28/05/2017  |  South of Scotland

East Kilbride   4  v  2  Cumbernauld Colts

COLTS missed out on their first piece of senior silverware with defeat to East Kilbride in the final of the SFA South Region Challenge Cup.

The Lowland League champions raced into a two goal lead at the Falkirk Stadium on Sunday afternoon with strikes from Sean Winter and Scott Stevenson before Sean Brown gave Colts hope of a comeback.
But further strikes from Adam Strachan and Joao Victoria put East Kilbride in command as their experience out classed the young Colts side.

Stephen O’Neill gave the large travelling Cumbernauld support something to cheer when he grabbed a consolation goal, but it was too little too late and East Kilbride ran out worthy winners adding the South Region Challenge Cup to their Lowland League title.

East Kilbride came flying out the traps and made the perfect start by taking the lead inside four minutes when Colts keeper Chris Fahey was unable to punch clear a long throw in and the ball broke to Winter who drilled the ball low into the corner of the net from 10 yards.

The Lowland League champions dominated the early exchanges as Colts struggled to find any rhythm and their danger man Strachan went close on a couple of occasions when Fahey had to be at his best.
And East Kilbride made their dominance count in 39 minutes when Craig McLeish broke into the box and forced Fahey into making a great low stop but the ball broke to full-back Stevenson who found the bottom corner with Fahey stranded.

But only two minutes later the Cumbernauld men responded in spectacular fashion when youngster Brown picked a loose ball on the edge of the box and smashed a tremendous right foot strike into Matt McGinley's top left hand corner from 20 yards.
This was just the response James Orr and Craig McKinlay were looking for but on the stroke of half-time Colts were dealt a bitter blow when they conceded a dubious free-kick on the edge of the box.

And man-of-the match Strachan stepped up for East Kilbride to send a superb strike flying past Fahey and into the keeper’s top right hand corner to ensure his side went into the break two goals to the good.

Colts needed to produce their best football of the season if they were going to turn this final around in the second period, but any chance of a Colts revival were shattered only four minutes after the restart.
Danger man Strachan intercepted a Colts attack on the edge of his own box and ran the length of the park before slipping the ball to striker Victoria who coolly slid the ball under the advancing Fahey.
This left Colts with a mountain to climb and in danger of conceding further if they went all out to claw their way back into the game.

But the Colts youngsters showed character and discipline by trying to play their way into the game and in 66 minutes they reduced the deficit when Brown was upended in the box and O’Neill stepped up to send McGinley the wrong way from the spot.

This gave Colts some belief and if further shouts for a penalty had been given when both O’Neill and Brown appeared to be fouled in the box then this could have set up an unlikely and tense finish, but it wasn’t to be the Colts day.
And in the dying minutes as Colts continued to show great desire to salvage something form the game captain Andy Ward was presented with a great chance only five yards from goal and with McGinley stranded but the defender failed to hit the target.

East Kilbride saw out the game comfortably in the end to secure a deserved victory much to the delight of their own travelling fans.
But the Colts can take some pride from the fact that the four of the eleven players who finished the clubs first ever major final have come through the ranks of the club’s development team, which can only be positive for the future of the club.

East Kilbride; McGinley, McLaren, Stevenson, Proctor, Howie, Gibbons, Winter, McLeish, McLean, Strachan, Victoria. Subs; Woods, Russell, Anderson, McNeil, Hughes, Coll, Melrose.