Whitburn manager Derek Strickland was delighted with the Scottish Cup victory. He said: "We deserve to be in the third round. It was a fantastic win for us. We never stopped. To come here and knock them out not once but twice in as many weeks is
terrific."
Only two weeks ago Whitburn travelled to Linlithgow on League business and won 2–1 in a dress rehearsal for this cup tie. With last Saturday's games being postponed, they met once again at the same venue and this time the stakes were higher. A good run in the cup is a terrific earner for the clubs.
In front of in excess of 1000 supporters, both sides were aware of what was at stake and the opening encounters were scrappy. Indeed, the first 45 minutes were best forgotten with Whitburn shading the pressure.
In the second half it was Whitburn who started better. They pressed forward and gradually Linlithgow buckled under the pressure.
On the hour mark, Whitburn's Colin Strickland controlled the ball in the box and, with a super turn, smacked the ball off the post instead of what would have been a tremendous goal. Then, a couple of minutes later, he drove down the right wing before sending over a pinpoint cross for Alex Lurinski's head, but keeper Steven Pinkowski pulled off a great save to deny him.
Whitburn once again stepped up a gear and again Linlithgow struggled to cope. Then, with time running out and a replay next week at Whitburn on the cards, the visitors made the breakthrough in the 87th minute.
Sub David Murphy found some space down the right-hand side. He sent over a high cross which keeper Pinlowski palmed out wide to the left, and it fell to Chris Dolan who judged it perfectly and volleyed the ball in from 15 yards out to almost burst the net. Keeper Pinkowski got a hand to it but it made no difference. There was no way back for Linlithgow even with a full seven minutes of injury time played.
It was a super win for Whitburn in a game between two of the giants in the region.
Linlithgow boss Brian Fairley admitted his side were left wanting. He said: "It was a good, hard-fought cup tie. We thought we would come on strong in the last quarter but it was the opposite way.
"Whitburn played this game in a typical cup tie way for the full 90 minutes and deserved their win. It's a huge disappointment for everyone at the club – the players, the supporters and the committee. It's hard to take right now, but we have to bounce back."
Whitburn midfielder Andy Doig, who played a huge part in their win, was delighted with the result.
He said: "We knew if we started well we could do it. The win here last time gave us the confidence to come here and do well.
"We battled hard in midfield and we're enjoying it.
"I think they probably underestimated us. We deserved to win today."
Triumphant Whitburn boss Derek Strickland couldn't hide his delight. He said: "I said a couple of weeks ago when we get our full squad back we would play better. That's only the second time we have had that and we won both games. We had players injured or on holiday and we started the season poorly, but results like this and two weeks ago show just how good a side we have.
"We freshened up the squad this year and we have brought the average age down. They are stronger and fitter and they never stopped for the full 90 minutes.
"We knew we had them and that gave us the confidence to step up a gear when we wanted.
"It was a typical cup tie and although the first 45 minutes were tense we kept going because we knew we could win it."
"It was a fantastic result for us."
Linlithgow: Pinkowski, Robertson, Waugh, Donnelly, Gallagher, Hogg, Livingstone (Geddes), Tyrrell (Bradley), McArthur, Herd Grady), James. Subs: King, Oliver.
Whitburn: Walker, S Murphy, Leiper, Mooney, McGurk, Donnelly (J Murphy), McNelis (D Murphy), Doig, Lurinski, Strickland (Roberts), Dolan. Subs: Mackay, Hannah.
The full article contains 742 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
