After Hutch’s hard work on the pitch this morning we were rewarded with a 2 – 1 win to go through to the quarter final of the SFA Regional Cup.  Back into the starting line up came Keith McLeod, Donal Henretty and Chris Flockhart but it was City who started the better team and it was no surprise when Caddow gave them the lead.  Clee turned well and his cross to the back post was knocked home. 

We upped the pace and equalised five minutes later.  Ross Archibald made a great run down the wing and cut inside.  As he burst into the box the City defender made a clumsy challenge and the penalty was awarded, a bit soft but the referee was in no doubt.  Keith Mcleod despatched it well.  We played well in the remainder of the first half but werent created many chances.  Early in the second half City had a goal chalked off for offside before we again took control.  Keith and then Alex King both hit the post from close range and City survived a number of close shaves.  The pitch was slippy but holding up well as we had most of the play but City looked very dangerous on the break.  Omar Kader came on for Donal Henretty just after the hour mark and his sharpness immediately created chances.  Today’s celebrity fan was Celtic and Scotland winger Shaun Maloney and he must have enjoyed Omar’s wing play after using his vantage point on the balcony to watch both games, he see his mate big Fin score one but miss a few for the Amateurs on the FieldTurf. 

The slippy ball had caused both ‘keepers problems all afternoon and as extra time loomed their ‘keeper Monteith dropped the ball as he dived at the feet of Keith who seemed to take it wider than he needed to before slotting home from an acute angle.  There were 93 minutes on the clock and no time for City to fight back.

No-one stood out today but for his two goals the MoM goes to Keith.

Team: Flockhart, Archibald, Fowlie, Gerrard, Sivewright, Henretty (Kader 62), Hoskins, Malin, King, McLeod, Manson Subs not used: O’Donnell, McAuley, Vitelli, McGarrie Att 185

Cloudy - MoM

The Juniors game against Harthill was abandoned at half time with us leading 1 – 0.  Kenny Young had scored with a rare header and we looked comfortable.  The pitch had cut up badly and the referee felt he had no choice but to call a halt.  New manager David Cowan had made two changes from the 11 who had started against Broxburn in the last game with Struan Preston coming in for the unavailable Nick Reid, and Shaun Smith replacing the injured David Paterek in goals. Team: Smith, Cruickshank, Antoni, Sutherland, Hutchison, K Young, Scott, Moffat, Bannon, Preston, Perry Subs not used: Hair, G Young, Douglas, Boyes, Robertson, Cartwright, McLeod 

The Amateurs progressed to the 3rd Round of the Logan Cup with a 2 – 1 win over Dunedin.  The goals came from Finlay Clark and Craig Brown.  The funniest moment came when Ron Napier’s drive from the edge of the box cleared the houses behind the North goal and the ball went sailing down Pilton Avenue.

The referee has arrived and has passed the pitch as playable. The game is definitely on with a 2.30pm kickoff.

Just a reminder that tomorrow’s event starts at 12.30 sharp…six days before the Scottish Cup game and Dick Campbell is gifted an opportunity to wind up the Spartans players and supporters…

Mike says -

“After 6 days without seeing a drop of rain it’s strange worrying about a game being put off because of water on a football pitch but that’s where I find myself this morning.

With both City and ourselves in Scottish Cup action next Saturday missing a competitive game this afternoon would be a big blow to both camps.

Our first minute goal at Meadowbank a couple of weeks back decided how that game would pan out but Sam and I have been in football long enough to know that no two games are the same. We have the upmost respect for the City management and players but we also have belief in our squad and they have been doing Sam and myself proud recently. Losing three goals last week is a bit of a worry but over the piece our defence has been dependable and Sam and I are happy with how things are going.

Let’s all hope the game gets the go ahead and we see a cracking cup-tie.”

Mike

The grass pitch at Ainslie Park is playable at the moment so hopefully the rain stays off and our SFA Regional Cup game against Edinburgh City will go ahead.   Co-manager Mike Lawson has been in Spain on holiday all week so Sam Lynch and Mike Irving has been putting the players through their paces.  Back into the reckoning come Chris Flockhart and Donal Henretty after missing last Saturday.  Striker Keith McLeod is still struggling with his knee knock and Spanish signing Jorge Vitelli is looking very sharp in training.   Mike Irving said “City gave us a really hard game two weeks ago at Meadowbank and we will need to keep the ball much better tomorrow.  Fortunately we had scored two early goals.”  The ko is scheduled for 2.30pm.

The amateur team are  guaranteed a fixture, they play Dunedin in a cup game with a 2.30pm ko on the FieldTurf at the Academy.

David Cowan will take charge of Spartans Juniors for the first time tomorrow, as long as the rain stays off! A pitch inspection is scheduled at Harthill tomorrow morning at 10am and we hope the match will go ahead with a 2pm kick off.

David commented “I’m looking forward to the match going ahead and seeing the team in a competitive game. I am expecting it to be a difficult fixture away from home, however the guys have been training hard this week and put in a good performance in a combined training session. The response from the players has been tremendous and it is a game we are all looking forward too.”

As previously posted the hospitality tickets cost £35/£28 and can be ordered via this website. Over half of these tickets have already been sold, to avoid disappointment please order quickly.

You can also order reserved seats in the stand in advance through the website, the cost is £10 (adult) and £6 (concession). You will receive an email back from the club explaining how you can pay and where you can pick up your tickets on the day of the match.

You can also buy hospitality and reserved stand tickets directly from the Academy from Friday 20th November.

At many of our away games the players have really appreciated the singing from the Spartans fans. To encourage a “singing” section in the stand we have designated the block of the stand nearest the club room for “singing” fans. When ordering tickets request this section if you wish.

The Forfar fans have been designated the section of the stand furthest away from the club room.