YFS
Not quite a tale of David and Goliath, however some instinctive finishing and resolute defending provided Baljaffray Utd with a shock 3-2 victory over favourites St Convals YFC.
A game of two halves; PJDYFL Division Three side Baljaffray took a two goal lead in the first half, before St Convals - a Division Two team - clawed their way back into the game to set up extra time where Baljaffray scored the winner to proceed to the second round.
On a gloriously sunny September Saturday, it was a perfect afternoon for the first round of the Scottish Cup.
Additionally, with both sides winning comfortably on their last outings, it had the makings of a good game of football, and the boys didn’t disappoint.
It was St Convals who carved the first chance of the match, when a corner came in which Robert Caldwell met with a bullet header, but luckily for Baljaffray they had someone on the post to hook clear.
However, a few minutes later, Baljaffray took the early ascendency. Straight from a throw in on the right, the ball found Cameron Dodds inside the Saints box - he took a touch and laid it back to number 15 Robert Morgan, who rifled the ball into the roof of the net to give his side a dream start.
Saints most certainly didn’t panic despite the early setback, although it was evident their boys were growing frustrated as they struggled to get a foothold of the game and retain possession.
They did create another golden opportunity with 20 minutes gone though. Gavin McKay ran down left hand side of the box before turning and cutting the ball back to Rhys Weir whose powerful shot inside the area swerved just wide.
As the half wore on, Baljaffray were awarded a free kick for a silly foul from Saints defender Kyle McKendrick on the right wing. Morgan delivered an enticing cross into the six-yard box for the unmarked Adam Lyall to double the underdog’s lead.
Poor defending from the St Convals backline and ‘keeper who missed the ball, but take nothing away from the terrific ball from Morgan, who was superb throughout.
The referee signalled for half time shortly after, with the Bearsden side well worth their lead by capitalising on errors made by the home team.