u19s v Edinburgh City

Pars sail through in SFA Youth Cup tie in goals rout.

EDINBURGH CITY 1 DUNFERMLINE 6

For this second round SFA Youth Cup tie Dunfermline travelled to Meadowbank Stadium in the capital.  The home side went into a pre-match huddle but it was the SPL outfit that bound together better from the start.

Alan McDonough tested the home keeper within 18 seconds and Sean Muhsin and Iain Williamson were soon lobbing the ball across the six yard box. In eight minutes a Calum Smith cross was returned by Muhsin but Williamson could not extend himself far enough to turn the ball in.

Muhsin was narrowly wide from a McDonough delivery in 14 minutes and two minutes later he had the ball in the net after the keeper could only parry a vicious Williamson rocket from 35 yards, only to be ruled offside.

City lived dangerously as they were continually pegged back by the Pars and were extremely lucky to survive when Muhsin`s ball in from the right was teed up by Clark Kay but both McDonough and Smith were denied by the heroics of the keeper.  Scott McBride sent an effort inches wide left, Neil Fenwick headed over the crossbar and with 25 minutes gone McDonough forced another fine save out of the grey shirted keeper.

It looked like City had weathered the storm and had began to work their way further upfield though mainly as a result of long hit balls when Dunfermline eventually managed to beat the home keeper. Ten minutes from half time fine interlinking passes from Muhsin to Muir to Smith set up Scott MCBRIDE to turn in an easy chance from close in. 

Five minutes later SMITH headed in a simple cross after McDonough had reached the left byeline and two minutes later Smith, from the left side, provided Alan McDONOUGH with a perfect chance that he dispatched low into the net from 15 yards.

Before the teams trooped off at the break Muhsin headed a lengthy Patrick Halpin ball on to the left post but you had to feel that this tie had already been settled.

Half Time: Edinburgh City 0 Dunfermline 3

Dunfermline increased their lead in 49 minutes. A short and quickly taken corner from Muhsin to Derek Howie was swung over invitingly and Davie MUIR rose high above everyone else to divert the ball beyond the keeper and into the right side of his net.

When Williamson was upended in a central position 25 yards out he got up and took the free kick himself.  It was well struck but the wall did its job. Next a strong run from Muhsin almost undid the defence but they scrambled the ball away and then the keeper saved at his near post after Smith had demonstrated fine skills on the left side of the City penalty box.

Goal number five came midway through the second half after Davie Muir sent the newly introduced Kris Maxwell into the right side of the box.  His shot was saved by the keeper but SMITH picked up the scraps rounding the keeper to stab home another. SMITH completed his hatrick four minutes later with a fine solo effort but the biggest cheer of the afternoon came with quarter of an hour to go.

Clark Kay was beaten by the City no.11 on the edge of the centre circle and he came out on top with his one on one against Paterson to claw a goal back.  Dunfermline were denied any further goals by the City keeper who had two good blocks on Smith and Muhsin strikes.