St. Peter the Apostle claimed cup glory after an epic final victory over Bishopbriggs Academy at Celtic Park. It was a game befitting of the home of the 2011/2012 SPL Champions and a healthy crowd showed their support for both sides in which St. Peter’s triumphed 4-2. With the stadium packed with schoolchildren cheering on their contemporaries, the atmosphere was impressive as fans of each side packed into the lower South Stand to the left of the tunnel.

St. Peter Apostle’s started the game off brightly and number fourteen David Seagrave forced Bishopbriggs goalkeeper Kyle O’Donnell into a smart save forcing a corner. From Seagrave’s corner the ball was nearly flicked in at the near post but O’Donnell was alert as he gathered the ball.

It didn’t take Apostles long to take the lead though and after a corner into the box Calum Campbell hit the bar and the rebound was finished by Sam Gallagher, firing Apostles into an early lead.  Apostles were very much on the ascendancy and goal scorer Sam Gallagher saw his strike from outside the box go agonisingly wide after a good, patient passing build up.

Mikey Hopkins was a constant thorn in the side of Bishopbriggs in the first half as he bombed down the left hand channel. One such occasion saw him fouled as he looked to breakaway. A freekick was given and taken by David Seagrave whose inch perfect ball met the head of Craig Conan to put St Peters 2-0 up.

With the way the game was going it looked as though St. Peters were romping to victory but not long after going two up, they were pegged back. Daniel Welsh pulled the goal back for Bishopbriggs after a corner in was headed on the line into his path and he bulleted home the header.

Despite getting themselves a foothold back into the game, Mikey Hopkins almost restored his sides two goal advantage. He showed great endeavour to beat three player and make his way into the box. He put the ball low past the goalkeeper but defender Alan Hogg managed to stop the ball creeping over the line. Hopkins didn’t have long to wait to add his name to the scoresheet.

Kyle Chalmers’ shot was blocked by O’Donnell and was stolen, in the melee, Hopkins who took one touch before firing into the empty net.

With half time approaching it looked like the last action of the half, however, Bishopbriggs were determined to get themselves back in the game. They got that with an absolute wonder strike from Steven Hanigan. He was around twenty yards from goal on the right hand side of the box and, without the outside of his foot, curled  the ball high over the goalkeeper and into the top left of the goal to keep Bishopbriggs in the game.

If the first half was a game of attacking flair and willingness from players to get forward at every attempt the second half was a more dogged affair. For the first ten minutes or so there was very few attacking chances with each side reduced to shot from outside the box that were straight at the keeper.  The passing in the first half was crisp and precise however in the second it was a lot more slack as the ball was failing to find the intended target several times. This may have been due to tiredness at already playing a half on this wide open pitch.

The best chance of the second half was for Bishopbriggs. After striker Alex Cassels was crowded out as he looked for the ball, St. Peter’s Scott Wright was penalised for picking up the ball after the referee determined it was a pass back from the a defender. This was as good a chance Bishopbriggs could have hoped for in their search for an equaliser. The ball was laid off to Alan Hogg who saw his shot cannon off the wall and cleared to safety.

Bishopbriggs were having more of the second half at this point and a foul on Ryan Blair led to a free kick in a good area on the right hand side. Blair did well enough to get the ball over the wall and on target but it never worried Wright in the Apostle goal. Then Bishopbriggs’ Steven Hanigan had goalkeeper Wright worried when he fizzed a free kick narrowly wide.

It wasn’t to be for Bishopbriggs though and even though they managed to deny Christopher Dooley, whose cross was headed off the line, once he wasn’t to be denied again as he smashed home the last goal of the game. The ever impressive Seagrave held off the defender and teed off Dooley who lashed the ball high into the back of the net to seal cup final glory for St. Peter the Apostle.

After a scrappy opening, the contrast in tone set by St Peter could hardly have been starker.  Direct, incisive and flowing, they sprang attacks from deep with such attacking vim and brawn that Holyrood looked almost at times overwhelmed. 

Ciaran Friel, a driving, captaining force throughout, scored a beautiful first goal on cue to a call from the crowd for the Saints to ‘knock it about’.  Saints were happy to oblige, sending waves of attack down the left flank with Alan Cairns’ powerful running and especially prominent in these sharp diagonal exchanges.  Holyrood, stirred, blazed an effort over after a neat through pass from Mark McKenna.  But it was St Peter’s pinball passing – between leaping onto loose interceptions and gnarling into challenges – that contained all the menace.  

Cowed but slowly adjusting to the St Peter’s dynamism, Holyrood built moves delicately, confident in their own patience to probe their way around a classy St Peter’s defence.  One delightful passage was unsuccessful after a misplaced pass by Luke Crerand.  At the other end, a high Holyrood backline was again breached by John Doherty, who drew his cross harmlessly into the keeper Josh Goldfarb.  Gary Duggan, in the mould of the classic number 10 or ‘languid artiste’, shuffled at random across the pitch from his deep lying playmaker role and contributed some nice touches and Tyler McGuiggan, neatly fed, had a shot charged down.

Another St Peter thrust followed and after nice dribbling by Kevin McInally, the ball was laid off via Luke Crerand to John Doherty, who controlled and swept the ball past Goldfarb.  

Holyrood’s response was immediate, with Duggan pulling the strings in a neat central partnership with Lee Barton.  Charlie Duffy strode out of defence in a phenomenal libero-type burst which led to a clip wide from Connor McGuire.  And yet St Peter continued to force the matter seemingly at will up the left, with Gary Lynes beginning in earnest what would be an outstanding performance at left midfield.  For every neat dragback and one-two between Duggan and McGuire, they struggled to bother the St Peter defence.  Their frustration was exemplified as Duffy bemoaned a lack of movement and options ahead of him.  Cairns for Saints was the embodiment of composure mopping up a loose ball and then a good move from Holyrood was memorable for the way McGuire attempted to finish a la Le Tissier at its end, by flicking up with one foot and volleying with the other. 

Scott McLellan for Holyrood was having an immense first half as his side came under fire and one intervention even led to another drive by McGuigan, well tipped round the post by Paddy Hasty.  Next, a floated delivery was met determinedly by Connor McGuire but Ryan McPhillips grimaced as it was turned wide, feeling he was in a better position to score.  The last action of the half saw more motoring on the left from Saints’ Gary Lynes, drawing the game’s first yellow card, a foreshadowing of his ever more irrepressible second half display.

Lee Barton was keen to demonstrate his sleight of foot and Duggan had a good effort on goal as Holyrood resolved not to wilt.  Then Saints’ captain Ciaran Friel made a lovely jink in midfield but shot wide from 25 yards.  McLellan had to be timely to thwart another run from Lynes while Duggan sought to conjure but was outnumbered by a resilient Saints defence.  Two further raids from Lynes as he threatened to exert a Bale-like influence on proceedings were matched by yet more Holyrood probing and stubborn Saints defending.  

If ever there was ‘end to end stuff’, this was such a time. Again McGuire was on the ball and there was more promising wing play as Holyrood fought their way back into contention on this glorious Saturday morning.  Lynes and McLellan continued their own eye-catching personal battle and when the ball broke free and was guided over the defence, McGuire’s finish was parried wide.  The resultant corner 12 minutes into the second half saw a close-range shot from McGuigan blocked and bundled home at the second attempt by McGuire to pull a goal back for Holyrood – just reward for his creative efforts all day.

And then it seemed to be on, the fight back, symbolised by a sparkling move involving McGuire and Duggan. The Saints were in retreat.  Two tantalising looping Holyrood efforts were tipped over and this sparked cries among St Peter faithful to ‘lift it’.  Holyrood brought on Andrew McLaughlin to compliment their measured attacks and when Lynes was again stymied at the last gasp it was notable for being against the run of play.  

After 10 minutes a lull in play was followed by a great counter attack in which Crerand spread the ball to Kevin McInally who clipped it to the onrushing Lynes but his shot was volleyed into the ground making it comfortable for Goldfarb.  Duggan had another good run and Barton’s cross was met by McPhillips at the back post but he couldn’t direct it past Paddy Hasty.  This was the last effort of an absorbing encounter as the match returned to the form of its frantic opening and drifted to a euphoric and ultimately deserved conclusion for those in bright yellow.  Onwards and upwards for both teams after their spirited showings here, in football, and off the field.