By John McNaught



SFA Challenge Cup – Preliminary Round

Threave Rovers 6 Wigtown and Bladnoch 0

Leith Athletic 1 Edinburgh City 2

Nithsdale Wanderers 1 Selkirk 4

Glasgow University 2 Vale of Leithen 3

Burntisland Shipyard 6 Abbey Vale 2

Newton Stewart 2 Mid-Annandale 4

South of Scotland League

Crichton 4 Annan Athletic 0

Fleet Star 1 Dalbeattie Star 7

Heston Rovers 3 Creetown 0

St Cuthbert Wanderers 2 Stranraer 3


LAST Saturday saw the start of this season's SFA Challenge Cup which involves all the clubs from the South and East of Scotland Leagues. In the Preliminary Round there were six South teams involved with four of them playing each other. Threave Rovers entertained Wigtown and Bladnoch at Meadow Park. The Castle Douglas side started as strong favorites to progress from and that's exactly how it turned out, with Threave running riot in the second half to record a six goals to nil victory. Sam Warren opened the scoring in the twenty second minute for the home side to give them a lead that they held until the break. Five minutes after the re-start Scott Wilby made it two and five minutes later Jamie Struthers scored his first of a brace with his second coming in sixty five minutes. Threave went nap when Willie Beattie made it five with twenty minutes left and in the seventy sixth minute Sam Warren scored his second and his sides sixth to give the Castle Douglas side an easy passage into the first round proper.


Abbey Vale took the long journey up into Fife to play Burntisland Shipyard at Inverkeithing and faced an even longer journey homewards following a six goals to two reverse. The Fife team were three goals to the good at the interval and although the South of Scotland side went on to score twice through Ian Quinn and Lee Mallin, the home side scored another three in a match which by all accounts had many moments of controversial refereeing decisions.


Newton Stewart went in at the break, in their match at Blairmount against

Mid-Annandale, all square at one goal apiece after Ross Kuklinski had given the Lockerbie side the lead on the half hour mark only to see it pegged back three minutes later with a goal from striker Neil Hyslop. Newton were dominant in the second half and this dominance paid off in sixty five minutes when Willie Cloy, the home sides best player on the day, out on the left side cut inside a defender to fire home into the net at the far post. It looked at this time that the home side had enough in their tank to go through, but, in a disastrous seven minute spell, Mids scored three times. Defender Michael Henderson volleyed home following some Mids pressure to square the match and five minutes later the visitors took the lead when Ally Sloan beat the defensive wall, and keeper Harry Fidler, to put his side ahead from a free kick from 22 yards out. It was all over for the home side three minutes later when Kuklinski scored his second of the day with a header with the Newton defence posted missing to put Mid-Annandale through to the next round of this prestigious competition.


The other South side in Cup action was at Sanquhar and, although taking a first half lead, Nithsdale Wanderers were eventually well beaten by Selkirk at Lorimer Park, with only one goal from Mark Hastie to show for their efforts.


There were also four matches played in the South of Scotland League with Crichton having home advantage against Annan Athletic and being in the happy position of having beaten the Galabank side a couple of weeks ago away from home. The visitors though went into this match with an unbeaten away record so far this season but at the end of the day were well beaten by an upbeat Crichton side. The home side led by two goals to nil at the break with Roman Saltys and Johnny Nicol finding the net and went further ahead in sixty five minutes when Nicol scored his second and his sides third. Substitute Norman Montgomery came off the bench and, with fifteen minutes to he added to his previous four goals when he cut inside the defender and curled the ball into the top corner of the net with his left foot. With Stranraer maintaining their winning ways against St Cuthbert Wanderers by three goals to two, with goals from Derek Dougan, one from Alan McClymont and an own goal from Gary King, these three points for Crichton keeps the two teams neck and neck at the top of the table on nineteen points, with the Stair Park side leading by virtue of a slightly better goal difference.


Heston Rovers recorded a very good victory over bottom side Creetown by three goals to nil with all the goals coming in the first half of the match. Chris Clark netted in fourteen minutes and Davy Borthwick added a second in twenty minutes following some good work by Gordon Gibson, who scored goal number three a minute later. Fleet Star suffered an overwhelming defeat by Stewartry neighbours Dalbeattie Star by seven goals to one with Jack Dingwall claiming a hat-trick.