Currie Colts battle back in Scottish Cup

Edinburgh Rose show off their new kit, donated by the Postcode Community Trust, and their amateur Premier Division trophy

The game got off to a slow start as both sides competed to try and take control of the cup tie. There was a lot of huffing and puffing as they battled hard in the middle of the park.

Then, with ten minutes gone, East Calder created the first real chance of the contest. A low ball in from the left by Morgan Ingram targeted Lewis Elliot in the box but he couldn’t quite get to the low ball to make contact.

Moments later it was East Calder again who looked to create an opening. Elliot was in the thick of the action and he took aim with an ambitious lob from the edge of the Currie box, but Currie keeper Andrew Treschman could safely watch the ball sail over his crossbar.

It was all East Calder as they continued to ramp up the early pressure in the contest. A ball into the Currie box was again not dealt with and Ingram let rip with a volley that flew marginally wide of the left-hand post with Treschman beaten.

As half-time edged closer it looked inevitable that East Calder would score but in fact Currie might well have been the ones to break the deadlock. Oliver Couts received a bobbling ball from a corner that wasn’t cleared by East Calder but with time and space to shoot he blazed the ball over the crossbar.

Just when it seemed that would be the final action of the half, East Calder finally went ahead and deservedly so. Ingram showed a turn of pace to gallop down the right wing and he produced a pinpoint cross for Paul Middleton to chest and volley in at the back post.

Currie had conceded at the worst possible moment and going into the second half they knew they had it all to do to turn their fortunes around. After a productive chat with coach Gary McDonald though, they knuckled down and upped their game, starting the half off in much better fashion than the first.

Five minutes into the second half they got the scores level as Couts, who should have finished one-on-one a minute earlier, showed pace and trickery to round East Calder goalie Lewis McGonigal before firing the ball into the open goal.

As the half progressed it was all change as Currie comfortably became the side on top, penning East Calder deep in their own half. Couts was played in behind the opposition defence once again but, under pressure from centre half Ben Smith, he hit the shot straight at McGonigal.

It was all Currie with 25 minutes to go and they continued to come close to finding another. Jamie Slawson came a whisker away for his side as he cut inside from out wide on the right before curling an effort which McGonigal did well to tip onto the bar.

The East Calder custodian looked hard to beat again but, with 15 minutes to go, he conceded a second. Slawson again looked to cut in from the right and just as he snuck into the box he drove a laced shot at goal that squeezed under McGonigal at his near post, to make it 2-1 to Currie.

East Calder had a golden opportunity to make it 2-2 immediately from the restart. Elliot went down under the challenge of Blair McDonald and referee Green awarded a penalty. Ingram, who had a fine game, took responsibility, but his spot-kick was well saved by Treschman who instinctively remained in the centre of the goal to make a save.

Currie Star Colts 16s: Andrew Treschman, Patryk Grzonkowski, Stuart Mckenzie, Blair McDonald, Teo Cengiz, Cameron Lawrie, Archie Somerville, Lewis Muego, Rory O’Brien, Reece McGurk, Oliver Couts, Thomas Sweeney, Cameron Littlejohn, Jakub Odolzyk, Robert Tully, Jamie Slawson

East Calder 16s: Lewis McGonigal, Mason Macfarlane, Ben Smith, Ben Plackett, Greig Cawkwell, Jamie Siddle, Morgan Ingram, Paul Middleton, Lewis Elliot, Nathan Laird, Matthew McCormack, Steven McDougall, Steven Morrison, Andrew Lawlor, Euan Burnside, Ryhs Melrose