Linlithgow earn final four spot in battle of West Lothian

Mar 25 2010 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Linlithgow earn final four spot in battle of West Lothian

LINLITHGOW ROSE won the battle of West Lothian to clinch a Scottish Cup semi-final spot at the expense of county rivals Bathgate Thistle last weekend.

It was the second Saturday in a row in which the two junior giants had met after a 1-1 draw at Creamery Park forced a replay.

But this time there had to be a winner and it was the hosts who marched into the final four courtesy of a deadly double from striker Tommy Coyne.

Coyne, son of his namesake former Celtic and Republic of Ireland hero, scored both goals inside the opening 20 minutes to keep Rose in the hunt for a fourth Junior Scottish Cup.

Jim Lister pulled a goal back for Bathgate midway through the second-half but it wasn’t enough to derail Rose.

A massive crowd of 1,200 piled into Prestonfield for this cup cracker and they weren’t disappointed as the two county clubs went head to head.

Coyne grabbed the opening goal after just nine minutes when he latched on to a Scott Wilson header to swivel and lash home from 10 yards.

Linlithgow doubled their lead 11 minutes later when Steve Manson cracked the crossbar with an inswinging corner and the lurking Coyne pounced on the loose ball to force it home.

Bathgate keeper Andy Carlin bravely threw himself at Coyne’s feet in an attempt to prevent the goal and received a knock on his head for the trouble which left him requiring lengthy treatment.

Falling two goals behind left the Jags facing an uphill battle to hang onto their cup dreams but they dug deep and refused to give in.

They kept pushing forward and trying to get through the Rose rearguard but they couldn’t get any change out of the host’s disciplined back line.

But they eventually earned a lifeline midway through the second half when Lister reacted quickest to fire home from close range after Linlithgow keeper Steven Pinkowski couldn’t hold a long range effort from Steven Payne.

The goal gave the Jags a visible boost and only a last-ditch clearance from Kevin Donnelly prevented the visitors levelling late on.

But Rose held on to secure their place in the last four and leave Bathgate’s dream of another cup success in tatters until next season.

Linlithgow: Pinkowski, Donnelly, Virgili, Ward , Wilson, Smith, McLennan (Bradley), Tyrrell, Coyne, Herd (Livingstone), Manson (McArthur). Subs: McDermott, Flannery, Kelly, McPherson.

Bathgate: Carlin,Wilson (F Love), Neill, Hunter, Easton, Payne, Lurinski (McPhee), McColligan, Lister, Jack, McLaren. Subs: Fallon, Riley, Blaney, G Love, McCaferty.