■Alister Leslie ends Peebles' challenge as he smashes home Berwick's fifth goal

Anyone with lingering doubts about the validity of summer football should have been at the Gyle Recreation Ground this afternoon for what turned out to be a feast of footballing entertainment at this excellent cup final venue.

10 minutes in and this game looked all over as Berwick raced into a 3 goal lead. And when they added a fourth shortly after half time you worried a little about what the final score might be. But Peebles came storming back to reduce the deficit to just one goal before Berwick closed the game off in the final quarter.

There is no doubt that the better side won this match. But all credit to the Peebles side for a brilliant comeback in the second half.

Berwick Rangers showed no signs of travel weariness as they took this match to Peebles from the off and within 2 minutes they took the lead. Craig Grieve took advantage of some early indecision in the Peebles defence to calmly lift the ball over goalkeeper Stephen Murphy's head from 10 yards. It was an ideal start for the Berwick side and quite the opposite for Peebles.

But it was to get much worse for them just 7 minutes later when they were awarded a penalty kick after Callum Brownstein tugged Ross Downie's shirt as he made his way along the byeline. The Berwick winger dusted himself down and sent Stephen Murphy the wrong way from the resultant spot kick.

Berwick were rampant, swarming all over a nervous and slow Peebles side and a minute later they amazingly went three goals up with barely 10 minutes on the clock. More good work from Downie on the left resulted in Ross Mackenley flicking home his squared ball into the net.

The Peebles coaching team had a job on their hands to get things going otherwise a drubbing was on the cards. And to their and the team's credit the boys in red started to enjoy a bit more ball in this match and even created a couple of chances for themselves. Firstly Brendan Brands ran onto a loose ball but shot weakly at Adam Mutch. And then Stephen Rutherford won a ball in midfield, drove forward but blazed his effort high over the bar. But it was better from Peebles.

A terrific tussle was emerging on the Peebles right with flying winger Ben MacInnes up against Berwick's Josh Waddell. Both MacInnes and Waddell had quite magnificent games for their respective sides. MacIness had great speed and control as he dropped his shoulder time after time. And Waddell was as accomplished a defender as I have seen all season. The only thing that sometimes let him down was his longer range distribution. But as a footballing defender he was tremendous.

The game was a little more even now but Berwick always looked the more threatening as they showed on 26 minutes when Jake Rutherford crashed a  looping shot off the bar. Then the energetic centre forward, Craig Grieve, hit a snapshot across the face of the goal that only missed by inches with Stephen Murphy scrambling to reach it.

Half Time 3-0

Peebles restarted intent on getting themselves a goal that might pull them back into this cup final but it was Berwick Rangers that added to their scoreline when some fine combination play on the edge of the box ended with Adam Smith smashed an unstoppable shot past Murphy. Smith was another player who had a fine game driving his team forward from the centre of the park at every opportunity.

Berwick looked to be cruising but Peebles had made a few changes and it was one of these players that started the comeback when he scored a smashing goal on 50 minutes. Kyle Thomson gathered the ball at the edge of the box and fired a brilliant shot high over the outstretched hands of Berwick keeper Adam Mutch.

What looked like a consolation goal took on greater importance two minutes later when Peebles scored a second. Brendan Brands' header back across goal beat Mutch at his left hand post as it squeezed just inside the upright and into the side netting.

The cheers from the Peebles supporters were more vocal now as they realised that they were back into this game.

And they went up several more levels when Peebles scored again just four minutes later to put themselves right back into this final. Ben MacInnes did brilliantly up the right wing and sent in a terrific cross right onto the head of Brendan Brands who steered his header into the left hand side of the goal for an equally impressive finish.

It was unbelievable stuff from Peebles who had looked dead and buried. The second half midfield quartet of Sam Jordan, Stephen Rutherford, Gregor Runciman and Sean Johnson seemed to now have the upper hand with Jordan in particular having significant impact.

But now it was Berwick's turn to shuffle their pack and they immediately took the initiative back from Peebles and scored a brilliant goal on 62 minutes to kill off the comeback kids. A surging run by Adam Smith took him to the edge of the Peebles box where he fed the ball into the path of Alister Leslie who smashed a fantastic drive into the top left hand corner of the net from a tight angle.

Two minutes later and another substitute, Mitchell Simpson, hit the base of the post with a fine drive. Simpson was causing all kinds of problems with his fresh legs as he drove at Peebles through the middle and down the left wing.

Then it was Jake Rutherford's turn to drive at Peebles, this time down the right but his shot at the end of a fine drive into the box past 3 challenges ended with the ball hitting the outside of the right hand stanchion.

Peebles now looked tired as the pace and movement of this fine Berwick side took its toll and their chances dried up as Rangers took a grip back on this game. With 3 minutes left a fine move involving Josh Waddell, Alister Leslie and Mitchell Simpson ended with Simpson lifting his shot just over the bar.

Berwick put extra shine on the scoreline when they added a sixth goal on 80 minutes the very good Mitchell Simpson drove a shot under the body of Stephen Murphy from 16 yards.