K Fraser, J Fraser, Miller, K Mason, Murdoch (Pearce 69), C Mason, McCraw (P Beaton 76)

 

Subs not used: Turner (Sent off)