Silverknowes Vale v Bridgend United
3-3
1st September 2007 Silverknowes
A cruel but probably fair result in the end, with Silverknowes losing the lead with the last kick off the ball. The game was obviously going to be influenced by the conditions on a windy afternoon at Silverknowes, and it was Silverknowes who looked to overpower their opponents in the first half with the wind at their backs. A couple of early crosses into the box from Mathieson just narrowly escaping the head of Cunningham. Silverknowes took the lead early on, when Stewart Manson beat 2 defenders on the right before cutting inside and hitting a low shot from the edge of the box which flew into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. Silverknowes thought they had scored a second, only for the ball to be cleared off the line ( from what looked like a hand). Again Silverknowes thought they had increased their lead when Cunningham went through on goal, he challenged the centre half in the air and the ball broke kindly for him to lob the keeper into the net, but was adjudged to have fouled the Bridgend defender by the ref. Bridgend then drew level against the run of play, when a cross from the left was missed by everyone, except the alert striker who smashed past Mason. Almost immediatley Silverknowes regained the lead, when Scott Manson wriggled his way into the box only to be fouled and a penalty was duely awarded. Upstepped Stewart Manson to send the keeper the wrong way. Silverknowes then had a couple of half chances with Stewart Manson and Mathieson both screwing shots wide.
HT 2-1
With the wind against Silverknowes they were expecting a bit of an onslaught, which never really came. The game broker into a scrappy affair in the middle of the park and was spolit a bit by the windy conditions. Silverknowes tried to break on the counter and managed to get down the channels a few times, but not really threatening the Bridgend goal. Bridgend equalised when they took a quick freekick to the right and swung a great ball in, which eluded the Silverknowes back four, and there was the Bridgend striker to knock past Mason for the equaliser. Bridgend should have taken the lead shortly after when a corner was not cleared in the Silverknowes box. The ball was bobbling about all over the place like a pinball. The Bridgend players could not get a clear shot on goal, with many blocks by the defenders, before they fired well over the bar. Silverknowes took the lead for the third time in the match when a route one ball over the top by Mathieson allowed Cunningham to chase down the ball with a Bridgend defender in close proximity. He outmuscled the defender to place a superb lob come shot into the top corner of the net. That looked the winner which was going to settle the tie until 5 minutes into injury time. Again a corner was not properly cleared by Silverknowes and the ball dropped to the back post where a Bridgend striker struck a superb volley into the bottom corner to earn a replay.
FT 3-3
Team
Mason, Ramsay, Savage(Mounsey), Dickson, Stu.Buckley, Munro, Sc.Manson, Henderson(Ste.Buckley), St.Manson, Mathieson, Cunningham