Scottish Cup Round 1, Pennypit Park, Prestonpans
Saturday, 7 December 2002
Preston Athletic 0
Accies 1
McPhee 4
Report by Gilbert Mowat
This was supposed to be grand day out for Accies and their fans. A match against non-league opposition. A cute wee ground to visit for the first time. A friendly and inexpensive social club right beside the ground. And it all went swimmingly.
With one exception. The quality of the football from the Accies side was lamentable.
Accies got off to a great start with a well taken goal from top scorer Brian McPhee just a couple of minutes after the start. Some neat play on the left gave him a chance from the edge of the area and his low shot fairly tore into the bottom corner of the net. With the crucial first goal collected on schedule, we then expected Accies to impose themselves on their supposedly inferior opposition and score a few goals to make the game safe.
That it didn't happen in the first half wasn't for lack of effort, particularly from Brian McPhee. He gave the Preston left back a torrid time and the fact that his two or three brilliant low crosses from the right weren't converted was nothing short of criminal. Accies desperately need a nippy wee striker to get on the end of the good play from The Bee - not the lumbering shape of Ally Graham. I'm sorry to say that the big man looked out of his depth in the mud of Pennypit Park.
Accies did manage to produce a couple of good saves out of home 'keeper Graham Lennie before the break, the best one being when he tipped a powerful shot from Jim Sherry over the bar. But for all their dominance, Accies were unable to extend their lead. Having said that, I don't think the home side even managed a bad shot, let alone threaten Graham Potter's goal.
In the second half Accies were shooting up the considerable Pennypit Park slope and it has to be said that they didn't cope very well with it. There's not much to report on the second half action. Big Ally Graham had a header that was well saved by the Lennie and Accies had a goal disallowed. That was about it for the good news.
The home team came agonisingly close to an equaliser midway through the half when Neil McColl hit the inside of the post with a low shot with Potter beaten. Sadly for the home team that was to be their best chance as the Accies defence mopped up everything else that was thrown at them. But it was really disappointing that Accies didn't have the ability to score a second goal against this level of opposition.
Anyway, the win takes Accies into round 2 where they face East Fife, one of the form teams so far this season in Division 3. They'll have to improve greatly on this display if they're to get any further in the competition.
Accies: Potter , Nelson, Cunnington, Dobbins, Sweeney, Graham, Sherry, Russell, Graham, McPhee, Callaghan
© AcciesWorld 2002
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