Cumbernauld Colts leave it late to qualify for the next round of the Lowland League Cup after their victory over Berwick Rangers at Broadwood Stadium.
In their previous encounter, it was the home side who managed to claim all three points in the league. Despite this, it was still a tight encounter – with Cumbernauld Colts only winning 2-1.
Berwick Rangers started the game as the better team as chances were coming in fast. A curled effort from Cameron Graham and an opportunity for Jackson Mylchreest helped their side take control of the match.
Things weren’t ticking for the Colts as manager David Proctor began to get frustrated with the lack of chances being created or converted. The first half became even more annoying for the home side as Tam Scobbie’s side was able to open the scoring.
Lovely passing from the Berwick Rangers forward line helped Mylchreest run through on goal and score into the bottom corner.
Unhappy with their performance in the opening 45 minutes, Proctor felt it was necessary to change his tactics for his team to get back into the match.
Ten minutes into the second half and straight away, you could see a change in intensity from the Colts as chances were able to be developed. The game felt a lot more contested, with both sets of players battling it out.
Cumbernauld Colts were finally able to get back into the match as a ball played into the path of defender Keelan Adams led to him releasing a thunderous shot past the Berwick Rangers ‘keeper.
With it looking like this Lowland League Cup clash was destined for penalties, the Colts had another trick up their sleeve. In the 88th minute, Cole McIntyre was able to brilliantly turn his man and strike the ball into the net.
Going into the final few minutes, Berwick Rangers tried their best to take this tie to penalties.
However, it was all too much for the away side as Cumbernauld Colts secured their place in the next round.
David Proctor, manager of Cumbernauld Colts, discussed how he was pleased to see a change in the performance of his players after a difficult first half.
He said: “I really didn’t see it coming and it took us a while to get into the game. Once we did get going in the second half, you could see the qualities that the boys have in their locker.
“When we show our qualities, I feel the pace of our side is really difficult to defend against so it’s about doing that on a consistent basis.”
Tam Scobbie, manager of Berwick Rangers, was frustrated with the result but felt there were some positives that his side could take from the match.
He said: “It’s a bit of a sucker punch but I feel the boys gave me everything. We implemented the game plan and tried to pass and move it about.
“It’s disappointing but in the bigger picture, some boys got some rest and we managed to get a couple of the guys back who were out with injuries so there’s positives and negatives to take.”
In their next match, both sides return to league action as they travel away from home with Cumbernauld Colts playing Gretna and Berwick Rangers facing up against Celtic B.
Kyle Murphy.
