EAST & Midlothian Schools’ under-15 select beat Aberdeen 2-0 at a windy Hallhill in Dunbar to clinch their place in the final of the Scottish Schools FA Regional Cup – for the fourth time in five years! Incredibly, the only time East & Midlothian have lost was last season in the semi-final in Paisley and they were never in danger of losing to Aberdeen at Hallhill.

The lovely pitch was a perfect venue for a game at this level and both sides got the semi-final at a cracking pace, with the ball being switched from end to end. Both defences coped comfortably with the respective attacks but East & Midlothian started to cause problems up the left wing, with the speedy Andrew Innes (Preston Lodge) and it was this good young player who is with Longniddry Villa in the Eastern Region Youth Leagues, who scored the first goal with valuable assistance from James Guy (Newbattle) who also was one of the stars in the E&M line-up. In another quick moving attack up the left, started by Innes, it was Guy who took over to beat the Aberdeen right-sided defender on the left, before cutting in to unleash a  piledriver of a shot that opposing keeper, Kyle Thomson, brilliantly blocked – but the ball landed just right for Innes to fire it in to the net to put the home side 1-0 in the 29^th minute.

With an excellent referee in Jim Darling and two very good assistants controlling the game so well, the high level of concentration of the players never dropped and the pace of the game continued well in to the second half, when E&M scored their second goal. The Aberdeen keeper will be pleased this goal was not captured on a camcorder as he was caught away off his line when a massive clearance from E&M goalkeeper, Raja Tafail (St David’s),  was caught in the gusty wind and it hurtled like a guided missle towards the Aberdeen goal, the ball then taking a huge bounce – before bounding over the stranded keeper with Guy claiming he got his head to the ball before it went in to the net.

The Newbattle player said: “I am claiming the goal as I definitely got my head to the ball!” This claim caused controversy on the E&M touchline, with the two fantastic coaches Graeme Forrest and John Frame saying: “It was Raja’s goal!” But no less a person standing on the touchline at that end of the pitch than James Guy’s grannie, Betty Guy, was the final arbiter in the argument of who scored and she added: “James got his head to the ball and it was he who scored. I saw him do it and I would not tell a lie!” Apart from the fact that Betty did not look old enough to be a grannie, I had no intention of questioning this lovely person’s integrity and, as far as I am concerned, she was right. It was James Guy’s goal, end of argument! And, no way am I going to argue with a woman, either!

That second counter came midway through the second half and it was a terrible blow to the Aberdeen players. To their credit they picked themselves up and it was they who created several half chances in the last part of the game. However, they were unable to get even a consolation goal as reward for tall the effort they put in to the game, the closest they came to scoring when a hook shot landed on the rood of Raja’s net!

East & Midlothian have now played almost 30 games in the last five years in this age group national event and lost only once. They will be hoping to add to that impressive set of figures in the final in the next few weeks.  Ties such as this, played in very good facilities as on offer at Hallhilll, are a wonderful boost to the boys taking part. It lifts them and the standard of play, too, is much better and this was evident once again at this lovely facility in Dunbar.

The one surprise for me was the fact that Laurie Jones did not score in this game. All the games I have covered over the years when this young player has taken part have resulted in him scoring a goal. He was in the centre of defence at Hallhill, but he was still involved in a couple of raids on the Aberdeen goal. I hope Laurie ‘resumes normal service’ when I see him in the final!