CURRIE AND VALE SERVE UP KINGSKNOWE CRACKER

All action in the Hutchison Vale Colts goalmouth in this Currie Star attack

IT was a beautiful Sunday for youth club footballers once again, with glorious, enjoyable games taking place at both Kingsknowe and Harrison Park. The pitches at both these council-owned parks may be quite awful, but the Currie Star v Hutchison Vale Colts under-13 clash at Kingsknowe was wonderful to watch.

The home side looked as if they were going to swamp the physically smaller Hutchison Vale kids when they went in to an early 1-0 lead from Euan Blue. Currie should have scored again before the good football-playing Vale side got their act together and equalised through John Dickson. Currie then took control of the game and two goals from Wills Dorward established a 3-1 lead, deservedly so at that stage.

But Vale lifted themselves back in to the game with a cracking goal from Alan Clark to make it 3-2 at the half-time break in this lovely wee game of football.

In the second half, it got even better, however. Vale squared the game at 3-3 with Clark again on target, although he looked to be offside when he collected a pass through the centre of the Currie defence. Clark went to complete his hat-trick when he volleyed a cross from Shabazz Shafi in to the Currie net to put Vale in front for the first time in the game at 4-3.

Currie staged a revival after losing their lead and it was the Vale goal that was under threat for a while. But the home side's defence was posted missing when a long clearance out of the Vale goalmouth was picked up again by Clark and he made it 5-3 for Vale with a great finish. Currie went on the attack once again, but the Vale defence looked to be more than capable of keeping the home side at bay. However, the relentless pressure from Currie did produce a reward when a header from Blue (once again) went in to the net over Vale keeper, Douglas Petrie's outstretched hands to make it 5-4 and set up a wonderful finish.

Sam McNab missed a glorious opportunity to snatch a dramatic equaliser when he fired a shot wide of the post with the goal gaping open. But Currie were caught out again in the closing minutes when big Ruairidh Semple ran from his own half in to the Currie goalmouth with the ball at his feet, before rounding Currie keeper, Stewart Easton, and planting the ball in the empty net to make it 6-4.