Recap

Sauchie 2 (Cross (pen) 20mins, Bryson 47mins)
Blackburn United 1 (Queen 44mins)

After winning away to Premier Division opposition in the first round of the League Cup United’s reward was another away tie against another Premier Division side and with striker Danny Campbell out injured and young back-up Laurie Devine having had to play the full ninety minutes the previous evening in the Lowland Development League game against Spartans, captain Michael Browne was forced to become an auxiliary striker for the afternoon, although an injury to midfielder Marc Smith midway through the half forced a reshuffle that eventually saw Devine enter the fray to take up the striking duties and allow Browne to slot back into the middle of the park. However, moments before this change Blackburn had slipped behind to a penalty, Crawford skipping past one challenge after another before being brought to ground just inside the eighteen yard box and from the resultant penalty CROSS slammed the ball past Craig Saunders and into the bottom left hand corner. Sauchie then came close to adding a second but when Finlayson came in off the left his twenty five yarder was too high. Five minutes later James Mildren headed a Cross delivery clear but only as far as Finlayson whose curled effort flew over the top. Young was then brought into action in the home goal when Kyle McClung made ground on the right and cut inside before firing his shot from around twenty yards into the midriff of the ‘keeper. The equaliser, though, arrived just before the break when a sharp and incisive first time pass from Martin Lawrie sent Paddy QUEEN racing clear on the left and when he cut inside Houston he unleashed an unstoppable effort into the roof of Young’s net from twenty yards or more.

Parity only lasted a mere one hundred and twenty seconds of the second half however and when a long ball forward caught the United rearguard square BRYSON raced in behind amongst a howl of offside calls and retained his composure sufficiently to slot the ball past the advancing Saunders. Saunders was then called into action to save a McCaughie shot after Syme and Finlayson had combined to set him up but the action was being confined to the midfield areas of a heavy playing surface that was slowly beginning to cut-up and was offering up no real opportunities at either end, although the hosts long ball delivery was constantly a test for the Blackburn back four. Midway through the half John Drummond was first to reach a Darren McIntosh cross into the Sauchie box but although his effort ended up in the net he was adjudged to have bundled the keeper over in putting it there and the goal was disallowed. With no more chances forthcoming thereafter it was the Beechwood Park men who advanced to the third round draw.

Blackburn United line-up: Saunders, McIntosh (Welsh 82), Lawrie, Mildren, Drummond, Smith (L.Devine 23), McClung, Kane, Browne, McLeod, Queen (McDowall 66) Subs (not used): Howe, Clements

Sauchie line-up: Young, Houston, Syme, Wright, Cross, Sharp, McCaughie, Donaldson, Crawford, Bryson, Finlayson Subs: McTaggart, Dawson, Cummings, McKeown, Cameron, Maitland

Referee: Mr. Ryan Lee
Assistants: Mr. James Taylor & Mr. Cameron Doyle