INFO
AIRDRIE UNITED 3-0 COVE RANGERS
SCOTTISH CUP ROUND 3
VENUE � EXCELSIOR
KICK OFF TIME � 3:00PM
DATE � SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2008
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � STEPHEN MCKENNA, 3 � MATTHEW HAZLEY, 4 � KEVIN MCDONALD, 5 � BOBBY DONNELLY,
6 � MARC SMYTH (CAPTAIN) � MAN OF THE MATCH, 7 � STEVEN MCDOUGALL, 8 � SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN,
9 � PAUL DI GIACOMO, 10 � SIMON LYNCH � 2 GOALS, 11 � JOE CARDLE � 1 GOAL
SUBS - USED
12 � MICHAEL BROWN FOR 4 � KEVIN MCDONALD , 14 � STUART NOBLE FOR 9 � PAUL DI GIACOMO,
15 � KEVIN WATT FOR 5 � BOBBY DONNELLY
SUBS - NOT USED
16 � STEPHEN MAGUIRE, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
6 - MARC SMYTH
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED PROGRESSED TO THE FOURTH ROUND OF THE HOMECOMING SCOTTISH CUP AFTER WINING 3-0 AGAINST HIGHLAND LEAGUE OPPOSITION COVE RANGERS AT THE EXCELSIOR STADIUM.
FOR THE GAME AIRDRIE MADE ONE CHANGE TO THE STARTING ELEVEN FROM THE MORTON GAME AS STEVEN MCDOUGALL CAME INTO THE STARTING 11 FOR THE INJURED DAVID NIXON. MEANWHILE ON THE SUBSTITUTES BENCH
FIRST HALF
THE GAME GOT OFF TO A QUICK START AS DURING THE 2ND MINUTE OF IT AIRDRIE�S JOE CARDLE HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT FLYING OVER THE BAR. FIVE MINUTES LATER NEIL CRUICKSHANK HAD COVE�S FIRST CHANCE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS COVE�S BARRIE STEPHEN INTERCEPTED A POOR PASS BY AIRDRIE AND FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT JUST WIDE. COVE HAD ANOTHER CHANCE ON THE 10TH MINUTE WHEN MARTIN JOHNSTON HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE.
COVE WERE PUNISHED FOR NOT TAKING ANY OF THERE CHANCES ON THE 20TH MINUTE AS JOE CARDLE SKIPPED BY A FEW DEFENDERS AND DRILLED A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER OF THE NET TO GIVE AIRDRIE THE LEAD. TWO MINUTES LATER COVE HAD A CHANCE WHEN RITCHIE LIVINGSTONE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON EXCELLENTLY TIPPED THE BALL OVER THE BAR AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND A CLEARANCE WAS SLICED AND THIS LED TO PAUL DI GIACOMO CLEARING THE BALL OFF THE LINE AND OUT FOR ANOTHER CORNER AND FROM THIS ONE THE BALL WAS AGAIN CROSSED INTO THE BOX BUT AIRDRIE CLEARED THE DANGER.
ON THE 26TH MINUTE BOBBY DONNELLY WAS YELLOW CARDED AND A MINUTE LATER MURRAY MCCULLOCH HAD A CHANCE FOR COVE AS HE WENT BY TWO AIRDRIE PLAYERS AND HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. AIRDRIE WERE TO DOMINATE THE REMAINDER OF THE HALF AND ON THE 28TH MINUTE WENT CLOSE TO DOUBLING THE LEAD AS FROM A STEVEN MCDOUGALL CROSS INTO THE BOX PAUL DI GIACOMO GOT ONTO THE END OF IT WITH A HEADER BUT IT HIT THE POST AND WAS CLEARED BY THE COVE DEFENCE. SIX MINUTES LATER STEVEN MCDOUGALL CREATED ANOTHER CHANCE AS FROM HIS CROSS INTO THE BOX SIMON LYNCH TURNED THE BALL GOALWARDS WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT JUST WIDE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS SIMON WAS ON THE SCORE SHEET AS HE WAS PLAYED THROUGH ON GOAL AND HE ROUNDED COVE GOALKEEPER STUART MCKENZIE AND TAPPED THE BALL INTO THE EMPTY NET TO MAKE IT 2-0. ON THE 41ST MINUTE AIRDRIE HAD THE FINAL CHANCE OF THE HALF AS STEVEN MCDOUGALL SENT A CROSS INTO THE BOX WHICH AN UNMARKED SIMON LYNCH GOT ONTO WITH A HEADER WHICH WENT INTO THE NET TO MAKE IT 3-0 AND FOR HIS SECOND GOAL OF THE GAME.
SECOND HALF
COVE RANGERS HAD THE OPENING CHANCE OF THE HALF ON THE 48TH MINUTE WHEN MURRAY MCCULLOCH HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. FOUR MINUTE LATER JOE CARDLE HAD AIRDRIE�S FIRST CHANCE OF THE HALF WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM DISTANCE BUT IT TOOK A DEFLECTION AND WAS SAVED BY STUART MCKENZIE. SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN WAS NEXT TO HAVE A GO FROM DISTANCE FOR AIRDRIE A FEW MINUTES LATER BUT STUART MCKENZIE AGAIN MADE THE SAVE. MARC SMYTH BECAME THE THIRD AIRDRIE PLAYER IN THE SPACE OF TEN MINUTES TO HAVE A GO FROM DISTANCE BUT IT WENT WIDE. AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FIRST TWO SUBSTITUTIONS AFTER THIS AS MICHAEL BROWN AND STUART NOBLE CAME ON FOR KEVIN MCDONALD AND PAUL DI GIACOMO.
COVE RANGERS HAD THE NEXT CHANCE ON THE 64TH MINUTE AS MARTIN JOHNSTON WAS PLAYED THROUGH ON GOAL AND FROM INSIDE THE BOX HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT WIDE. THEN ON THE 77TH MINUTE AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTITUTION AS KEVIN WATT CAME ON FOR BOBBY DONNELLY. HOWEVER IT WAS COVE�S RITCHIE LIVINGSTONE WHO HAD THE NEXT CHANCE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. WITH ONLY NINE MINUTES REMAINING MICHAEL BROWN HAD A CHANCE FOR AIRDRIE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT STUART MCKENZIE MADE THE SAVE. A FEW MINUTES LATER SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT STUART MCKENZIE AGAIN MADE THE SAVE.
DURING THE FINAL FIVE MINUTES OF THE GAME THERE WERE THREE MORE CHANCES. FIRSTLY ON THE 87TH MINUTE DEAN LAWRIE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. A MINUTE LATER SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT FOR AIRDRIE BUT STUART MCKENZIE MADE THE SAVE. JAMIE WATT HAD THE LAST CHANCE OF THE GAME FOR COVE DURING THE FINAL MINUTE OF IT FROM INSIDE THE BOX WHEN HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT WIDE AND AIRDRIE ADVANCED INTO THE FOURTH ROUND OF THE HOMECOMING SCOTTISH CUP.