For the second week on the trot, Thornton Hibs lost at home despite being ahead at the interval.
Memorial Park was one of only two junior pitches in Fife to pass muster following the inclement weather but home supporters must now have wished it hadn’t.
The Capital juniors came flying out of the blocks in this East of Scotland Cup-tie and squandered a great chance to go ahead in the first minute. Their skipper, Andrew Christie, played a ball straight through the middle of the Hibs’ defence allowing Steven Finlayson to go through one on one with Scott Russell. The Hibs’ keeper stood up well and forced the midfielder to screw his shot wide of goal.
Thomas McAllister made a terrific last ditch tackle to prevent Ross Elliot getting a shot on goal and then Russell came to the Hibs’ rescue when he brilliantly took the ball off Finlayson as he was poised to shoot.
Thornton’s first serious attempt on goal came in the 14th minute. Captain for the day, Chris Mill, took a free-kick that was partially cleared to Keiran McGuire who was 20 yards from goal. With his first touch the midfielder flicked the ball up and with his second he blasted in a volley but Stuart Burnside collected his shot just below the crossbar.
Alan McDonagh’s excellent first touch gave him the chance to turn and shoot powerfully from eight yards on the angle, but Scott Russell, once again, made another good save.
In the 34th minute, The Hibs took the lead through Ross Morgan. Thomas McAllister picked him out with a perfect pass and the striker brushed off the challenge of a visiting defender to shoot low into the net via the upright.
The Hibs’ defence was caught napping when Darran Thomson swung in a free-kick that Jamie Hawkins met with a diving header to level the tie in the 61st minute.
Thornton thought they’d regained the lead in the 76th minute as Stuart McDonald’s sizzling 30 yard strike had ‘goal’ stamped all over it until somehow Burnside managed to get his fingertips to it to push the ball wide.
As the game moved into stoppage time, it looked as if would be settled by penalties but Edinburgh had other ideas. A free-kick was needlessly conceded just outside the Hibs’ penalty area. McDonagh took it and, just like earlier, the home defenders failed to pick up Hawkins giving him the space to head the ball home. |
