Old Cup rivalry stoked by Edinburgh home defeat

A brace from Aaron Somerville and a late goal from substitute Steve Dongo made the difference for an impressive Vale side at Peffermil on Saturday afternoon. The Vale took the lead through Somerville’s header after only 14 minutes, and were not to relinquish their lead in a match dominated by the Borderers, who maintain their 100% record in competitive action.

Vale set the tone from the start, with their “front four” of Andy Martin, Geri Rossi, Aaron Somerville and Ousman Sonko all threatening an unsteady but resolute Edinburgh defence. Martin in particular, on the right wing, was causing all sorts of problems, and served notice of his intentions after only nine minutes. A good run from the tricky wide man, followed by a crisply struck low shot that went narrowly wide of Steven Oliver’s right hand post, were the first indications of number seven’s menace, and he was to make a more telling contribution soon after.

After twenty-two minutes, more good work from Martin on the right wing saw him ghost past the Uni defender, and send a great cross into Edinburgh’s box. Somerville rose highest of all in a packed penalty area to nod home, and give his side the lead that their early play deserved, as the ball squirmed from Oliver’s grasp, and crawled over the line. Edinburgh’s goalkeeper will no doubt feel that he could have done better, but, on the balance of play, even the most fanatical of University men could not have denied Vale their goal.

The old saying goes that a team is never more vulnerable in defence than when they have just scored, and Edinburgh almost proved that old adage to be true on twenty-four minutes. A free kick from the right was floated into the Vale box, right onto the head of Darren Jarvie, whose bullet header was well saved by Walker in the visitor’s goal. This was to be the only real threat posed by the students in a first half full of industry, but very little inspiration for the home side, and one in which Vale might have doubled their lead before the break, had Oliver not been equal to Rossi’s strike.

Edinburgh made a change early in the second half, introducing Benji Antoni in place of James Brownie, as manager Dougie Samuel chased an equaliser. Unfortunately for the ex-Spartans man, the visitors grabbed their second goal of the day only minutes later: a nice turn and a fantastic shot from the edge of the box, low to the goalkeeper’s left, gave Somerville his second goal of the afternoon, and presented Edinburgh with a real challenge in the remaining half hour of the match. Vale almost made it three immediately from the re-start, as Martin had the beating of his man yet again, and rolled the ball to Rossi at the edge of the box. The forward’s strike seemed destined for the top corner, before Oliver threw himself to his right to divert the ball away for a corner. A fantastic strike, bettered only by Oliver’s save, as Vale of Leithen grew in confidence.

Beecher and Munro were introduced with twenty-five minutes remaining, as Edinburgh attempted to mount a comeback. This was not to materialise, though, as Vale still posed the greater threat, with Martin prominent as always. Edinburgh’s afternoon was summed up in the ninetieth minute of the match, when James Craigen hooked a shot wide of goal at the end of a frustrating afternoon for the midfielder. Vale brought Dongo and Moffat into the fray as the game wound down, and the former was to grab his own piece of the limelight in the last significant action of the match. As the final whistle approached, the substitute went past his marker at the edge of the Uni box, before playing a cool finish into the bottom left-hand corner of Steven Oliver’s net. Dongo’s strike rounded off a great win for the First Division side, who more than earned their place in the next round of world football’s oldest National Cup competition.

Edinburgh University: Oliver, Thompson, Davison (Beecher, 65), MacKinnon, Jarvie, Brownie (Antoni, 57), Scott-Woodhouse, Dodds, Oswald (Munro, 65), Beesley, Craigen. Subs not used: Tait (GK), Neil Irvine.

Vale of Leithen: Walker, Tainsh, Lee, Stewart, Hall, Greenhill, Martin, Gilon, Rossi (Dongo, 90), Sonko, Somerville (Moffat, 90). Subs not used: Wilson (GK), Jones, Shortreed.