Vale edge improving Vics out of O'Neill Cup

Published Date: 21 February 2009

By IAN MACKAY

NEWCRAIGHALL Leith Vics under-13s have improved tremendously as a team this season, but just not enough to get the better of Hutchison Vale in their Peter O'Neill Cup tie on the grass pitch at Newcraighall Park.

Vale emerged 2-0 winners in what was a really good and enjoyable game and they fully deserved their success, although Vics put up a great show and the tie was in the balance right up until the last minute when Vale scored a clinching second goal.

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Vale made the better start but the home side got to grips with them early on and it became a fascinating game. Vics' goalie Craig Binnie was the busier of the two keepers, but the Stewart's-Melville pupil is an outstanding prospect and he managed to stop Vale scoring in the first half.

Ritchie Cleeton led the Vale assaults on the home goal and Binnie did very well when winning the ball in goalmouth challenges. Connor McWatt did however, put the ball in the home net but he was clearly offside and the goal was chalked off.

The standard of passing in this game was excellent and Vics gradually built up a few good moves that took the game to the other end of the pitch but they came up against a great central defender in Daniel Nimmo.

At the other end, a tremendous shot from Ryan Beveridge produced a good save from Binnie to keep the scoreline blank.

Vale made the breakthrough shortly after the restart. Vics' defence didn't clear their lines properly and they were made to pay when the ball was delivered back to the left corner of the 18-yard box and James Redpath fired in a superb low shot into the far corner of the net.

Dylan Moore had a great opportunity to score another goal for Vale but Binnie blocked the shot brilliantly and the ball went behind for a corner.

The home side mounted a good attack up the left and the ball was sent into the Vale goalmouth, but keeper James Clark came off his line to win the ball and clear. Vics just could not get the ball in the Vale net and the reason for that was big No.2 Daniel Nimmo. He was a rock in the centre of the Vale defence along with McWatt.

Vics set up another attacking move on the left and it took a great save by Clark to deny the home side an equaliser but the play switched to the other end and Vale No.4 Scott Irving lashed a tremendous shot just over the Newcraighall crossbar from a good position. With the pressure increasing on the visitors' defence, the Vale players were all back in their own goalmouth to make sure Vics did not get a goal.

Vale then broke out of their own half and William Kerr shot wide again. The home side were caught short at the back, however, in the very last minute and, when the ball was played into the middle, the unmarked Beveridge hammered a shot high into the Vics net.

This game was played in a terrific spirit and, although the tackling was fierce at times, the sportsmanship among the players continued at the close of play, with all the kids lining up to shake hands with each other.

Newcraighall Leith Vics: Craig Binnie, Kyle Knox, Zack Szimis, Robbie Martin, Stuart Mackay, Adam Forsyth, Thomas Kane, Sam Tulloch, Dean Ballantyne, Moray Kerr, Jordan Grant, Joseph Fennell, Cayne Moffat, Sandy Watt, Cameron Watt.

Hutchison Vale: James Clark, Daniel Munro, Connor McWatt, Scott Irving, Gavin Reid, Scott-Taylor McKenzie, David Hutchison, Dylan Moore, Ritchie Cleeton, William Kerr, James Redpath, Fraser Sutherland, Ryan Beveridge.

Referee: Dougie Gordon.

TYNECASTLE under-13s meet Park Villa in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Youth FA Challenge Cup at Saughton Park tomorrow, at 11.00am. The visiting side, from Govan in Glasgow, beat Spartans in the last round at Ainslie Park a couple of weeks ago.






The full article contains 674 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.

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