6th August 2019 Hibs Colts v Elgin City. 3-4

A difficult decision to decide where to go today. With no Lowland League or East of Scotland League fixtures only option left was the Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup ties. This competition is basally for clubs outwith the SPFL, although "Colts" sides of SPFL sides take part from round on, with English, Welsh and Irish sides joining in later rounds. Hearts were drawn away to Albion Rovers and I did not fancy travelling to Coatbridge to watch a reserve side so decided to go to Easter Road to watch Hibs Colts v Elgin City. Despite there not being a large crowd anticipated entry was by ticket only and I had ordered my £10 ticket online, selecting the e-ticket option. No e-mail with the ticket arrived by match day although I had received confirmation of payment. I had wandered down to Easter Road this morning to collect the ticket at the ticket office to save waiting in a queue tonight. Alex texted me around 15.30 asking which game I was going to. I replied "Easter Road" and he came back saying game was at Ainslie Park. I responded that my ticket says Easter Road and that he would need to get a ticket as there was no cash gate. He applied online and got an e-ticket by e-mail. I can only assume Hibs knew I was a Hearts fan and wanted to make things awkward! Left home and 18.30 and walked to Easter Road arriving at 19.25 for the 19.45 kick-off. All fans coming in through the turnstiles received a free Tunnocks Caramel Wafer! After buying my 50p programme I checked and Alex was not in the ground so waited near turnstiles until he arrived.  There was only one section in the ground open, the lower section of part of the West Stand, and I reckon crowd was around the 200 mark, although I later found it was 424. We took seats in the back row of the lower section of the stand just prior to kick-off.

The rules of the competition state that Colts sides should comprise of players who are under twenty-one years of age although two overage players are permitted. Hibs fielded Vykintas Slivka as over overage player. he is a Lithuanian international who has played regularly in the Hibs first team after signing when his contract with Juventus expired. He has been injured and is short of match practice so this was an ideal opportunity to help his recovery. Ryan Porteous, Josh Campbell, Fraser Murray, Oli Shaw and Jamie Gullan in the Hibs side have also tasted first team football. Elgin City had been in the same Betfred Cup qualifying section as Hibs and the team they fielded tonight looked to be a first choice line-up. Their star man is striker Shane Sutherland who is now in his his fourth spell at the club. He has scored over sixty goals for the club and is a true 'highland' footballer having also played for Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Peterhead. Interestingly the two sides had met in the challenge cup two years ago, in a game played at Ainslie Park, which Elgin won 2-1 with a last minute winner. A match which I attended.

Hibs took the lead in three minutes after they were awarded a free-kick around thirty yards from goal on the right-hand side of the park. Fraser Murray took the kick and crossed the ball into the box where Porteous rose highest in a crowd of players to head powerfully past keeper Tom McHale for a 1-0 lead. Elgin equalised in seven minutes after Hibs keeper Josh Rae did well to push a shot from Connor O'Keefe round the post. From the resultant corner on the left centre forward Kane Hester found space at the near post on the edge of the six yard box to flick a header across goal and into the far corner of the net. The game was end to end and both sides were creating chances. Hibs had a great chance after thirty minutes when they were awarded a free-kick just outside the penalty box. Gullan stepped up and hit a  fierce shot towards the top corner of the goal which keeper McHale leapt to push over the bar. In thirty-two minutes Gullan scored after a fine inter-passing move involving Slivka, Murray and Shaw. Shaw's final ball found Gullan ten yards out on the left of the six yard box and he shot past McHale at his right hand post. Three minutes later it was all square agin when Sutherland latched on to Rae's clearing punch at the edge of the penalty area and hit a low shot past the keeper. Then in thirty-eight minutes Elgin went ahead after a run down the left by Hester. He muscled his way past Jack Doig and shot low past Rae from the edge of the six yard box.

The second half started in torrential rain and both goalkeepers were uncomfortable in the conditions. After a few minutes Rae got down and pushed away a shot from Hester when in better conditions he would have tried to hold the ball. After sixty-five minutes Elgin won a penalty when Rae brought down Sutherland as he tried to gather a through ball. The challenge was wide of the goal on the keepers right hand side and I don't believe it was a clear goal-scoring opportunity or that the striker would have got to the ball before it crossed the bye-line. Sutherland took the kick but crashed his shot against the post with the ball rebounding away to safety. McHale then pushed away a shot from Murray before Hibs were also awarded a penalty. Stephen Bronsky pushed Porteous to the ground as they challenged for a high ball in th box before Shaw stepped up to give McHale no chance of saving the penalty kick. Elgin were unhappy with the decision and after consulting one of his linesmen the referee showed a yellow card to a member of the Elgin coaching staff in the dugout for his continued protests. The rain finally stopped as the match moved into injury time and Elgin went ahead again. A neat move down the right found the ball at the feet of substitute Cooper just inside the penalty box on the left hand side. He took a touch and then shot past Rae for the winning goal. The celebrations were exuberant as the other nine outfield players collapsed in a  heap over the prone scorer.

After the game Alex and I walked through to Leith Walk where I caught a 22 bus home and Alex continued to walk towards Ocean Terminal. Arrived home and met Natalie as she was taking Rufus home from his final walk of the day.

Teams

Hibs Colts: Rae, Block, Porteous, Doig, Yeats, Galantes, Campbell, Slivka, Murray, Shaw, Gullan.

Subs: None used

Elgin City: McHale, Wilson, McGowan, Bronksy, Spark, Willis, Dingwall, MacEwan, O'Keefe, Hester, Sutherland.

Subs: Cooper, Loveland, Ballam.