Hutchie silence the Drum as they march into last eight

Premium Article !

Registered Article !

Published Date: 16 December 2009

By ALEX SCHWEITZER-THOMPSON

HUTCHISON VALE 96 became the second Edinburgh team to book their place in the last eight of the Scottish Youth FA under-14 Challenge Cup with a gritty away win against stubborn Glasgow side Drumchapel Amateurs.

The venue for the game, Duntocher in West Dunbartonshire, was as unwelcoming as Drum's on-field style of play, the home side effective in their quick closing down of Hutchie amid a thick fog that smothered the ground.

With the grim, grey shroud su

ggesting that the end of the world may be nigh, both teams set about injecting some life into the game in what was an enthralling contest of the best of the west and the Capital's finest.

Hutchie set off on their Scottish Cup trail with an inauspicious start at North Merchiston, where they were held to a 4-4 draw before edging the tie on penalties.

An 8-1 hammering of Musselburgh Windsor Colts followed in the second round, before a 6-3 win over Grange Rovers took them into the Fourth Round. There, they eased past Murieston United Blue to set up the tie in Glasgow.

With both sides cancelling each other out in a see-saw, evenly-matched encounter, Hutchie opened the scoring through substitute Nick Mortimer with 20 minutes remaining. Drum equalised with just nine minutes left on the clock – cue ecstasy on the touchline. But three minutes later Fraser Eddington calmly sidefooted the ball into the net from the edge of the box to send Hutchie into the quarter-finals.

In difficult conditions, it took each side some time to settle into a relative comfort zone and in a tightly-contested battle Drum, with home advantage, were sooner at ease. It was Hutchie, though, who created – but spurned – the first real chance, Ryan Clarke craning his neck to reach Lee McGregor's cross to the far post, with a strained header from point-blank range clearing the crossbar by inches.

Hutchie goalkeeper Rian McDermott pulled off a superb stop to deny Drum in the 16th minute, appearing to be initially unsighted as a Cameron Morgan strike from a free-kick flew towards his goal. But, the visiting No.1 retained his composure and sprawled to his right to tip the ball round the post. Morgan again struck fear into the keeper a minute later with an audacious overhead effort sailing just over.

These were testing times for McDermott and his four-man backline, and never was more alertness demanded by the Hutchie goalkeeper than when his own defender Gavin Birrell, otherwise outstanding with his cool, composed demeanour, miskicked a clearance that was goalbound, but which McDermott was well-positioned to hold.

Darren McCowatt shot just wide at the other end early in the second half, but the stage was set to welcome some new energy to the game. Substitute Nick Mortimer provided plenty of running and harrying of the Drum defence and it was his introduction that reaped rewards for Hutchie. Mortimer picked up the ball on the left and embarked on a forward run from halfway. With the Drum defence adopting a high line, Mortimer's pace, coupled with an individual confidence rarely before in evidence during the game, took him past any challenges and he slalomed into the penalty area before rifling the ball from a fairly tight angle into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

But Drum were not in the mood to give up and duly equalised seven minutes later.

With the pressure mounting on McDermott's goal, the yellow-and-black resistance finally caved in after Morgan's shot was blocked, the ball falling to Chris Warrilow who smashed it into the net from point blank range.

From a similar distance, Drum's Morgan passed up a gilt-edged chance to win the match two minutes later. Jamie Carrigan shaped to strike a 20-yard free-kick, but instead played a clever pass wide to Alan Kelly, eliminating the obstacle of Hutchie's defensive wall. Kelly's low, pinpoint cross found Morgan six yards out, but the striker watched in horror as his shot somehow flew over the expanse of net he had to aim for.

The match was to be won and lost at the other end just seconds later. The lively Mortimer, this time occupying a position on the right flank, rolled a teasing low ball to the edge of the penalty area for the unmarked Eddington, and he stroked the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.

Drumchapel Ams: Logan Ewart, Adam Harvey, Fraser Glencross, Bradley Sinclair, Jordy Docherty, Alan Kelly, Jamie Carrigan, Chris Warrilow, Fraser Morrison, Marc McCran, Martin Bissett, Cameron Morgan, Niall Cunningham, Darren Allan, Conor Gaughan, Michael Reilly.

Hutchison Vale 96: Rian McDermott, Mark Stein, Chris Suttie, Dean French, Gavin Birrell, Tony Hepburn, Thomas Meldrum, Lee McGregor, Cameron Atwell, Daniel Pacitti, Nick Mortimer, Cameron Waddell, Ryan Clarke, Fraser Sutherland, Fraser Eddington, Darren McCowatt.

Page 1 of 1

Last Updated: 16 December 2009 11:06 AM
Source: Edinburgh Evening