Bellshill Athletic 0 Glenafton Athletic 4: Glens advance to Scottish Junior Cup semi-finals but Hill’ go down fighting

Bellshill Athletic’s date with destiny ended in a 4-0 defeat as Premier Division outfit Glenafton Athletic secured a safe passage through to the Scottish Junior Cup semi-finals at Rockburn Park.

Scott McLean and Sam McKee had the visitors, who ply their trade three leagues above the North Lanarkshire club, in a commanding two-goal lead inside the opening 10 minutes before substitute Dylan O’Kane netted a second half brace to ensure the two-time tournament winners advanced.

Having knocked out Colony Park, Stoneywood Parkvale, Maryhill and Kilbirnie Ladeside on route to the quarter-final stage, a crowd of over 700 packed into the ground to witness a moment of history as Bellshill looked to spring another major cup upset. However, this tie proved one step too far for the black and yellows as Glenafton’s class shone through, bringing an end to their memorable run.

Despite their dogged fight, Bellshill co-manager Neil Rowatt was full of praise for the way his youthful side competed against the Ayrshire club, who last lifted the trophy in 2017.

He told GlasgowWorld: “That extra bit of quality showed in the end, but we told the boys that they can be very proud of their performance. I’m not sure whether our start to the match by conceding two goals inside ten minutes was a result of the boys being a bit spooked by the size of the crowd or the occasion.

“They settled into the game after that and created a couple of decent chances but we can’t fault the players efforts. They were able to bring that additional bit of quality off the bench when our boys began to tire a bit.

“To their credit, they kept fighting until the end and didn’t let their heads drop. It was a brilliant occasion for the club and the boys can hold their head up high.”

The quarter-final tie marked the fifth meeting between the two clubs in the competition and Glenafton, who have become accustomed to reaching the latter stages of the Junior Cup, got off to a strong start and opened a commanding lead.

The opening goal arrived after just four minutes when Scott McLean received the ball on the edge of the box before firing a low effort past Hutchison into the bottom corner of the net. Moments later, Ayr United loanee Michael Moffat almost doubled their advantage from a free header but the striker failed to hit the target.

It took just five minutes for the visitors to increase their lead when Moffat cushioned a pass inside for Sam McKee. The midfielder was allowed far too much time and space to drill a powerful strike past the stranded keeper.

The home side eventually started to find their rhythm and centre-back Brady Craig’s snapshot from 25-yards sailed narrowly wide of the target on 32 minutes before a quick counter-attack saw Kieran Markey pick out Luke Currie in space on the left-hand side but the former Dalbeattie Star wideman blazed his effort over the top.

Glenafton continued to press forward in search of further goals and the crossbar denied Sean McKenzie after the frontman rose above his marker at the back post to meet Paul Paton’s free-kick before half-time.

The second half continued in a similar pattern with Glenafton on the front-foot and looking a serious threat in the final third. Hutchison had to react smartly to deny Moffat’s close-range header after the hosts failed to clear another Paton set-piece after 53 minutes.

Visiting boss and former Hearts legend Ryan Stevenson turned to his bench as his side looked to kill off any hope of a Bellshill comeback, just as they had produced against Kilbirnie from two goals down in front of their own supporters back in December.

The introduction of Hugh Kerr and Dylan O’Kane had the desired affect, with the latter immediately causing problems and missing a one-on-one opportunity after timing his run well in behind the Bellshill defence. The 18-year-old made up for that mishap just two minutes later, rifling high into the top corner after finding himself unmarked in the box.

Bellshill were still searching for a route back into the contest. Kyle Caig forced David Markey into a good save with a dipping effort and then Kieran Markey’s free-kick called the visiting stopper into action again minutes later.

As fatigue began to kick in for the home side who had been far from disgraced against their , the lively O’Kane took full advantage by notching his second of the match with a composed low finish into the bottom left-hand corner.

Glenafton boss Ryan Stevenson felt the impact of his substitutions in the second half made a telling difference as they booked their spot in the last-four of the competition.

He said: “We knew it was going to be difficult. It was one of Bellshill’s biggest ever games and we knew they were going to give everything they could. It was a tight pitch, so I told them beforehand that they had to be professional and it was imperative that we started the game well.

“To be fair to the boys, the did that. I think the two early goals gave us a good bit of control even when they came back into it and had a good spell in the first-half. But we defended well when we had to.

“The pleasing thing for us was, in the second half, the substitutions we made were effective and made a big difference. Dylan is only 18 and we brought him in from Ayr United. He’s got plenty of ability and sometimes it can be a bit of a culture shock dropping down to this level. He brings us that added quality and it helped get us over the line.”

Bellshill Athletic (4-4-2): Hutchison, Girdwood, Thomson (Dixon; 73), D. Wilson, Craig (Elliott; 73), Lee, Kyle (Mann; 73), Cowie, Markey (Laughlin; 85), Caig, Currie

Unused: Binnie (GK), B. Wilson, Cowan

Glenafton Athletic (4-4-2): Markey, McLean, Pettigrew, McKee, Paton, Kemp, Murphy, Moffat (Kerr; 66), S. McKenzie (O’Kane; 66), Rowe, McMullin

Unused: Caldwell, Nisbet, C. McKenzie

Referee: Andy Gamble

Attendance: 744

GlasgowWorld Man of the Match: Dylan O’Kane (Glenafton Athletic)