Girls' Scottish Cup Journey Starts

As nail-biters go, the Jeanfield Swifts Girls FC U13s Scottish Cup preliminary round game against Cumbernauld Colts was right up there - a closely contested affair that earned the victors a home tie against Queen of the South in the first round proper.

Whether they were over-awed by the occasion(!) or simply a wee bit tired after late, school-holiday bedtimes, Jeanfield made an uncharacteristically slow start to the game. From the kick-off, a diagonal ball back into midfield fell well short of its target and Cumbernauld started to show that they would take any opportunity to progress up the park. Thankfully for the home team, the defence of Danni Moore and Sky Steel held strong, and repelled a series of attacks. But only for four minutes. Then a neat bit of interplay on the edge of the box by Cumbernauld saw the ball beat Amelia at her near post.
Four minutes gone and one-nothing down, but no need to panic. Except again and again the Cumbernauld midfield pressed and again and again Jeanfield's defence was pressed into hitting the emergency stop button, with clearances under pressure from both Danni and Sky. Finally the pressure paid dividends for the away team as they found the net again on 11 minutes. Eleven minutes gone, two-nothing down. but still no panic.
In between the first and second goals there had been signs that the home team were going to waken from their slumbers. Eilidh Davies was starting to make telling runs down the left, and had found Beth Allen a number of times, but brave keeping from Cumbernauld's number one made the difference.
And then it came - strong play by Bernie Young in midfield fed Eilidh who passed ahead to Beth. With a strong strike she found the back of the net, and the early nerves started to settle.
For the next ten minutes it was all about Jeanfield, as time after time Eilidh or Bernie broke down the line or through the middle, feeding balls into the box, each time to be collected by the Cumbernauld keeper who was a confident presence in her area. Then on 26 minutes, Berny drove through out of midfield and pushed the ball wide with her right foot. Just as it looked as though she might have gone too far, she unleashed a wicked shot back across the face of the goal that beat the goalkeeper at the far post. Two-each, and all to play for.
As half-time drew close, the home side had the sense to keep the ball and wind down the clock, they held on to finish the first 30 level pegging.
The second half started in warm sunshine, and our largest crowd of the season had by now gathered on the touchline. With Eilidh now occupying the right wing and Abby on the left, Eilidh was keeping two or three Cumbernauld players busy most of the time. With the deftest of touches she waltzed in and out of the defending midfielders and purposefully drove forward. With the away team seeming to tire Jeanfield pressed further and further upfield until on 42 minutes Beth Allen once again found her magic touch and put the home team ahead for the first time in the match.
With 15 minutes to go, coach Louise introduced her two substitutes, Anna Slidders and Louise Guthrie. Anna slotted in up front, while Louise took up Abby's position on the left wing and Abby dropped back to left back in place of Danni, who earned a well-deserved rest after putting in a busy shift. The home team was now in full control, although Cumbernauld appeared to be able to break and started to come in search of the equalizer to force extra time. And so the scene was set for a nail-biting final ten minutes, in which counterattacks were repelled and chances created but ultimately missed. A final score of 3-2 was a fair reflection of the two teams' efforts, and sees the Jeanfield girls progress into the first round proper. No panic!