Kemnay FC v Culter BC - Scottish Cup 2nd Round

Kemnay and Culter Defy the Elements to Serve Up a Cup Cracker

After heavy rain overnight in and around Kemnay the pitch was subject to an early morning pitch inspection (basically Neil in his wellies walking about the park looking for puddles) and after the inspection it was clear that whilst wet, the pitch was playable, so it was with some relief that we welcomed Mark and his Culter BC squad for this Scottish Youth Cup tie at Bogbeth Park.

Kemnay's pre-match build up was rocked when Callan unfortunately called off sick just before kick off so the coaches hastily rearranged the line-up bringing in Stephen to play in an unaccustomed central defensive position along side Cameron. Mason moved from the centre to take Callan's place at right back.

It was the home team that got play underway and immediately settled into a good passing game, working the ball into good areas on the left with Lewis and Liam prominent. Liam was finding space down the left flank and using his repertoire of skills to create openings and when he saw the pass, Jordan an ever willing runner into the channels. As a result Kemnay probably marginally shaded the early stages of the game. That's not to say Culter weren't in the game. When given an opportunity they too played some nice possession football. Their No 4 was a calm and confident figure in defence and with their midfield all comfortable on the ball and quick to boot they began to get the upper hand in the middle of the park.

Their pace was shown at its most dangerous midway through the half. Kemnay had worked the ball well down the right into a good attacking position. Matthew delivered a dangerous cross which the Culter defender did well to clear for a corner. The resulting flag kick was well cleared and no more than 15 seconds later Culter had worked themselves a half chance at the opposite end after a lightning break from one end to the other.  Archie did well to smother the danger. Kemnay didn't heed the warning though and Culter took the lead shortly after. Good footwork in the middle saw their striker played in in the inside left channel. He (Dexter I think) steadied himself before hitting a lovely shot into Archies bottom left corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Just after that Kemnay unfortunately lost Lewis who couldn't shake off a foot injury sustained in an earlier 50/50 challenge. That led to another tactical adjustment - Liam dropped back to left back and Callum Campbell replaced Lewis. Kemnay continued to play some nice football and despite forcing a number of corners, couldn't grab the equaliser they wanted.

The second half followed a very similar pattern to the first. Both teams continued to play some attractive football and each had their chances. Callum put Jordan through 1v1 with the Culter goalkeeper but he showed good bravery to deny Jordan. At the back, Stephen was growing into the role of centre back and was working well with Cameron and Mason to deny Culter too many clear cut chances. They had plenty to contend with though as the Culter No 18 was really quick and his strong running was causing problems. Kemnay brought on some fresh legs after 50 minutes. Robert replaced Glen and Daniel replaced Callum Fryers in the midfield holding roles. Both settled in well, Robert using his strength and nifty footwork to set up his team mates and Daniel showing a nice touch to control the ball before playing a lovely ball down the right for Matthew to run on to before he was crowded out by a collection of Culter defenders. Matthew was much more prominent in the second half and again was fed the ball by Mason. This time he set off on a fantastic lung-bursting run from his own half down the left before cutting inside past two defenders and drawing a foul.

Kemnay made their final change with Robbie replacing the hard-working Keiron and decided to go 4-4-2 in an attempt to get back in the game. Robbie was pushed up front to support the tireless Jordan with the midfield 4 of Callum, Robert, Daniel and Matthew tasked with getting up to support them. Robert did really well to steal the ball from a Culter midfielder before releasing Callum on the left, he beat a few players before crossing into the box. Unfortunately the cross eluded everyone and went to safety behind the goal.

At the other end Culter were always a threat and they worked themselves a good opportunity. Their striker let fly from about 12 yards on the angle and the ball looked netbound but Archie dived full length to parry the ball one-handed to safety - a stunning stop from the keeper. The follow up shot flashed in front of goal with no takers for Culter. Soon after he was called into action again. With Kemnay pushing for an equaliser they were susceptible on the counter and the Culter forward found himself through on goal but Archie showed real courage to dive at the strikers feet, taking an accidental kick in the head for his trouble.

With time running out coaches Beaton and Law sounded the bugle going 3 at the back and pushing Stephen up front in an attempt to save the tie, but it wasn't to be on the day and Culter held on for a 1-0 win that they probably deserved - however they knew they'd been in a game because Kemnay's boys pushed them all the way.

It's natural to be disappointed in a defeat but this was a game to accentuate the positives - namely that we'd pushed a good side all the way and at no stage let the heads go down despite being behind and that everyone had contributed to an excellent team performance. This should give everyone real confidence for the season ahead as we embark on the league campaign.

Thanks to Culter BC for a terrific game and to Mark and his coaching team for their kind words at full time and good luck to them for the next round. Thanks to referee Martin Campbell too for handling the game really well. We hope to see you back at Kemnay again this season.

Kemnay FC - Archie Simons, Mason Reid, Stephen Reid, Cameron Cheyne, Lewis Beaton (Callum Campbell), Glen Munro (Robert Lamb), Callum Fryers (Daniel Duguid), Liam Morrison, Keiron MacLeod (Robbie Hanratty), Matthew Law, Jordan Sangster

Referee - M. Campbell