HUTCHISON Vale under-13s are brimming with confidence as they look forward to their trip to Airdrie FC’s ground for their Dunfermline Building Society Scottish Cup final against Hillwood Boys Club (Glasgow) on Saturday, May 6 and they steamrollered their way in to the next round of the Easern Region Cup with a 3-0 victory against North Berwick Colts at Wardie Playing Fields at the weekend.

The finals of this cup competition, the major domestic event in the Eastern Region Youth FA, sponsored by City Financial Edinburgh, are held at Hallhill in Dunbar at the end of May and Vale look almost certain to feature in that, too. In the game against this emerging young side from East Lothian, winners of a youth tournament in Blackpool at Easter, Vale were 2-0 up in the first few minutes.

The first of their two goals came from a very unfortunate deflecting off a North Berwick defender and when the powerful Jack Verth went in to challenge opposing goalkeeper, Euan McGonigal, for a loose ball following a free-kick, it was the Vale player who won that joust and forced the ball over the line to make it 2-0.

The visiting side regrouped however and they gave as good as they got against a physically stronger Vale outfit. Indeed, North Berwick could easily have squared the game and they had in big defender, Grant Munro, one of the most impressive players on the pitch. Despite several great attacking moves on the Vale goal, North Berwick just could not supply the finishing touch to put the ball in the net for a goal they deserved. Playing with advantage of the wind in the second half, the visiting side were still put under pressure by Vale and McGonigal, who had distinguished himself with several brave saves suffered a knock when going down to win the ball in another tough challenge and that resulted in North Berwick having to replace their brave young keeper, who had taken a bit of a battering, with Sam Williamson.

Vale looked more and more comfortable in defence as the game progressed and they went on to add another goal, a huge cross from the right being met at the back post by the diminutive Scott Coleman and this good young footballer was able to plant the ball in the North Berwick net to make the final scoreline 3-0.

Hutchison Vale – Connor McGrotty, Cameron Scott, Michael Noble, Andrew Togneri, Jack Verth, Scott Coleman, Sean Joyce, Ryan Tennant, Kenny O’Brien, Jordan Thomson, Damian Orr, Christopher Roxburgh, Stuart McGregor, Conor Devaney.

North Berwick Colts – Thomas Carr, Andrew Cumming, Callum Currie, Ruaridh Donaldson, Greg Houlston, Connor Johnston, Jason Lamb, Michael Lewis, Neil Mackle, Euan McGonigal, Tom Miller, Grant Munro, Owen Paterson, Alisdair Simpson, Arran Smith, Sam Williamson.

Referee – Tom Carter.