You could be forgiven for thinking it was Groundhog Day yesterday. August match, check. Coldstream, check. Typical rainy weather, check. Same match outcome… not quite.
It was, this time, Cup action and the first of two Cup matches in a week with the visitors looking to avenge last week’s 2-1 defeat to Burgh. The game started in a similar vein to 7 days ago with Coldstream showing their intent with a couple of early chances with Grey hitting the base of the upright in the 7th minute and a slick move putting Owen Renton through on goal but debutant Joe Russell was on hand to save.
Whitehead then tested Russell’s hands with a shot that the Burgh keeper pushed aside for a corner. The ‘Woodchuck’ called Phil experience continued again when Hume repeated last week’s exploits by winning a header at the back post to put Coldstream a goal up in the 21st minute.
The pattern of the game’s play was uncannily like last week as Burgh started to get a foothold in the game and Michael Perrie headed over a Ronan Hall cross in the 33rd minute.
The pre-half time equaliser duly came in the 38th minute. A Connall White throw-in into the Coldstream box bounced off a defender to the feet of Harris Mitchell on the bye-line and he laid the ball back to Mitchell Sharp who rifled home a powerful shot into the far corner.
Sharp was looking pretty… err… Sharp and had a taste for goal. The Burgh number 7 had a second half ‘goal’ harshly disallowed for offside in the 58th minute after good play.
The Burgh Achilles heel seems to be defending corners at the minute and following a Freire effort that was pushed behind for a corner by Russell, Briggs rose at the near post to send a header that was going wide from close range before it deflected off a helpless White’s body standing close to the near post and into the net in the 64th minute.
The home side weren’t giving up and rallied again with a goalmouth scramble at the other end nearly providing an equaliser. Skipper Andrew Cameron then did his best to repeat a Coldstream set piece header with an effort at the far post that was pushed away by the keeper in the 75th minute.
In the 77th minute the equaliser came after great work by Sharp who managed to beat the keeper’s lunge for the ball near the edge of the area. The chance took Sharp wide but he did well to retrieve the ball from going out, picking out the on-rushing Dan Kenny whose effort was blocked on the line and Kellar Harris was on hand to smash home from close range to make it 2-2.
Kenny then asked more questions of the Coldstream defence with a dangerous cross into the six-yard box that was sliced over his own bar by a defender. Sharp again came close with a header at the back post looping just wide of the far post.
More good play by Callum Anderson presented Harris with a chance with a turn and shot just over as the Burgh chased the winner to avoid extra time.
In the final minute Hall headed a deep Struan Grieve free kick just wide, before there was injury time heart-ache for the Burgh. Cameron was trying to shield a ball out of play in the dying seconds but Briggs wasn’t giving up and managed to poke the ball away from the touchline and ran on to present the visitors with a 2 vs 1 opportunity. With the defence exposed, the covering defender was helpless as the ball was played across to Stevie Renton to knock home.
It was a heart-breaking way for the Burgh to exit the Cup with literally the last kick of the game. But the lads will need to pick themselves up quickly with 2 important games this week when Stirling Uni are at East Shore Park on Tuesday evening (7pm) and then the massive test of Albion Rovers on Saturday.
Best wishes to Coldstream for the next round.
