Scottish Junior Cup Second Round

BEITH 10 VALE OF CLYDE 2

BEITH blew away potentially difficult opponents courtesy of early goals and an impressive overall performance.
Injuries again played a part in team selection but Kenny McLean celebrated his first start for some weeks with an absolute blinder of a goal after only 20 seconds when he took possession from the kickoff looked up and curled a brilliant right foot shot into the top corner from nearly 30 yards.

The stunned visitors were struggling to cope with the pace of the attacking Beith side with Currie and Cochrane collecting yellow cards for challenges. It was no surprise that Beith soon doubled their advantage and they did so with another belter of a goal when Darren Christie drove through the Vale defence and curled a great left foot shot past Connolly from 20 yards.
The visitors finally managed to get into Beith's half in the 14th minute but a solid defensive wall blocked a free kick. Play continued to flow towards the visitors goal and their already tough task was compounded in 19 minutes when defender Currie collected another yellow card to end his participation. The contest was pretty much done and dusted only a minute later when Andy Reid rose at the back post to head a McGowan corner home.
Vale got on the score sheet in 25 minutes with a goal right out of the blue when a hump up the park by the keeper deceived John Sheridan allowing Ryan Connolly to advance on retreating keeper Grindlay and pick his spot.
Andy Reid and Tommy Martin went close as Beith continued to dictate proceedings. Kenny McLean appeared to have added another before the ref chalked off the 'goal' with a strange offside decision. However Beith got the goal they fully deserved to go in for the break 4-1 up when Andy Reid showed great skill in the box to make space to shoot home after Darren Christie had opened up the hapless Vale defence again.

The hosts quickly resumed where they left off after the restart with McLean going close with a header before Vale were reduced to nine men when Stewart chopped down Andy Reid and walked for the last man offence. Reid dusted himself down to despatch the ball from the spot.
It was now just a question of 'how many' as Beith kept the tempo up and Andy Reid bagged his fourth and Beith's sixth, slotting home a Martin pass from six yards.

Reid, Martin and Sheridan then made way for subs Collins, Wilson and McGregor before Davie McGowan claimed number seven tapping in a Collins cut back in the 70th minute. Vale showed some spirited defiance and won a couple corners, reducing the deficit from the second when sub Ross Hamilton took advantage of slack defending to shoot home close in.
Ritchie Burke was unlucky with a shot that beat Connolly but hit the post but got himself on the score sheet a few minutes later when he picked up a clearance from a corner just outside the box and fired in a crisp left foot shot into the far bottom corner. In the closing stages Collins finished well in the box for number 9 and McLean collected his second in the last action when he squeezed in a shot in the box that beleaguered keeper Connolly couldn't stop crossing the line.
Although Vale had the handicap of their ordering offs that shouldn't detract from the fact that Beith played some fine attacking football and the scoreline could have been greater if McGowan, Frize and McLean han't scorned real pinches in the second half.

BEITH: Grindlay, Ryan, Burke, MacDonald, Sheridan, Martin, Christie, Frize, Reid, McLean, McGowan. Subs: Wilson, Collins, Campbell, Watt, McGregor.

VALE OF CLYDE: Connolly, Morrison, K Stewart, Currie, Doyle, Franchetti, M Stewart, C Stevenson, Connelly, Cochrane, Fitzpatrick. Subs: McKinstry, Hamilton, B Stevenson, Milne