Bo’ness are undone by cup holders

For the second season in a row, the efforts of Bo’ness to win the Junior Cup were thwarted by Ayrshire giants and holders Auchinleck.

Bo’ness started the game well forcing the Ayrshire side onto the back foot.

Both sides had chances but when a corner from the right came over in the 40th minute Scott Gibb rose to power a terrific header against the Auchinleck bar and drop safely into the Andy Leishman’s arms.

Auchinleck then got the break they were hoping for within five minutes of the restart. Colin Spence cut the ball back from the right wing to the back post where Kyle Faulds was waiting to knock the ball over the line. Bo’ness then fell out of the game and Auchinleck took heart from the goal. They scored a second with a couple of minutes to go, Keir Millikan heading home a cross from sub Keiron Paterson. In the last minute Steven Bonnar for Bo’ness was red-carded for raising his hands.

Manager Paul Ronald was a disappointed man afterwards, saying: “When we hit the bar in the first half and it was cleared I began to think it wasn’t going to be our day. When they got their noses in front we just fell out of the game.”

Auchinleck Talbot: Leishman, Latta (Young), Pope, Pettigrew, Collins, Faulds (Paterson), Spence, White, Milliken, McCann (McVey), Park. Subs: Paterson, Robb.

Bo’ness United: Christie, Snowdon, Bonnar, Gibb, Reilly, Hunter (Canning), Watt, Hamilton (Stewart), Hay (Nimmo), Duffy, Donnelly. Subs: Shields, Plenderleith, Allan.