THE Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur FA now has four clubs left in contention in this season’s Soccer World Scottish Amateur Cup after Uphall Station lost 5-0 away to Aitkenhead in Glasgow.
Balerno also came a cropper in the all-Edinburgh fifth-round clash with Leith Athletic at Currie, crashing out of the cup on the wrong end of a 7-2 beating.
While Balerno’s defeat against a team that plays in the premier division of the Central Sc
otland League was not unexpected, the 5-0 trouncing of L&EAFA Premier Division leaders Uphall Station in Glasgow was a shock result.
The team from West Lothian have looked very good this season but, obviously, were not good enough against Aitkenhead.
In the game at Currie, hosts Balerno had two great chances to open the scoring early on but their shots were off target.
They were made to rue these missed opportunities when Leith went ahead in the 21st minute.
With the home side giving away three corners in succession, Chris Beaton made the breakthrough, sending the ball straight into the Balerno goal from a corner on the left. The wind appeared to catch the ball and it took a vicious swerve past home keeper Andy Campbell.
Balerno’s defence were then at full stretch as Leith took control of the game, Andy Fraser sending another thundering wind-assisted shot screaming over Fraser’s bar.
Balerno won a corner at the other end but Leith keeper, Iain Gordon, confidently plucked the cross out of the air then sent a huge clearance away upfield.
The bounce of the ball deceived the Balerno defence, but not Dale McCall and the Leith No.10 capitalised on the defensive mistake to send the loose ball hurtling into the corner of the Balerno net after 40 minutes.
Steven Radzynski sent a teasing lob into the home goalmouth with Fraser off his line, but the ball was booted clear and it was still 2-0 at the break.
After making such a good start to the game, Balerno were pinned back in defence for most of the first half and they rarely troubled the well-organised Leith outfit.
Balerno found themselves 3-0 down shortly after the restart, with McCall and Radzynski combining well with the latter finishing the move off with a well-taken goal.
Radzynski lashed a piledriver of a shot into the Balerno net shortly after to make it 4-0.
Balerno then had a good spell but they were caught out at the back when McCall netted another goal, although the burly Leith striker looked to be clearly offside when he scored.
The home side went on the attack and they got a deserved goal from a David Heburn header.
Leith made several substitutions and the labouring Balerno defence could do nothing to prevent Andy Penman making it 6-1 after prolonged pressure on the home goal. A short pass back in the Leith defence let the hard-working Alan Smith in to score Balerno’s second goal of the game.
This was an unexpected gift for the home side but it was Leith who finished the game off in style, Radzynski hammering in a tremendous shot at Fraser that the Balerno keeper did well to block, but Penman followed up to score from the rebound.
Balerno enjoyed a great run in the Scottish Amateur Cup but they were always going to come up against a class side in the fifth round of the national event for amateur clubs, and Leith Athletic were just too good on the day.
Leith’s reward for this win was a home tie against either West Kilbride or Kilsyth Amateurs at Leith Links in the sixth round.
Balerno: Andy Campbell, Graeme Thomson, Keith McIntyre, Ronnie McGregor, Mark Paxton, Can Balcioglu; Mark Littlejohn, John McPhie, Alan Smith, Neil Struthers, Scott Littlejohn, David Hepburn, Angus Mathieson, Stuart Dowie, Richard McGregor, Mike Whalen.
Leith Athletic: Iain Gordon, Gary Young, Andy Fraser, Michael Stewart, Martyn Wallace, Kevin Freedman, Scott McAuley, Jamie Lauder, Steven Radzynski, Dale McCall, Chris Beaton, David Connor, Rory Stewart, Andy Penman, Douglas Thom.
Referee: Jim Darling.
ON Saturday, Newcraighall Leith Vics travel to Glasgow to play Drumchapel United in their postponed fifth-round tie, while Lothian Thistle will make another attempt to play their postponed fourth-round replay against Wishaw HSFP at Campbell Park.
Redhall Star entertain AC Mill Inn at Redhall Park, while Liberton AVU face a massive test against Redbrae on their home pitch at Southouse. The winners of are drawn at home in the sixth round, against Hurlford Thistle.
Elsewhere, Spartans 3rd XI beat Preston 4-2 away in the third round of the L&EAFA’s Miller Cup, with Finlay Clark scoring a hat-trick for Spartans, and Scott Downie getting the other two goals.
