SPARTANS carried out an 8-2 demolition job on Berwick Rangers in their first-round clash in this season's SFA Youth Cup at City Park and the Capital outfit had virtually booked their place in the draw for the second round by half-time when they led 6-1.
This game was quite exceptional at the start, with both teams playing impressive football, but the home side gradually took command with Bradley Snodgrass in tremendous form in the midfield for Spartans. The attacks on the Berwick goal increased with
Dale Murray looking exceptional on the right wing.
Berwick were pushed back as the intensity of the Spartans attacks built up and, when the impressive Murray on the right turned the visiting defence inside out before delivering a great ball across for Michael Fruish to open the home side's account in the seventh minute, the Wee Gers side looked to be struggling to hold back the tide. Berwick goalie Adam Mutch was all over the place in his attempts to keep the home side from hitting the target again.
The turning point in the first half came in the 22nd minute when Murray sent a great effort crashing in off the inside of the left-hand post in to the back of the net to make it 2-0 for Spartans. Four minutes later, Fruish added another after a good pass from Murray, and Fruish made it 4-0 from a Smith cut-back.
In a foray up to the other end, Berwick's James Elliott sent a deep cross from the right wing to the far post and Ewan Smart, who had little to do up until then in the Spartans goal, spilled the ball but he grabbed the rebound off one of his defenders to clear the danger. Smart then did well to palm a great shot away to his left, but Tom Parker netted the loose ball to reduce the deficit to 4-1.
In the 35th minute Mutch had to come away out of his goal to block the flying Murray but the Berwick keeper was beaten again with Murray showing wonderful skill in bringing the ball under control in front of the Berwick goal, before beating his marker to score Spartans' fifth.
The best goal of the game came in the 45th minute from star performer, Snodgrass. The Spartans No.8 was left a crumpled heap on the ground when he threw himself between two defenders to bullet a back-post header past Mutch from a great free-kick from the right to make it 6-1 for Spartans at the half-way stage.
Berwick were a team transformed in the second half. They brought on big Tim Curtis on the restart and this very good player made such a difference in the centre of the visiting defence. Greg Hay also went on to have a great game for the visitors in his position on the right side of the Berwick defence. Hay made great runs up the right in the second half and from being a one-horse race in the first stage, it changed to being a very competitive cup tie.
Berwick enjoyed a good spell of attacking play and they got a deserved second goal from Parker after he was set up by Hay. Spartans took that on the chin and went back up field to score another goal to take the margin to 7-2, this time from a Smith penalty, after the Spartans No.9 himself was felled in the box. The home side went on to score again and it was a real sore one for the hard-working Berwick players to take when Philip Mshelbwala toe-poked an incredible shot under the Berwick crossbar from fully 30 yards out. It was just 'too Mutch' for the Berwick goalie and he was rooted to the spot as the ball smacked in to the back of the net.
Spartans: Ewan Smart, Keir Anderson, Scott McDonald, Connor Reid, Gavin Cattenach, Michael Fruish, Dale Murray, Brad Snodgrass, Chris Smith, Steven Philip, Mathew Grace, Blair Thomson, Philip Mshelbwala, Michael Kirkland, Kieran Robertson, Darren Darling.
Berwick Rangers: Adam Mutch, Greg hay, Craig Gow, Tom Parker, Josh Waddle, Warren Lumsden, Mitchell Simpson, Daniel Cornish, Robbie Armstrong, James Elliott, Kevin Strachen, Sam Young, Ross Downie, Tim Curtis, Adam Smith.
Referee: John McCrossan (Wishaw).
