SPARTANS clinched the under-13 Belmont Vauxhall Cup thanks to a 3-2 win over Haddington Athletic at Saughton Enclosure.
Nerve-induced lapses of concentration and loose passing by both sides made for a scrappy first half that was illuminated only by two Spartans goals just before the break.
Haddington twice pulled the deficit back to one in the second half but cou
ld not find an equaliser as Spartans captain Robbie Shepherdson deservedly lifted the trophy.
In a cagey but evenly-matched first half, goalscoring chances were shared equally.
After 12 minutes, the East Lothian side's Michael Hill showed great patience on the left wing before beating his marker and whipping over a cross for Anes Subasic, but the striker blazed his shot over the bar while under pressure from Spartans defender Gordon Aitken.
On the quarter-hour mark, Haddington's Callum Banks upheld the fine goalkeeping tradition of his family name, producing a superb double save to deny Spartans an early opener.
Firstly, he tipped away Ross Wilcox's low drive to the left-hand corner, and then reacted quickly to save with his feet as Jack Whiteside was quick to pounce on the rebound.
The performance of flame-haired Spartans defender Ruaridh Smith was one of the highlights of the first half, the No.4 showing superb positional sense and strength in the tackle while dealing ably with the threat of the powerful Haddington striker Subasic.
It was his team-mate Cameron Lambie, though, who was to get himself on the scoresheet with a strike just before the interval.
Elliot Mitchell's corner from the left was met by the boot of Lambie on the half-volley and the ball flew into the bottom right-hand corner of Banks's net.
Just when Haddington might have been willing the half-time whistle to sound, Spartans notched another goal to justify their attacking dominance.
Shepherdson's cross from the right found Mitchell, and his shot from ten yards dipped sharply into the net after going over Banks.
Haddington found solace – and hope – from the most unlikely of sources shortly after the start of the second half.
Calum Claysey Gibb may have been required to send the ball a distance as long as his name to reach anywhere near the penalty area, but his 35-yard free-kick from the left wing cleared everyone – including goalkeeper Stuart Wilcox – and soared into the top right-hand corner of the net.
Haddington were, however, unable to follow up their attacking threat immediately after cutting Spartans' advantage to one goal.
Indeed, the next clear-cut opportunity at either end arrived half an hour later, just five minutes from full-time.
Ross Wilcox pierced the Haddington backline with an inch-perfect pass to pocket rocket No.9 Whiteside, and the striker smashed the ball off the incoming defender Claysey Gibb, the ball looping over Banks and into the net.
Haddington weren't finished yet, though, and struck the game's fifth goal as Spartans' eyes were already on the prize.
Hill again displayed impressive skill on the left flank, escaping his marker before releasing Kelvin Craig into a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Wilcox.
Craig won the race for the ball and swept the ball under the custodian from 20 yards out.
Carlo De Angelis, head of the youth setup at Spartans, was delighted at the performance of the winners, the victory reflecting a good season for the club as a whole.
He said: "I thought we dominated the first half of the game, and we played some lovely passing football in the second half.
"All the Spartans teams have enjoyed a lot of progress this season.
"We have four teams in cup finals, and we're trying to get as many kids as possible involved in games at various levels."
Spartans: Stuart Wilcox, Gregg Veitch, Gordon Aitken, Ruaridh Smith, Scott Docherty, Ben Black, Ross Wilcox, Jesper Price, Jack Whiteside, Robbie Shepherdson, Cameron Lambie, Bradley Laing, Elliot Mitchell, Thomas Doherty, Lewis Edgar, Callum Govan.
Haddington Athletic: Callum Banks, Jack Ormiston, Thomas Hardwick, Reece Patterson, Aaron Congalton, Kelvin Craig, Jack Martin, James Peggie, Adam Young, Michael Hill, Lewis Fenn, Anes Subasic, Calum Claysey Gibb, Jamie Hall.
The full article contains 698 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
