ETHX Energy Scottish Junior Cup 3rd Round

Saturday 3rd December 2016, Glenesk Park, Dundee

DUNDEE VIOLET 0 (0)

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC 2 (1)

Glenafton progressed to the 4th round of the Scottish Junior Cup after ahard fought yet well-deserved win over Dundee Violet. The visitors enjoyed long periods of possession with Joe Andrew and Mick McCann going close early before McCann then had a goal chalked off for offside. The home side were reduced to 10 men on 19 minutes after the referee considered striker Kevin Scott’s challenge on Kyle McAusland worthy of a red card.

Glens continued to press and when defender Kit Bremner barged Mick McCann off the ball in the box the referee instantly pointed to the spot and the Glens’ striker dusted himself down before slamming the penalty past keeper Gary Thaine to put the visitors ahead on 28 minutes.

Mick McCann slots home the spot kick

Five minutes later Andrew’s effort whizzed inches over the bar and Thaine saved well from Ally Park after the Glens midfielder powered his way into the box. Violet, having lost their lone front man, were struggling to seriously threaten the Glens goal. However in the last action of the half Dale Hart engineered their best chance of the half after giving a couple of defenders the slip and drilling a low angled shot that keeper Brian McGarrity and McAusland combined to clear. H/T Violet 0 Glens 1

The second half continued in a similar vein to the first with the Glens controlling the play and patiently trying to find an opening against the 10 dogged Dundonians that were still very much in the game.  On the hour mark Thaine saved a close-range header from McCann and soon after Glens earned another corner-kick. Ryan Borris’s kick from the right was cleared at the near post before the midfielder recovered the ball and returned it to the back post where it was cleared by Ryan Digman, sending the ball high into the air. Darren McGill at the corner of the box met the ball first time on the drop and thundered a shot that flew over the heads of a clutch of players from both sides including that of keeper Thaine, who could only look on as  ball battered off the inside of the post and into the net. The visitors now two up on 67 minutes.

Two minutes later and defender Ben Middleton did enough to prevent Borris from winning the ball at the back post as the Glens pressed for a third.  On 75 minutes the home side came close to halving the deficit after substitute George Duncan broke into the box and drilled a low powerful drive that pulled off a fine save from the legs of keeper McGarrity. Back up the park and Thaine matched his counterpart after Andrew turned two defenders in the six yard box before the keeper’s legs blocked his shot at goal and then kept his cool to push McCann’s effort to bury the rebound off the line.  The keeper then denied McCann twice more as he was well placed to deal with the striker’s headers from deep in the box.  Violet finished with a brief flurry forcing McGarrity to block a shot from Digman and then push Duncan’s effort past the post before the Glens cleared the corner kick and progressed to the 4th round. F/T Violet 0 Glens 2

Glenafton Athletic: 1. Brian McGarrity 2. Kyle McAusland 3. Alan Cairns 4. Craig Menzies 5. Ryan McChesney 6. Cameron Marlow 7. Ryan Borris (12. David Gray) 8. Ally Park (15. Kieran McAnespie) 9. Mick McCann 10. Joe Andrew 11. Darren McGill (14. Dan Orsi) Subs: 16. Chris Dallas 17. Andrew Hunter GK Blair Lochhead

Dundee Violet: 1. Gary Thane 2. Davie O’Neil 3. Ben Middleton 4. Kit Bremner 5. Scott Tovey 6. Lee Milton 7. Ryan Digman 8. Gavin Hood 9. Kevin Scott 10. Connor McLeod 11. Connor Hart Subs. 12. George Duncan 14. Craig Bachelor 15. Sean McVicar

More photos Glenafton v Dundee Violet