Eddlewood's dream day as they lift cup

May 29 2008 By John Rowbotham

Eddlewood Amateurs .......1 Queen’s Park ....................0

A WONDER strike by former Rangers Academy player Mark Brown has earned Eddlewood Amateurs a place in the history books.

At Hampden Park on Sunday, the goal was enough to win them the Scottish Amateur Cup for the first time since they were formed only eight years ago.

They became only the second Hamilton team to lift the prestigious trophy, following Avon Villa who became Scottish Amateur Cup holders in 1982.

The experience of the Eddlewood outfit proved paramount in the game against the Queen’s Park club’s under-19 side.

Mark Brown’s goal was worthy of winning any match and some supporters thought it a better hit than Kris Boyd’s ferocious drive on the same ground 24 hours earlier.

Both sides made a tentative start to what was the first game between the clubs.

That all changed in spectacular fashion after seven minutes with Brown’s stunning strike.

The Spiders’ Andrew Forrest cleared a throw-in to Brown 30 yards from goal and the midfielder chested down the ball before unleashing a rocket of a shot into the Queen’s Park net.

Eddlewood looked like doubling their advantage five minutes later until a perfectly-timed Steven Saunders tackle denied Craig Corns as he was about to shoot.

Queen’s dominated up to half time and former Hamilton Accies and Arthurlie keeper David Cormack, in the Eddlewood goal, made a string of magnificent saves.

He had to stretch to stop a cross reaching Ross Dunlop in front of an empty net in 17 minutes and three minutes later rush from goal to punch the ball off the head of the advancing David Torrance,

He also denied Ian Watt from close range.

Barry Douglas had Cormack beaten in 24 minutes but his deflected effort went inches wide for a corner.

Queen’s forced another corner seven minutes later after Torrance carved open the Eddlewood defence, but again Cormack was equal to it and fisted away Barry Douglas’s in-swinger.

Eddlewood tightened up the game in the second half and Queen’s only real opportunity came from a Torrance header.

Eddlewood’s experience really told as they began to sit really deep with 15 minutes left and frustrate Queen’s by keeping the ball and looking to hit on the break through the pace of Dunbar.

The Hampden side began to run out of ideas and Cormack dealt easily with a high Jamie Brough cross and with eight minutes to go sub David Waters looked to get on to a Torrance knockdown but the ball slipped away from him as did the Hampden XI’s hopes of glory on their own turf.

Eddlewood: Cormack, Innes, Kerr, McLaren, Callender, Barrett, McCrum (Cossar 59), Brown, Dunbar, Litster, Corns (Kerr 81)

Unused Subs Hunter, Winning, McKechnie, Cossar.

Queen’s Park: Cowie, Henry (Smith 79), Douglas, Boslem, Saunders, Brough, Forrest, McKeever (Waters 54), Torrance, Dunlop, Watt (Montgomerie 65)

Unused Subs, Giblin, Chamberlain (Gk)

Referee: Jack Fenton; assistants William Ferguson and Ross McIntyre, and fourth offical, Robert Allison. (Lanarkshire Association).