Westdyke 1995s have progressed to the third round of the SYFA Challenge Cup for the second time in three years after a somewhat emphatic victory over Stonehaven Spurs at Mineralwell Park.
The build-up to the game, keenly anticipated by both teams, centred around the League's decision in the summer to relegate Westdyke and promote Stonehaven in their place - with both teams out to prove the decision was right, or wrong respectively.
Westdyke made two changes to the eleven that lost out to Glentanar last weekend with Kris Mavor and former Stonehaven Spurs player Craig Forbes coming in for the injured Tyler Reid and Calvin Roddie who left midweek to join Colony Park.
Stonehaven fielded an attacking eleven, and included former Westdyke players Conal Mitchell in goal, and Charlie Malcolm at right back.
Westdyke showed real intent in the opening forty-five, and attacked from the off dominating possesion early on.
However, it was Stonehaven who were handed the first chance of the game in only the third minute when Lewis Milne felled Jamie Ceretti in the box with the home touchline appealing for "Last Man".
Referee Christie deemed the player to have been heading away from goal, and not even a yellow was brandished. Ceretti took the Penalty himself, but fired well wide of Bryce McLernon's right hand post.
The pressure appeared to be intimidating the home defence, and the deadlock finally finally cracked on fifteen minutes. Callum McCaw threaded a low ball to Johnny Marples who had made a run to the left wing, and in space managed to fire a powerful shot which was blocked brilliantly by Mitchell, but the home defence failed to clear the spilled ball allowing Kris MAVOR to fire in the rebound unmarked at the back post.
Four minutes later, the lead doubled. Forbes delivered a corner from the right which was not defended and MAVOR notched his second of the game through a ruck of defenders and Mitchell into the net from eleven yards.
On thirty-five minutes, Westdyke deserved a third when McCaw made an outstanding run down the left leaving Murray Emslie looking at his shoelaces before getting an inch-perfect cross over to Cameron Elphinstone in front of his marker, but the Westdyke skipper fired his shot wide of the far post.
Two minutes from Half-Time, Westdyke finally had a third. Malcolm sloppily lost posession to McCaw on the edge of the box, allowing the winger to drive in and curl a shot off the back post with Mitchell beaten.
The ball was never really clearly properly, and after a bit of a stramash in the home box, Jake Cowie struck a ferocious drive off the junction of post and bar. The rebound was collected by MARPLES who tucked it into the net for a third Westdyke goal.
After a lengthy interval, caused mainly by the referee heading the miles back to the Pavilion, the game resumed very much in the manner the first had ended. However, Stonehaven appeared to have a bit more of a spark in their armoury.
Six minutes in, it was four-nil to the visitors. Jamie Rodger played a through ball which caught Stonehaven napping to MARPLES who broke in behind Malcolm and fired the ball into the net to Mitchell's left.
A minute later, Spurs almost pulled one back when Findlay Milne, who impressed greatly second half, broke past Danny Murray and fired low on target only to be denied by the legs of McLernon.
F Milne was again involved on fifty-four minutes when he had another shot blocked by McLernon, however this time the rebound was picked up by a team mate - Paul Gunn - who picked his spot well only for McLernon to tip the ball onto the bar.
Westdyke weathered this spell of pressure from their hosts, and managed to go five clear on sixty-three minutes. Elphinstone's throw down the right was picked up by MARPLES who out-muscled Malcolm on the edge of the box before firing in past Mitchell's near post.
Stonehaven were handed a chance - literally - to pull a goal back on sixty-six minutes when Lewis Milne bizarrely blocked a harmless Emslie cross in the box with his raised right hand (a really good audition for goalkeeping reserve). No question it was a penalty, but just as in the first half he escaped a yellow for giving away a penalty. EMSLIE was selected to take this kick, and scored to McLernon's left.
On seventy-three minutes, Stonehaven pulled a second back. A long ball was defended poorly by Westdyke allowing F MILNE space to pick up a wicked bounce and he rounded McLernon and rolled the ball coolly into the unguarded net.
Westdyke responded with a sixth goal in the next attack. Elphinstone sent a terrific cross-field ball to Lewis BRADLEY who broke in from the right and scored across Mitchell - a really good finish.
Two minutes later, referee Christie made it a hat-trick of penalty awards, but this time it was in Westdyke's favour when Malcolm brought down Cowie in the box. After much deliberation on who should take the kick, FORBES placed the ball and powered the ball in to the keeper's right to score his first Westdyke goal against his former side.
An eighth goal for Westdyke almost went in on seventy eight minutes when Elphinstone's ball over the top met the head of Cowie but the looping header dropped narrowly over the bar. It proved to be the last real opportunity in an epic performance from the visitors - sending a real message back to the summer situation, and of course sealing a third round spot.
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