Tag: Scottish Cup

Scottish Cup: super Spartans are ecstatic!

Can high-flying Hearts complete capital cup treble?

DEFYTHEODDS

With Hibs and Spartans safely through to the last sixteen of the Scottish Cup, all eyes with be on Tynecastle this afternoon – can high-flying Hearts make it a capital cup treble?

Both Hibs and Spartans came from behind in their fourth round ties yesterday.

The biggest upset of the day belonged to local Lowland League side Spartans, who came from behind to defeat Greenock Morton at Ainslie Park. A stoppage time strike by Beasley created history for the local team – giant-killers Spartans will now take their place in the last sixteen for the first time in their history.

Andrew Barrowman gave Morton a first half lead, but Spartans battled back and levelled through Willie Bremner in the second half. The tie seemed to be heading for a replay but Jack Beesley’s late late show secured a superb Spartans victory.

“The players in the second half were magnificent,” Samuel told BBC Scotland. “When we scored we were certainly going to go for the win – we weren’t playing for the replay, that’s for sure!”

Hibs successfully negotiated a tricky away tie at Alloa. Hibs fans may have feared the worst when Meggatt fired Alloa ahead in fifteen minutes – some Hibs teams of recent vintage would have wilted after going behind – but Alan Stubbs current side is seemingly made of sterner stuff and first half goals by Liam Craig and David Gray saw them safely through to Monday’s draw.

Now Hearts have the chance to make it a capital cup treble. All’s well with the world at Tynecastle these days: Mr Romanov is a distant memory, business is brisk and the team sits proudly at the top of the table, with the likes of Rangers and Hibs trailing in their wake.

Celtic are Scotland’s top team, but they’ve seldom fired on all cylinders this season and another European defeat in midweek exposed their frailties and showed they are far from the finished article.

Yes, Celtic should be too strong for Hearts this afternoon but all the pressure is on the Parkhead side – Hearts go into the game having comprehensively beaten their main title rivals Rangers last weekend and confidence is sky high. The Gorgie boys have nothing to lose by having a real go today. If Celtic do not perform, they will lose.

Both teams have injury worries ahead of this afternoon’s clash.

Hearts have Prince Bauben back in the squad but defender Kevin McHattie has been ruled out with medial ligament damage. Captain Danny Wilson and striker Osman Sow are also doubtful.

Celtic also have three injury concerns. Influential midfielder Charlie Mulgrew is struggling with a rib injury picked up during Thursday’s Europa League defeat by Salzburg and Jason Denayer is also unlikely to feature. Defender Mikael Lustig is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Four SPFL Scottish Premiership sides exited the tournament at the first attempt yesterday – Aberdeen, Motherwell,  Hamilton Academicals and Ross County have gone already. Will Celtic join them? 

Spartans look to bumper home support to sink Clyde

East meets West in Scottish Cup Third Round clashDEFYTHEODDS_306x268

The Spartans are hoping that Hearts and Hibs fans with a free weekend will swell the ranks of the Spartan Army as they face the challenge of Barry Ferguson’s Clyde in the third round of The Scottish Cup at Ainslie Park this afternoon.

Both clubs go into today’s clash in fine form. Spartans are enjoying a ten match unbeaten run, and while the local club are underdogs they are looking forward to the opportunity to tackle the SPFL2 side.

Spartans Manager Dougie Samuel said: “We go into Saturday’s game in a healthy position, with arguably nothing to lose. Playing against higher ranked opposition means that we find ourselves in the unusual position of going into a home game as genuine underdogs; that said, it’s a tag we will set out to enjoy.”

Clyde have been making steady progress under ex-Ranger Barry Ferguson and, unbeaten in five games, currently sit in sixth place in SPFL2 The ‘Bully Wee’ have a fine Scottish Cup history and, as the ‘big’ team in the tie, start the game as firm favourites.

Can Spartans defy the odds? It promises to be a cracker, and don’t be too surprised if the two sides have to do it all again at Broadwood on 8 November.

Kick off today is 3pm.

Admission is by cash at the gate: £8 for adults, £5 for concessions and FREE entry for all under-12s. Due to the anticipated crowd at Ainslie Park, entry will be via the turnstiles at Pilton Drive and Pilton Avenue (open from 2pm).

Hibs: high hopes of ending Hampden hoodoo?

ScottishCup1Tick tock. Tick tock. As those jolly Jambo japesters are always only too keen to point out – 111 years and counting! The last time Hibs lifted the Scottish Cup there were trams on Edinburgh’s streets, for goodness sake! But maybe, just maybe, it’s time … 

On the face of it, Sunday’s cup final should be little more than a stroll for Celtic. After all, the Glasgow team won the SPL with plenty in hand, despite losing a surprising number of games – seven. Mind you, when you are so dominant it’s easy to take your eye off the ball.

Celtic coasted to league victory with such ease that it’s hard to call the SPL ‘title race’ a competition. Really, it was over as a contest as soon as ‘The Rangers’ disappeared into the depths of the lower leagues – the question was always going to be: who’ll finish second?

With the resources Celtic have at their disposal, perhaps that’s as it should be. Now a lone giant in a diddy wee league, over the course of a long, hard – okay, maybe not that hard – season they have by far the biggest squad with the greatest quality in Scotland. True, they’re not up against much, but that’s not their fault. All Celtic could do was win, and usually they did just that. Not always playing pretty, silky soccer – but then we are talking Scottish football.

And yet Celtic surprised many critics of the Scottish game – and there are plenty of them – with that memorable defeat of the mighty Barcelona in the Champions League. They may play in a poor league, but make no mistake: Celtic are a good team, and at the end of a steady and satisfactory if unspectacular season, a league and cup double would be a fair reflection of Celtic’s current domination of Scottish football – the icing on the cake.

Celtic should have too many players of real quality to suffer any shocks on Sunday, with potential match winners all over the park – including two ex-Hibees Scott Brown and Anthony Stokes. Celtic are well aware of Hibs’ strengths (one in particular!) and weaknesses – an inability to deal decisively with cross balls is one area that Celtic will surely try to exploit. If Celtic’s attitude is right, and they bring their ‘A’ game on the day, there’s not a team in Scotland to beat them.

And yet …

Hibs1Inconsistent is perhaps the most charitable way to describe Hibs’ season. Yes, there’s been the occasional fragile green shoot of recovery, the tantalising glimmer of hope that the team has turned the corner, but for much of the season Hibs form has been poor – that bottom six league position doesn’t lie. A hesitant defence that leaked goals, self-inflicited wounds, games lost or drawn that should have been won …

And yet … over the last few weeks, Hibs seem to have found their stride and have hit form at just the right time.

Maybe going three goals down to a First Division team in a Hampden semi-final was the collective wake-up call they so desperately needed: that remarkable fightback not only resurrected Hibs’ season but also perhaps exorcised some of the demons of last year’s Hampden horror show.

Perhaps it was the shared experience of that Falkirk fright, and the elation of the hard-fought victory, that lifted the spirits and galvanised the Easter Road men. They seem to have discovered a collective resolve, a fighting team spirit and self-belief that has been sadly lacking over what has been – Scottish Cup aside – a distinctly lacklustre season. Whatever the catalyst, there’s a quiet confidence and assurance creeping in at Easter Road – and at last, things are going the right way and Hibs have a team that is worthy of the name.

Young players of quality are coming through the youth setup once again. There’s real competition for places and manager Pat Fenlon has choices and decisions to make – it would be wrong to assume that Hibs are a one man team. The loss of captain James McPake, a natural leader, is a huge blow – his presence and experience will be sorely missed and it’s now up to other senior players to show that same level of commitment and leadership on Sunday. It’s a day for big performances.

And Hibs do have Leigh Griffiths. Whatever the young man’s off-field travails, Hibs seem to have unlocked Griffiths’ undoubted potential. With twenty-eight goals to his name, Leigh Griffiths has been the difference between relative success and abject failure at Easter Road this season, adding an impressive work rate to an unerring eye for goal. His attitude has been transformed and Griffiths has matured into a prodigious talent.

Whether Hibs can hang on to their talisman remains in doubt but Griffiths has at least one more game in a Hibs shirt – a game in which his name could go down in history as the man who brought the cup back to Easter Road after all those years. And for Hibs fan Griffiths what a great way to go, if go he must.

So Hibs fans in their thousands will head out west tomorrow more in hope than expectation. Yes it’s unlikely, but Hibs can win the Scottish Cup – although it would be very unwise to give Celtic the same three goal start they gifted Falkirk on their last Hampden visit.

Celtic, for all their qualities, are not invincible and this time round Hibs fans really have nothing to fear. Because, whatever tomorrow’s result, surely it could never feel anything like as bad as last year’s craven capitulation, that Hampden humiliation at the hands of Hearts?

The year of the underdog? Maybe. Perhaps it really is time. Tick tock …

hampden

 

 

 

 

 

Spartans Scottish Cup disappointment

Spartans crashed out of the Scottish Cup on Saturday after losing 2-0 to Highland League side Wick Academy.

Spartans started nervously but came into the game as the half progressed. Keith McLeod went close with two efforts as Spartans began to look dangerous midway though the first half, but it was all to change when Ali McKinnon went off with a head knock on the half hour mark. McKinnon headed off for stitches as the half was all set to peter out. As the first half went into injury time Spartans failed to clear a corner and Wick took the lead. Only a minute later and it was two, Spartans failed to defend another corner and the Wick striker knocked the ball home from two yards.

Manager Douglas Samuel told the club’s website: “Goals change football matches. More often than not the first goal in any game is key. Yesterday, I made a big call which cost cost us dearly. We lost 2 goals in 2 mins when down to 10 men, both in 1st half injury time. Up until corner one, we were comfortable in a game where I felt we had developed the upperhand.

However, history will show that it was an error of judgement on my part, when electing to go with 10 men until Ali received treatment, that cost us (as Sir Clive Woodward said,‘winning doesn’t happen in a straight line’). Wick have some talented players, were unrecognisable to the team I watched the week before (we wish them well in the next round and for the season as a whole).

Dougie Samuel is hoping his side can bounce back next week when they are away to Civil Service Strollers.

I will learn from yesterday’s experience, as a group we will bank the lessons learned from yesterday together and move on. This team and many of the young, inexperienced players in the squad best years are in front of them. I remain confident that each player will improve during the course of the season and beyond, that our side will develop and grow. It’s unfair to compare new signings or players coming through with the star players that have left in recent years, we are comparing players at different stages in their career and development.

Yesterday was a blow, our Club has not tasted a Scottish Cup run for a few seasons now…I’m fully aware of what it means to everyone involved with the Club. It was sad to see so many E of S Clubs fall at the first hurdle, I’m sure most of them will have their own ’if only’ moments to reflect back on. In the end we fell short in terms of execution and meeting our expectations of ourselves yesterday, but not in terms of effort and application.

Our league campaign starts next Saturday vs. The Strollers away (who along with The Vale and Edinburgh City enjoyed a great result yesterday – I’m delighted for all 3 Clubs), when we have a chance to bounce back.”

Scottish Cup: mixed fortunes for local clubs

There were mixed fortunes for the two local clubs in Saturday’s Scottish Cup second round ties. The Spartans suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Wick Academy, but Civil Service Strollers go marching on into Round Three following a fine 4-0 victory over Newton Stewart.

Civil Service Strollers welcome Spartans to Marine Drive in an East of Scotland League match this Saturday (1 September) at 2.30pm.

Spartans u19’s see off Dumbarton in tough Scottish Cup tie.

Local football side Spartans u19’s played host to Dumbarton on Sunday at Ainslie Park.

Despite the strong wind and heavy rain showers both teams played some attractive football, but unfortunately this game wont be remembered for the football it will be remembered for the ten players that were yellow carded and six players were sent off, all this despite there hardly being a bad challenge in the game.

Spartans took the lead in the opening ten minutes after some great play for James Cuthbertson, he went on a run down the wing and when he broke into the box his powerful shot was pushed away by the Dumbarton keeper Ryan Malley, Cuthbertsons’s persistence was rewarded and he had the simple task of heading the ball into the empty net.

Cuthbertson got his second of the afternoon when he was played in and as he broke away from the defence his perfectly placed shot nestled low in the corner of the net. On the half hour mark Cuthbertson got his hat-trick when he again broke away from the Dumbarton defence and the cool headed striker slotted the ball home.

Just as it was looking as if it was going to be Spartans day they were reduced to ten men when Daniel Shields was sent off for a deliberately tripping the Dumbarton striker Ryan Metcalf as he was bearing down on the Spartans goal. From the resulting free kick Dumbarton pulled on back when the ball was whipped in and fell to the feet of Gary McKell who smashed the ball past Ian McTurk in the Spartans goal.

Despite this setback Spartans still managed to sneak another goal before the halftime interval thanks to Callum Donnelly, he got on the end of a long ball forward and slotted the ball past the advancing keeper. Dumbarton felt they should have had a penalty just before the interval when the ball appeared to hit the hand of Lawrence Kidd but referee Ralph Gordon judged it to have been accidental.

On the hour mark Dumbarton were also reduced to ten men when Metcalf appeared to take a dive in the Spartans box and the young striker gave the referee no option having already been cautioned earlier in the match. Dumbarton started to get on top for a spell and Reece Pearson picked the ball up in midfield and his powerful shot beat McTurk but crashed of the woodwork before the danger was cleared.

Pearson did get one back when he got on the end of a cross and his shot beat McTurk and landed up in the net. A melee then ensued in the Spartans goals and Dumbarton’s Gary McKell lashed out at McTurk leaving the Spartans goalkeeper lying on the ground and the referee had the simple task of producing the third red card of the afternoon.

Pearson got his second of the afternoon when he broke into the Spartans box and as the danger looked to be cleared by the defender the ball came off Pearson’s leg and over the McTurk and into the net.

Chris Keddie was then played but the assistant referee had judged the ball was out off play, Keddie made his feelings about the decision clear and after a verbal tirade at assistant referee Peter Peace promptly became the fourth player to be dismissed.

With only a few minutes remaining Alan Longmuir almost levelled it when he got the end of a cross and his powerful header from close range went just wide of the target.Into injury time and just as it appeared all the action was over Dumbarton’s Glen Campbell put in a wild tackle on Paul Henderson leaving the player requiring treatment and Campbell became the fifth player to be set packing. After his challenge there was a coming together of a few players and on receiving advice from his assistant referee, Ralph Gordon produced a sixth red card to Spartans Isaac Imrie.[slideshow]

Spartans will now face St Johnstone in the next round of the Scottish Cup.