Ferry Athletic took full advantage of a depleted Jeanfield Black team to advance to the third round of the Queen's Jubilee Cup.

 

Swifts were depleted to the point of having no available substitutes for the entire match, and faced an uphill battle on a wet and windy day at Dawson Park in the City of Discovery.

 

Ferry were keen to put Jeanfield on the back foor right from the kick-off and had an opening minute chance when Jake Stewart attempted to test Swifts 'keeper Sam Townsley, only to see his weak attempt easily saved.

 

The Dundee side didn't have to wait long for the opener however and had the lead just moments later. A cross into the box fell to the feet of striker Luke Queen, who hit a snapshot that was deflected off a Jeanfield defender into the back of the net.

 

Jeanfield were keen to make sure their heads didn't frop and had an opportunity of their own a couple of minutes later when Jack Muirhead saw his effort well saved by Rikki McLaren, who pushed the ball wide for a corner.

 

It was from this resulting corner that the Perthshire side had their equaliser. The cross intot the box was not dealt with by the Ferry defence, and the ball fell to Jamie Maloney who hit a looping shot into the net to level the score.

 

After that goal Ferry started to dominate the match and were close to retaking the lead just before the 10 minute mark when Ewan Stewart was played through on goal from a throw-in, but 'keeper Townsley was quick off his line to save from the striker.

 

Ferry were pressing well high up the park and created another opportunity when Queen robbed Ryan Young of the ball, but his shot was not good enough to beat Townsley.

 

At this stage of the match Ferry were in complete control of the game, passing well and creating a number of opportunities, one of which saw Brandon Donnelly's shot well cleared by Swifts defender Finley Young.

 

The front two of Queen and Ewan Stewart were causing real problems for the Swifts, with their movement and passing carving them open, with the latter the next to threaten as he battled through the Jeanfield defence, only for Finley Young to make another goal-saving clearance.

 

Ferry finally retook the lead on the 30th minute when a long ball was played through to Ewan Stewart who simply lifted the ball over Townsley to restore his sides advantage.

 

Five minutes later, it was 3-1 and it was Ewan Stewart again in almost a carbon copy of his first goal. Another long ball was played through and this time the striker opted to slot the ball underneath the oncoming 'keeper to give his side a two goal lead going into half-time.

Ferry seemed keen on building on their first-half dominance and threatened early on in the second half. A cutback from Jake Stewart fell to Greg Breen who attempted a shot from just outside the box, only to have his shot comfortably held by Townsley.

 

Breen was looking dangerous again just a minute later as he made his way into the penalty area. The ball deflected off a Jeanfiedl defender into the path of Ewan Stewart who couldn't lift his shot past the 'keeper.

 

Ferry came close again on the 45th minute when a long ball from Jake Stewart was collected by his namesake Ewan. The striker took the ball around Townsley but the angle was too acute for him to get his shot on target.

 

Jeanfield nearly had a goal back against the run of play in rather unusual circumstances when Jake Strachan passed back to Ferry 'keeper McLaren, whose clearance was scuffed via a bobble on the the torn up pitch. This allowed Angus Dochard to retrieve the ball but he couldn't make the most of the mix up as his shot was wonderfully saved by McLaren.

 

Jeanfield were starting to come into the game a bit more and enjoyed a period of pressure midway through the second half. They had another opportunity on the 58th minute when Dochard was on hand to test McLaren again with a shot that was well saved by the 'keeper.

 

Two minutes later, they had one back as Dochard, who was a constant threat throughout the half, beat the offside trap to take the ball round McLaren and fire his shot into the back of the net, past the last man in Daniel Garmany.

 

Jeanfield were nearly level after 65 inutes in extraordinary circumstances when Alex Roswell saw McLaren off his line and attempted a shot from just inside the Ferry half, however McLaren was able to scramble the effort wide.

 

After that it seemed as though fatigue was catching up with the Perth based side and Ferry nearly had the game sealed in the 69th minute when a cross from Louie Anderson fell to Ewan Stewart who looked certain to score only to hit the bar from around eight yards out. Breen was on hand to follow up with a shot of his own but his effort was well saved by Townsley.

 

It wasn't until injury time when Ferry secured their place in the third round when a goal kick from Townsley was headed back by a Ferry defender onto the path of Ewan Stewart, whose managed to squeeze the ball underneath the 'keeper before tapping the ball home for his hat-trick.

 

It was a very good day for Ferry and they can be extremely proud of the way they played. Their passing in particular was a highlight and caused problems for the Jeanfield back line.

 

The Jeanfield side did extremely well to stay in the match and one has to wonder what would have happened had they had a full roster of players to choose from.