Ellon Thistle v Theologians

Scottish Cup 2nd Round Replay

Ellon went into this Scottish cup replay looking to put last weekends farce behind them and prove they are a better team than the 4-4 suggested. They started brightly at a sunny Meadows and they probably should have been ahead early doors when Ironside capitalized on poor defending but failed to beat the keeper on the half volley with the rebound falling to Wild who also failed to hit the net.

But IRONSIDE was to make amends for his earlier missed opportunity when he poked home a Batty shot from close range. That was “the Side’s” seventh goal of the season. Credit was also due to David Anderson whos through ball to Batty was first class.

But the joy of being ahead was short lived when an unforced error from Birnie let Theologians in to level the scores. The visitors soon doubled their tally with some more inadequate defending as a Theo’s striker was left open to shoot form fifteen yards despite Birnie’s best efforts to close him down.

If that wasn’t bad enough, The Jags were verging closer to the Scottish Cup scrap heap when the ball was in Adamson’s net for a third time when the Theos’ midfielder was unmarked to score a well placed header.

Right on half time Ironside was denied a penalty when he seemed to get pole axed on the bye line. No penalty said the ref and straight from that claim, Wild was sandwiched off the ball and once again no penalty. It would have been an undeserved lifeline for the lackadaisical Jags.

Half-Time: Ellon Thistle 1 Theologians 3

Ellon had a chance to sneak back into the game in the first minute of the half, but Wild’s shot could only find the bushes on the hill behind the goal.

Soon after, Theologians should have been out of sight when their striker was clean through only to be denied by a superb Henderson challenge. Would the striker rue the missed opportunity?

Ellon did manage to creep back into the game through an excellent OWN GOAL. The smallest man on the park (yes, smaller than Martyn Duncan) rose brilliantly at a corner to crash a header past his own keeper.

To any usual team this would fire them up to fight for their cup lives, but in Ellon’s case it seemed to make them go into self destruct mode and through some erratic defending the game panned out 2-4, 2-5 then an embarrassing 2-6. Which spelt the end of the eight game unbeaten run and also making it 38 goals conceded in 14 games which is a frightful statistic.

So Ellon well and truly dumped out of the Scottish Cup and deservedly so against First Division mediocrity. If the Jags want promotion to that league they will have to up their game by gargantuan measures.

Final Score: Ellon Thistle 2 Theologians 6

Ellon Thistle: D Adamson, K Duncan, R Birnie, A Kerr (A MacLean), N Henderson, D Anderson, C Duncan (R Longmuir), S Batty, D McGill (M Duncan), M Wild, P Ironside. Subs Not Used: S Beaton, S Cruickshanks