U20s v St Mirren
Sunday, 24th Mar 2013SFA Youth Cup Semi Final
MATCH PICTURES
A sizeable crowd turned out at East End Park on Sunday lunchtime to see Dunfermline take on St Mirren for a place in the SFA Youth Cup Final in May. Dunfermline`s side would be no strangers to a Pars regular as several players who had featured in the first team took the field - Shaun Byrne, Chris Kane, Ross Millen, Alex Whittle and Allan Smith. The only change from the U20s team that drew with Motherwell on Monday was Grant Munro replacing Jack Bruce at left back.
St Mirren were a much changed side from the one that lost an SPL U20 league match here just ten days before. Only Sean Kelly, Mo Yaqub, Lewis McLear, Jack Smith and Anton Brady survived from the team that started that Thursday night. They brought in first team regular John McGinn
The visitors kicked off attacking the goal at the McCathie Stand end but Dunfermline earned the first corner of the game in just 90 seconds. It was the bizarre shielding of the ball that led to the corner on the right, the full back obviously not noticing that he had been the last man to touch the ball in the challenge with Millen. When Millen played the setpiece to the near post central defender Kerr YOUNG ran in to meet it and glanced a neat header past Kieran Hughes in the Saints goal. 1-0 and just 1 minute 55 seconds on the clock.
St Mirren earned a corner when Ryan Goodfellow turned a Kieran Doran shot around his post but the Pars defence made a better job of defending that corner. Then in 14 minutes a Millen free kick from the left had the Saints defence quaking but Henderson just failed to get a shot in before a defender whipped the ball clear.
The Paisley side were a constant threat on the break with Lewis McLear`s speed creating much of it . But the shots on target were all coming from Dunfermline with louds appeals from the stand after Smith`s drive appeared to be kept out by Brian Coyle`s hand. Mercer had a stinging shot saved as well before a long ball in 33 minutes sent Jack Smith away down the right but with no support the son of former Pars striker Andy Smith, pulled his shot across the goal.
A Millen corner in 39 minutes again from the right yielded a chance but big Blair Henderson`s header cleared the crossbar. After Jordan Holt was shown yellow for taking out Smith, Millen fired the free kick through the six yard box and just beyond the far post.
It had been a good first half from the young Pars side against a very competitive opposition. Much more of the play had been around the St Mirren box and they deserved their half time lead.
Half Time: Dunfermline 1 St Mirren 0
Dunfermline started the second period strongly with Mercer getting in an early shot and Smith continuing to seek to make his driving runs tell. Goodfellow held a Yaqub cross from the left corner flag and immediately sent Whittle away on the counterattack. He was taken down inside the Saints half, that free kick did not tell but then in 58 minutes after a foul on Smith, Millen made keeper Hughes hold from his free kick on the left.
Dunfermline turned up the pressure with Smith`s delivery from the left just evading Henderson and then Kane just beaten to the challenge from Millen`s corner. The visitors were looking increasingly shaky giving away rash corners and throw ins but in 66 minutes they stole an equaliser.
It was a good goal but it was against the run of play. As the ball was played over from the left Young tried to flick it away but the chance fell to Kieran DORAN 18 yards out and he drilled into diagonally into the far left of the Pars net. 1-1
John Potter then made two substitutions; firstly Declan O`Kane for Chris Kane and then Andy Ritchie for Scott Mercer. The next near thing was a long range dipping effort from Munro that had Hughes struggling to stop it. There was 79 minutes gone when Byrne fed Whittle a pass on the left and his shot was deflected behind for a corner. That was only half defended and Young was permitted a shot from the edge of the area that just slipped wide left.
O`Kane glanced a Millen corner over the bar and then an inswinging Millen free kick was held by Hughes. Both teams were making valiant attempts to finish the tie without the need for extra time. An 87th minute corner was met by Munro but his effort was stopped on the line and two minutes later Goodfellow held a Coyle header.
Then great joy as HENDERSON turned in a cross from the right to put the Pars ahead again with just one minute remaining but the joy was short lived with St Mirren virtually scoring from the restart. The play went down the left and Goodfellow coiuld not hold the cross as players from both sides got in his way. The loose ball was duly smashed home by sub Declan HUGHES to put the game into extra time.
Four minutes into the first period of extra time there were howls as Declan O`Kane whacked a great opportunity from a Smith cross over the crossbar from eight yards. At the other end Goodfellow held a dangerous but deliberate header back to his keeper from Ritchie.
in 103 minutes Allan Smith struck a fine shot from 20 yards out but was narrowly wide right so the sides changed ends still all square. The Pars had their chances in the second period of extra time but so too did Saints with the Pars defence doing remarkably well to block a battery of shots. Ritchie won a corner in 115 minutes but when he got the chance to shoot from it his shot went wide left.
It was the lively sub who was to grab the goal that would put Dunfermline through to the SFA Youth Cup Final. St Mirren got really caught up on the right side of their defence, Smith picked out Munro and he cut back for RITCHIE to ram the ball past Hughes to win the tie in 118th minute. Well done to the Under 20s who go through to face Celtic in the Hampden final on Thursday 2nd May.
SUBS NOT USED: Jack Bruce, Scott Gray, Shaun Robertson (GK)
SCORERS: Young (2), Henderson (89), Ritchie (118)
YELLOW CARD: Kane (27), (83), Henderson (90)
ST MIRREN: Kieran Hughes, Ross Meechan (Mark Williams 71), Mo Yahub, Brian Coyle, Jordan Hall, Sean Kelly, Lewis McLear (Declan Hughes 55), John McGinn, Anton Brady , Jack Smith, Kieran Doran
SUBS NOT USED: Michael Fulton, Garry Whyte (GK).
SCORERS: Doran (66), Hughes (90+1)
YELLOW CARD: Holt (42), Meechan (58), Williams (81), Coyle (84)
REFEREE: Lorraine Clark
WEATHER: Cold, dry 2°C
ATTENDANCE 395
NEXT MATCH: (away) SPL U20 League v Hamilton Accies
Tuesday 26th March, kick off 2.00pm
ATTENDANCE: 395 (+ 120 in hospitality)
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