Edinburgh University fall at the first in Scottish Cup

A spirited performance was simply not enough for the Edinburgh University team, who were comfortably beaten in their first-round Scottish Cup tie with Whitehill Welfare. It was always going to be a tough game, Whitehill having already tasted victory at Peffermill in August in the league. The task was made even more difficult with a number of key players absent through injury and with the second half dismissal of centre back Danny Main the game was all but dead and buried by the time Sproule had capped a great performance off with his second of the game.

The first five minutes proved cagey, with neither side threatening or keeping possession for long enough to create a good attempt on goal. In the 12th minute a positive overlapping run by the Whitehill full-back caught out the Edinburgh defence, who failed to clear their lines properly leaving Sproule to blast home from 12 yards out. With that lead, Whitehill looked to press and came forward in numbers pushing the University defence further and further into their own half. This deep line inevitably led to an increase in chances for the visiting side. In the 19th minute Whitehill very nearly doubled their lead when a dangerous corner was eventually cleared off the line. A few minutes later, Whitehill’s Jim Young showed good footwork to beat his marker inside the box, creating space for a shot only to see his effort clip the top of the crossbar. The University’s defence was under severe pressure and that pressure eventually took its toll. In the 44th minute the lively Sproule managed to squeeze the wrong side of Main, who brought him down in the area leaving the referee no choice but to award the penalty. Young stepped up and coolly slotted home for a deserved two-nil half-time lead.

The home side regrouped and began the second half in much more positive fashion, although there few real sights of goal as the game descended into scrappiness. In the 65th minute the University were dealt a cruel blow when the referee adjudged Main to have deliberately handled the ball and duly showed him a second yellow card. Edinburgh faced an uphill challenge from here but for the next ten minutes the numerical disadvantage seemed not to dispirit them; rather they were encouraged to take more of an attacking mentality to the game. A few speculative efforts forced the Whitehill keeper into action but he was never greatly troubled. As the University piled on the pressure big gaps were left in front of the re-shuffled defence, so when, in the 76th minute, Edinburgh’s keeper Mark Tait could only parry a shot from the edge of the area, Sproule’s easily netted the rebound for a deserved second goal. Three down, the game was well out of Edinburgh’s sight, though they fought well for the full 90 minutes.

The University should take pride from their hard-fought second-half performance and not be disheartened by their cup exit. They will need to rally again for the resumption of the East of Scotland Premier Division, as well as the upcoming BUCS League campaign.