University of Stirling men’s football 1s have crashed out of the Scottish Cup at the hands of Linlithgow Rose.
A Tommy Coyne penalty which sent goalkeeper Kevin Walker the wrong way looked to be enough to secure victory for the Rose, before the prolific striker added a second just before the final whistle to provide the final nail in the coffin for University of Stirling.
Speaking to Brig after the game, head-coach Chris Geddes said:
“It was a tough game because it could have went either way. If we had scored first, things could have been different but obviously Linlithgow did and that was the difference.
“I think it was an even game, we never got the rub of the green when we got our opportunities.
“[the penalty] was a stone-waller. Poor, poor defending from us down the left channel. It was smart play from the striker because he sized up to shoot, and Angus [Mailer] slid in to block the shot, but at the last minute he went over on him, so it was really good striker play.”
Despite the final score, University of Stirling started the more promisingly of the two sides, with the danger coming from wide men, Callum Heath and Jason Jarvis.
Kevin Walker was called into action when Linlithgow number 9 – Tommy Coyne, sent a potent header towards goal which required an outstanding save from the goalkeeper following a corner.
In a back-and-forth affair, it was now the University of Stirling’s turn to force a great save. A marauding run from Jason Jarvis – beating his man, sent a driven cross for the awaiting Kieran Hall – however he just couldn’t get it over the line.
The home side had a second great chance when a James Berry volley had to be headed clear from the line.
However, the game remained goalless at the break.
After a cagey initial five minutes of the second period, Linlithgow Rose were the ones to make the breakthrough. Ross Allum was tripped by Stirling centre-half Angus Mailer inside the penalty box and the referee pointed towards the spot.
The Linlithgow Rose top goal scorer confidently dispatched the penalty kick into the bottom right corner to the delight of the travelling away support.
It took a further ten minutes for the game to come to life as Tommy Coyne spurned a great chance as a result of a cross from Gray, who had Ross Meikle to thank for setting it up with some excellent hold-up play.
At the other end, University of Stirling came tantalisingly close to an equaliser when Ben Quigley received a cute pass over the defence on the left side of the box.
Despite the late resurgence from University of Stirling, they were made to rue all the missed chances they had as Linlithgow Rose landed a sucker punch in the ninety-second minute to send Stirling out of the Scottish Cup.
Tommy Coyne was found unmarked in the penalty area, after sensational wing play down the right hand side to beat two Stirling defenders and find the striker, who had little to do, but send the goalkeeper onto his backside with a dummy, and coolly slot the ball home.
The final whistle was sounded shortly after.
University of Stirling put in a battling, competent performance but ultimately fell short of an organised and potent Rose side which capitalised on their chances.
The next round of the Scottish Cup takes place on November 23, where Linlithgow Rose will face Falkirk.
Featured Image Credit: Whyler Photos
Second year student at University of Stirling studying Sport and Journalism.
