Penalty winner for Linlithgow Academy schoolboys who book final four place

Mar 31 2011 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

LINLITHGOW Academy eased into the final four of the under-15 Scottish shield with a narrow home triumph over Holyrood.

The West Lothian schoolboys won it with a second-half penalty from Ryan Coleman to tee up a semi-final clash with Grange Academy (Kilmarnock) which was due to be played last night (Wednesday).

But back to the quarter-final and it took place on the 1G pitch at Linlithgow Academy which didn’t help either side play the game they prefer to play on the bone-hard surface.

The home side had two very strong and talented central defenders in Dan Nimmo and Conor Adamson and both mopped up all the bouncing balls up the middle of the pitch while Holyrood had one of the best players on view in Fabio Capuano.

They also had a tremendous athlete in Peter Shisuyo-Buana who was tremendous both in defence and later in the second half when he was allowed to join in the Holyrood attack in a late bid to snatch an equaliser.

Linlithgow attacked from the start and Holyrood found themselves hemmed in their own half.

But when the visiting side attacked, home keeper, Jack Morris came away out of goal to clear a Holyrood attack up the right.

The home side played nice controlled passing football to mount attack after attack on the away goal with Currie in superb form.

Despite going forward in good numbers Linlithgow didn’t create many clear goalscoring chances.

Ryan Coleman had several chances to up the pressure on the Holyrood goal from free-kicks but none of these produced a goal.

Mark Finnigan was another in the home ranks to try his luck, without success, in making the breakthrough.

It was late in the second half before Holyrood were able to have a go at the other end with a shot from Paul Murphy but that was easily cleared.

It was goalless at the break but the second-half saw the visitors upped the tempo after the restart and created a series of gilt-edged chances including one which bounced off the top of the bar.

In another massed raid on the home goal several shots were blocked in the melee of players and it took a wonderful save low down to his right by Jack Morris to clear the danger.

Paul Murphy struck the crossbar again for Holyrood as the game raged from box to box.

At the other end Coleman was felled in the Holyrood box but Linlithgow’s appeals for a penalty fell on deaf ears.

But barely a minute later the ball was swung back into the box where whistler Craig Shanks ruled it to have struck a Holyrood hand and the hosts had a penalty-kick.

Midfield kid Coleman placed the ball on the spot and then rammed it home to shatter the deadlock for the West Lothian schoolboys.

The quarter-final tie went in to overdrive after that with Holyrood pumping the ball upfield at every opportunity.

However, the home team were let of the hook again when Qassim Mohammed missed a golden opportunity to equalise from a very good position.

It proved to be Holyrood’s last real chance as Linlithgow held on to earn a final-four fixture.

Linlithgow Academy; Jack Morris, Dan Nimmo, Jamie Bouhaddou, Conor Adamson, Jake Percival, Mark Finnigan, Andrew MacDonald, Michael Currie, Ryan Coleman, Stephan Bryant, Paul McLaughlin, Callum McCabe, Brandon Weyzig, Rowan Dickson, Alan Bryant and Ross Cruickshank.