Recap

Newtongrange Star 1 (Paterson 15mins)
Blackburn United 5 (Hutton 43mins, Watson 65mins, Campbell 71 & 74mins, L.Devine 90mins)

United travelled to New Victoria Park for this First Round League Cup game never having previously won away from home against their hosts and inside the first ten minutes it looked as if it might be another torrid afternoon when first Young and then Thomson came close with efforts from around the edge of the eighteen yard box. However, just as it appeared the early flurry from the hosts would bear no fruit a misunderstanding between Kyle McClung and Craig Saunders in the United goal gifted PATERSON a glorious opportunity to open the scoring and he wasn’t about to pass it up and simply walked the ball into an open goal. At the other end Danny Campbell took advantage of some slackness to hit a shot that was deflected into Mack’s hands and then the strong running Paddy Queen slalomed past two challenges only to be blocked by Young as he prepared to shoot. Campbell then stepped up again but his shot flew over the junction of post and bar after he’d turned past Christie and into a yard of space. Three minutes from the interval though and Blackburn had Justin Watson to thank for not falling further behind, the midfielder clearing Paterson’s shot off the line and little more than two minutes later they were instead celebrating, Kieran Welsh linking with Richie HUTTON who controlled the ball on his chest before hitting a looping, twenty five yarder high over the head of Mack and into the top left hand corner.

Nine minutes into the second half an angled Thomson shot was touched onto the post by the fingertips of Darren Mitchell but the hosts presence as an attacking force ended soon thereafter when Young checked the darting run of David Howe and found himself looking at a second yellow card and subsequent dismissal. Blackburn then duly took complete command of the midfield and some clever interplay between Queen and Howe resulted in Marc Smith curling a shot just off target. However, some six minutes later United deservedly moved in front when Justin WATSON picked the ball up in midfield to dance through a packed Newtongrange rearguard and coolly pick his spot behind Mack. Next to find his way onto the scoresheet was CAMPBELL who manoeuvred himself onto the back post where he drilled home an inch perfect delivery from Hutton after the wide man had scampered free on the right and onto a pass from Welsh. Three minutes later CAMPBELL then grabbed his own second and Blackburn’s fourth after Watson almost delivered a repeat of his earlier goal only to be denied by a blocking tackle that fell kindly for the striker to sweep the ball past Mack. A minute into added time the scoring was complete when Welsh rolled a pass into the path of substitute Stuart McLeod and when Mack couldn’t hold onto his strike from the edge of the area fellow substitute Laurie DEVINE was on hand to nod home.

Blackburn United line-up: Saunders, Welsh, McClung, Mildren, Browne, Smith (McLeod 77), Hutton (L.Devine 81), Watson, Campbell, Howe (McDowall 65), Queen Subs (not used): McIntosh, Gunn, Kinross, Mitchell

Newtongrange Star line-up: Mack, Young, Christie, Cherrie, Nelson, Scott, Paterson, Porteous, Conlon, Thomson, Reid Subs: Swaney, McIntosh, Hastie, Bracks, Murray, Gillon, Dyet

Referee: Mr. K.Lindsay