Under 20s: Spartans have six appeal in Welfare win

Posted on Saturday, October 1st, 2016

Spartans Under 20s gave their league campaign the kick-start it required with an emphatic victory over Whitehill Welfare at Ainslie Park on Friday night.

Doubles from Cameron Dawson and Harry Girdwood, added to by Daniel Sutherland and Lewis Temple saw Les Atkinson’s youngsters move up to 6th spot in the table.

Spartans were keen to make it back-to-back triumphs over their Midlothian foes after relieving them of their Scottish Cup duties at the same venue seven days previously and they got off to the best of starts with a double whammy inside a frantic two minute spell.

With 12 minutes on the clock, a corner kick was whizzed into the packed visitor’s box.  The match official spotted some jiggery-pokery in the air and pointed to the spot with little hesitation, much to the frustration of the Welfare side.  After the furore fizzled out, Cameron Dawson stepped up to thunder home from 12 yards to give Spartans the lead.

He was quickly followed on the scoresheet by Lewis Temple who scored his first goal in Spartans colours after Harry Girdwood’s dash and delivery was slotted home with aplomb by the recent signing.

The euphoria of the two minute spell died down as the half progressed, with neither keeper having much to do, which was a pity for them as temperatures dipped on a cool North Edinburgh night.

With just five minutes left until the break, Welfare looked to have offered their Coach a change of tact for his half-time talk with a well taken goal by Michael Gray who capitalised on a sloppy piece of defending.

The Whitehill cheers barely had time to reach their crescendo before Dawson restored the two goal advantage less than sixty seconds later.  The tall striker leaping like a salmon (tinned, one wag in the stand bellowed), to head home of his second of the night.

HT: Spartans u20s 3-1 Whitehill Welfare u20s

Ten minutes after the break and there was almost a further goal for the home side.  Girdwood creating a space inside the box before watching his strike crash off the inside of the post and into the relative safety of the Welfare goalie’s welcoming arms.

The fourth goal however wasn’t far away and in the 64th minute, Spartans put the game out of reach.  Dawson turned provider this time for Daniel Sutherland who totalled it beyond the despairing dive of the Welfare keeper to put further light between the sides.

After the flurry of subs and the points in the bag, Spartans could have been forgiven for packing up the bus and going home.  Instead, there were still goals to go and find.

Those came courtesy of a late brace from Girdwood.  The first saw the front man smash past the keeper to cap off a fine sweeping move then, on the final whistle, he benefitted again from a top quality Jonny Grotlin pass that separated the Welfare defence akin to Moses and the Red Sea, before watching his shot leave the goalie with little option than to pick the ball out the net one final time.

FT: Spartans u20 6-1 Whitehill Welfare u20s