Football Nation Cup: Spartans end season with silverware

Posted on Sunday, May 19th, 2019

Two second-half goals from David Greenhill and Adam Corbett saw Spartans end their season on a silverware high as Dougie Samuel’s side beat Camelon Juniors to lift the Football Nation Qualifying Cup.

Foresters Park, the home of Tranent Juniors was the setting for the Final and the teams were offered the perfect playing surface by the East Lothian side of which the hosts should be congratulated on, particularly at this stage of the season.

On with the game and as some light drizzle met the teams as they were led out by their respective skippers, there was nothing that could dampen the anticipation around the ground as Spartans looked to add to their previous 8 successes whilst Camelon hoped to make it a hat-trick of trophies .

The opening stanza was probably one for the purists with clear cut chances somewhat rare. The best of those perhaps falling to the North Edinburgh side as Scott Maxwell whizzed in a low ball across the penalty area, which David Greenhill came close to convert as he slid in to try and connect.

HT: Spartans 0-0 Camelon Juniors

An early second half unhelpful tweak saw Jack Smith replaced by 16 year old Nicky Reid. The youngster, who has starred in the Under 20s side this season, almost made the ultimate impact when he got on the end of Blair Atkinson’s run, only to see his shot miss by the narrowest of margins.

Reid’s close encounter was invariably a marker and the deadlock was eventually broken in the 65th minute. The pint-sized playmaker forced his way into the box before the ball broke to David Greenhill on the edge of the box and the talismanic midfielder slammed a stunning half-volley into the corner sending the Spartans faithful into raptures.

Camelon looked to find a way back into the tie and were close to levelling proceedings however Jordan Herron, with some freedom offered to him by a generous Spartans defence, headed past Blair Carswell’s post.

That miss proved to be the Falkirk-based side’s undoing and with thirteen minutes on the clock, keeper Dean Shaw could only parry Scott Maxwell’s shot into the path of Adam Corbett, who headed into an unguarded net from eighteen yards.

If Camelon’s afternoon looked like it couldn’t get any worse, goalkeeper Shaw was offered an early shot on the soap-on-a-rope in the showers after seeing red for foul and abusive language towards the stand-side linesman.

FT: Spartans 2-0 Camelon Juniors

Spartans: Carswell, Cennerazzo, Maxwell, McFarland, Corbett, Greenhill (Stevens), Atkinson (Brown), Scott, Smith (Reid), Dishington, Herd. Unused: Peden, Wishart, Dawson, Hand.

Malt and Hops Man of the Match : Aaron Scott