12th May 2018 Civil Service Strollers v Vale of Leithen 4-2 (aet)

Was not sure where to go today. I had thought about going to Cowdenbeath for the Pyramid Play-off Final but decided to head to Christie Gillies Park for Civil Service Strollers (CSS) v Vale of Leithen in the East of Scotland Challenge Cup semi-final. Walked to Tollcross and caught a 16 bus to Muirhouse and walked down Marine Drive to the ground. When I had been there previously I had to walk across a field and go in at a side gate to the ground. When I arrived there at 14.40 gate was locked and a number of fans were waiting to get in. Someone then came to the gate and said that entrance was now through the CSS clubroom at the Marine Drive entrance to the ground. Walked round and got in through the clubhouse. Entrance fee was a reasonable £6 but no programme or team sheets were available. I recognised some of the players from previous visits to see both CSS and Vale however.

The game kicked off in glorious sunshine and Vale took the lead from an early penalty. Kyle Fee of CSS was booked for pushing in the box after Vale were awarded a corner. Tommy Patterson stepped up to take the penalty and fired the ball low into the corner of Stewart Burnsides' net. CSS equalised just before halftime after left-back Andy Mair took a corner on the right hand side of the field. The ball broke back to Mair who side-stepped a defender and fired a shot from the edge of the box across the Vale keeper and into the far corner of the net.

Minutes into the second half Vale took the lead again. A long through ball was headed by CSS right-sided central defender and keeper Burnside rushing out to collect missed the ball. Although the defender got back Vale's Lial Smith was on hand to push the ball into an empty net. The CSS keeper threw his cap into the net in disgust while the other CSS defenders were screaming at both him and the centre half. CSS equalised after around sixty minutes when a long ball found Jack Downie. Downie jinked to the side of a Vale defender and shot across the keeper into the left hand corner of the box for a well taken equaliser. Vale then had a goal ruled out after Smith knocked home the ball after it rebounded  from the post. The goal was ruled off for a handball before the first shot went in.The game continued end to end with both sides having chances and CSS hit the bar with a header from their right sided central defender attempting to make up for his earlier error after a corner before the referee blew the final whistle sending the tie into extra time.

The first half of extra time continued end to end but five minutes into the second half CSS went ahead. Mair sent in a good ball from the left hand side of the park. Stephen Froude chased the ball into the box and slammed a shot into the far corner of the net. He then celebrated with a double back flip (photo from CSS Twitter account).

As the tie moved into injury time CSS clinched their progress to the final.James Hainey cut in from the left hand side of the park and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the net from twenty-five yards. Despite the result I think Vale ended the day happy given that Cowdenbeath had won the SPFL play-off against Cover Rangers. Had Cowdenbeath lost that would have been relegated to the Lowland League as as a consequence second bottom Vale would have joined Hawick in relegation to the East of Scotland League.

Walked up to the bus stop on Muirhouse Drive and caught a 16 bus home.

Teams

Civil Service Strollers: Burnside, Newell, Mair, ?, Laird, Fee, Ballantyne,,Froude, Downie, ?.

Subs: Hainey, Turnbull

Vale of Leithen: Gilpin, ?, Patterson, ?, ?, ?, ?, Hunter, Finnie, ?, Smith

Subs: Dawson