New Coin Holdings West of Scotland Cup Second Round

JOHNSTONE BURGH 4

IRVINE MEADOW 5

by Dean Robertson

BATTLING Meadow edged into the third round but were given a scare as they had to stave off a comeback from the Central League hosts.

Davie Greig's men were coasting at 4-0 before the visitors pulled within a goal and set up a nervy finish..

Burgh began well as they immediately put pressure on the visitors and Meadow number one Graeme Shepherd has to be in fine form to turn behind early efforts from Jonathan McStay and Jason Hardie.

Meadow were slow to settle but when they did, they wasted little time in asserting themselves as the dominant side.

They opened the scoring in 18 minutes when Stuart McCann latched on to Shaun Fraser's mishit shot to volley home from inside the box.

Then player/coach Kevin Rutkiewicz made it 2-0 moments later as he headed home a Ryan Deas set-piece. Burgh gifted the visitors their third goal when a weak pass back was easy scooped up by Shaun Fraser, who calmly rounded the out-rushing Burgh keeper before smashing the ball home from inches out.

Just before the break, Gary McCann finished off Shaun Fraser’s through ball to make it 4-0. Burgh pulled a goal back after the break through Jack Heron. Sean Fitzharris continued the fightback five minutes later when he netted from 20 yards.

Around the hour mark Shepherd saved Jason Hardie’s powerful shot, but was helpless to stop Heron from rolling the ball into the empty net.

Meadow were reduced to 10 men when Michael Keenan was sent off for an alleged head butt on Stephen McGarrigle. However the visitors found the next goal when Gary McCann rounded the Burgh keeper and slotted home.

Jason Hardie netted another goal for the Johnstone hosts but it was too little, too late as Meadow progressed and gave their fans a much-needed boost ahead of Saturday's crunch home league clash with Petershill.

IRVINE MEADOW: Shepherd; Girvan, Halliday, Keenan, Rutkiewicz, Deas, G McCann, Murch, S McCann, Fraser, Strachan. Sub: Maxwell.