Edinburgh dump Deveronvale out of the Cup

Edinburgh and Deveronvale

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A brace from Peder Beck-Friis and a late strike from substitute Christopher Woods earned the University of Edinburgh victory over Highland League outfit Deveronvale in the Scottish Cup second round on Saturday afternoon.

At a blustery Peffermill, Edinburgh took the lead through Beck-Friss only for it to be cancelled out by a Michael McKenzie goal eight minutes before half-time. However, a second from Beck-Friis regained the initiative for Edinburgh before Woods added the gloss finish to a result that saw the University into the third round and a clash away to Cove Rangers.

With each side dogged by the persistent wind that swept across the ground, the opening stages were characterised by fitful and disjointed football. Deveronvale, playing with the breeze, dominated possession and required the Edinburgh defence to stay on constant alert. Out of the mire of misplaced passes came the first chance for the Highlanders. Good combination play on the left resulted in a chance for McKenzie but his shot, typically, was diverted behind for a corner off a lunging defender's head. The resulting corner was only partially cleared as it fell to John Coutts whose effort, however, fell well wide.

Edinburgh seemed cowed by this early pressure and, unable to find a foothold neither upfront nor in midfield, were fortunate not to fall behind when an innocuous shot from well outside the area was allowed to squirm through the grasp of Scott Bennett in the Edinburgh goal, but stopped mercifully short of the line. Bennett's error was symptomatic of the problems the wind was causing for the University rearguard as clearances failed to reach the front men from which some form of relief could have been claimed.

The Vale continually tested the competence of the Edinburgh centre backs with a barrage of high balls. Fusco and Cathcart remained ever vigilant and their obduracy eventually paid off. On a rare foray forward Edinburgh won a free kick on the right side, midway into the opposition half. With the hitherto untested Deveronvale defence unsure how to deal with Jack Beesley's low, curling delivery which found the channel between goalkeeper and back four, Beck-Friis stole in at the far post to notch his third goal in two games.

On the balance of play it was an undeserved lead and so it was no surprise that the Vale countered with a sequence of corners. From the last of these a defensive clearance was met with a stinging volley from Fraser Bremner forcing Bennett into a stunning save, diving to turn the ball around his left hand post. Deveronvale were now on the offensive.

Paul Urquhart was denied by Bennett after some neat interplay on the right, and then Bennett had to be alert to smother the ball as it almost broke for Gary Clark. As if in rehearsal, McKenzie was released on the right by Clark only to have his shot saved at the near post. However, McKenzie, just a minute later, was not to be denied again as he cut in from the left and dispatched an emphatic finish past the helpless Bennett.

Deveronvale clearly deserved the equaliser and could have taken the lead only for a poor offside decision to deny Michael Ewan a genuine goalscoring opportunity. By half-time the visitors were in the ascendency both in terms of chances and in the style of football they had executed and yet, in the face of a strident breeze, Edinburgh had proved to be defensively outstanding.

The second half was a different story. Edinburgh started with renewed energy and flair. Only four minutes into the second period a one-two on the left released Stephen Maxwell whose low cross was scuffed in at the far post by Beck-Friis. As in the first half the goal gave Edinburgh something to hold on to, the Vale's evident superiority giving way to frustration and ill-discipline as McKenzie was booked for an horrendous two-footed lunge just before the hour. The Highlanders' growing sense of dismay was compounded after a flowing move from right to left engineered by the productive McKenzie, resulted in a pin point cross from Clark which found Ewan unmarked five yards out only for the Vale striker to nod the ball tamely into Bennett's midriff.

This visibly sapped the energy from the tiring Vale players and served to invigorate the university side. The effervescent Beesley skipped past Stephen Dolan on the right and sent over a cross which was met by the head of Michael Hazeldine whose looping header was expertly tipped over by Jamie Blanchard. Edinburgh's style of play had greatly improved and another breakaway led to Beck-Friis narrowly missing out after good work from Beesley and Andrew Cook.

Whilst Deveronvale could never be discounted, especially on the right side through the irrepressible Coutts, Edinburgh's lead meant that the Vale attacks became ever more desperate. After an exchange of passes down the right between Coutts and Duglonski, the latter's shot was deflected and tipped over by the increasingly assured Bennett. By this stage, Deveronvale were flagging, their inferior fitness leading to the squandering of chances that otherwise may have led to something. After Ewan sliced wide after the hapless Munro was beaten on the Edinburgh right, victory was sensed by the Peffermill crowd.

The potentially jittery final five minutes did not prove to be so. Beesley's intelligent improvisation led to Blanchard forcing his drive onto the crossbar after a botched free kick routine. Victory was then assured when substitutes Jamie Hair and Christopher Woods combined to release the latter, who outpaced the exhausted Deveronvale defence to slide a delicate finish into the net via the far post.

The result may have flattered the home side but it was testament to the defence that the foundation was laid for a comfortable second half. Edinburgh can now look forward to the third round with the knowledge that just 90 minutes separates Dougie Samuel's side from a potentially lucrative fourth round tie.

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