LEITH ATHLETIC made sure they will contest next month's under-13 Lothian Buses Cup final against Musselburgh Windsor by overcoming Hutchison Vale at Edinburgh Academy.
Clinical finishing did justice to some mesmerising passing moves and the final score of 4-0 was no more than the visitors deserved.
Leith coach Mark Muirhead sent his team out with the instruction merely to enjoy the game and each youngster in r
ed displayed boundless enthusiasm throughout the 70 minutes.
Leith were dangerous going forward and frequently laid siege to their hosts' goal in the first half.
The persistence of Hne Wilson almost led to a breakthrough after 14 minutes.
He showed tremendous will and eagerness to keep the ball in play as it was being ushered out by a Hutchie defender and his cutback to Peter Mair was followed by a cross that was narrowly missed by Brendan Edwards as he attempted a diving header.
Scott Wilson fashioned an opportunity out of little on the half-hour mark, cutting in from the left to find himself one-on-one with keeper Jordan Hunter. The angle at which the attacker bore down on goal, however, was too acute and his shot met only the side-netting.
A minute later, though, the Leith No.11 was to go one better, giving his side the lead in an unorthodox manner.
Hne Wilson knocked the ball back into the danger area and Scott Wilson used his knee to force the ball beyond the stranded goalkeeper Hunter.
It would be fair to say that neither side was slow out of the blocks in the second half, especially as referee Jim Sim was still enjoying his half-time break in the small enclosure behind one of the goals as the teams kicked off in earnest.
The confusion lay in the fact that another game was taking place on the adjacent pitch, and not for the first time the whistle of one referee had called a halt – or, in this case, a start – to play on both fields. Once the man in black had reasserted his authority and restarted the game, Hutchie were first to threaten.
Harry Moore's long free-kick looked to be easy for goalkeeper Reece Small to deal with, however, Small took his eye off the ball and only his quick reflex dive at the feet of striker Lewis Ross spared his blushes.
On 49 minutes Leith doubled their lead when, amid the ruck of Hutchie players defending a Scott Wilson corner kick, winger Gavin Kneeshaw rose majestically to head the ball up and over into Hunter's right-hand corner.
Hutchie's most potent goal-scoring danger came through Ross, who harried and chased throughout without much reward.
Indeed, the diminutive striker was unfortunate not to offer his side a route back into the game on 57 minutes. A long free-kick was headed down by Chris Hendrie into the path of Ross six yards from goal, but he failed to connect properly and Small gathered without fuss. A minute later, the ball was back in the more familiar territory of Hutchie's penalty area. This time, only superb awareness and anticipation by Mark Horsburgh prevented Leith adding to their lead when he cleared Scott Wilson's header off the line with Hunter beaten.
With less than ten minutes remaining, Leith scored a third courtesy of Mair's spectacular solo run and finish.
The defender burst forward from the back, taking on and beating all who dared cross his path to goal. Having left no fewer than four Hutchie defenders in his wake as he slalomed towards Hunter's goal, Mair simply prodded the ball underneath the goalkeeper from 15 yards out.
With five minutes left on the clock and the cup final in sight, Leith notched a deserved fourth, Kneeshaw achieving a personal brace through a long-range strike that thundered into the top left-hand corner of the net.
Hutchison Vale: Jordan Hunter, Jamie Tubby, Kevin Keane, Lewis Scott, Connor McGregor, Chris Hendrie, Chris Galloway, Jamie Collins, Daniel Nimmo, Harry Moore, Lewis Ross, Jason Coyle, Jaxon Wishart, Ben Hughes, Shaun Green, Mark Horsburgh, Mathew Joint.
Leith Athletic: Reece Small, Billy Foreman, Keiran Muirhead, Peter Mair, Daniel Simpson, Hne Wilson, Gavin Kneeshaw, Sean Murphy, Brendan Edwards, Marc Kustra, Scott Wilson.
