Macduff win 4 v 3 on penalties
Canal Park, Bruce Lawson Memorial Trophy 1/4 final, 11/06/24
Me still 312, Wee Man 177
Macduff Amateur Football Club
Another Tuesday and another Welfare game in the shadow of a Highland League ground. This time Princess Royal Park of Deveronvale at Canal Park. Another ex-Junior ground as it was once home to Deveronside. A new one for Wee Man but the Side gave me my only previous visit in the past when I watched them play Buchanhaven Hearts. The place is a bit shabby looking these days which is a poor show from Aberdeenshire Council. The pitch looks alright barring some left over cuttings but the changing rooms are boarded up, graffitied (inclusive of a cock and balls) and generally looking run down. Canal Park is the only grass pitch in the town so surely now it has been saved from being built on the council should at least get the pavilion up to a decent standard.
With the two teams sitting in the bottom two spots of League one this was set to be a tight game. That’s exactly how it panned out in the Moray Firth wind chill. The first half didn’t see too much action. The first point of note was a corner swung in by Macduff man Birchenhall early doors. It was hit with venom and looked from the other end of the park that it went into the top corner. The Macduff sideline seemed to think so too. But it dipped just over the bar and hit the stanchion creating an illusion which fooled many for a few seconds. The first proper chance went Macduffs way when Declan Mathieson hit a low shot into the bottom right corner from a tight angle but Lizzie keeper Buchan did well to get down and palm wide. Macduff were shading the half and were the better team and as it goes quite a lot of the time, a goal comes against the run of play. Lizzie striker Shane Wall waltzed through a couple of challenges and into the box where he was faced with a superbly timed booming challenge from Darren Duncan but the strikers determination was clear and was first to the ball after the tackle and thumped home from ten yards leaving Robertson in goal no chance. This got the pink tails of Elizabethan up and they had a spell of being the superior team but it didn’t come to much. Ball were finding their way into the box via Brodie Finnie but there was no end product. The half was littered with bookings and fouls. I am not doubting the fouls were fouls but the referee seemed a tad over officious with the yellows. I should have known he would be of that ilk after seeing how long he took to inspect the nets pre game.
HT 0 v 1
The second half opened with an almost OG when a Neish shot struck the foot of Lizzie defender Jay Ironside who could only turn to look back with horror as the ball hit the side netting. His face was a picture as he turned only for relief to set in. Macduff were kept in the game with two solid stops from keeper Robertson who pulled off two big quick diving saves from Stewart and Wall. Macduff thought they were in when a clear shot at goal presented itself to Mathieson but his effort was saved in an unorthodox manner by Buchan who got it away for a corner. The resulting kick found Mathieson who was kicking himself when he saw a free header go sailing over. Then came controversy when the home side were awarded a pen. Put it this way I would have been fuming if it was given against me. A poor decision from the man in the middle. Link Up’s Brandon Bain went shoulder to shoulder with Aidan MacDougall who went down. It wasn’t a dive, it was just a bigger guy being stronger than a smaller guy. But the ref was quick sharp in pointing to the spot, or no spot as it turned out as the ref had the measure out where the ball was to be placed . Caden Beaton gave Robertson no chance and it was all square and it remained that way until the full time whistle
FT 1 v 1
After 90% of the crowd moved to the pavilion end for the kicks, the ref made the shootout take place at the opposite A98 end of the ground which amused me no end(most likely due to the missing pen spot).Link Up went first but by the end of the shoot out had missed twice via Finnie and Stewart with the latter pretty much sending the ball over the bar and into the gardens of Duff House. The clincher for Macduff was scored by the man who scored in the ninety, Beaton, sending Macduff through to a semi final with Invercairn United.
Entrance – Free
Attendance – 49
Pie – N/A
Pint – N/A
Score Predictions– Me 2 v 1, Wee Man 1 v 2
Season Score Prediction Total – Me 2 v 2 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 