Bridge of Earn came to Aberfeldy hopeful of causing an upset in the North of Tay Cup. The second division side have been flying high this season and Breadalbane were once again missing key players through injury and work commitments. The scene was set for a real cup battle and the healthy crowd were not to be disappointed, in what turned out to be a ding-dong tie.

The first half resulted in a keenly contested affair, with neither side able to gain the upper hand. Stand-in keeper Andrew Jacobs was called into action in the first minute and proved a dependable presence throughout in the home goal. At the other end, Breadalbane squandered chances. Captain Lee Veitch uncharacteristically blazed over from close range after a clever Price knock down, then the big striker himself missed a good headed opportunity on the stroke of half-time.

The second period continued in much the same vein, until the home side eventually broke the deadlock. Price met a neat da Silva cross at the far post and managed to bundle his close range header over the line, despite the despairing efforts of the Bridge of Earn keeper.

With a one goal lead to defend, Breadalbane seemed to retreat deeper into their own territory, as Bridge of Earn pushed extra bodies forward in pursuit of an equaliser. With a minute remaining, however, it appeared that the home side would hold out. Then, a speculative right wing cross bent over Jacobs and onto the crossbar. Any relief was short lived as the ball fell kindly to the Bridge of Earn substitute, who struck a smart shot home from a tight angle to take the tie into extra time.

Despite manager Robertson’s efforts to rally his troops, a clearly demoralised home side then lost two goals in quick succession at the beginning of the extra period. Finding themselves stretched for pace down the left flank, the resultant cross was met by Brig front man Carson, who out jumped Cromb to guide a header beyond Jacobs. The same player struck again just seconds later with a burst into the box and an unstoppable finish to put the away side into a two-goal lead.

With nothing left to lose, Robertson immediately rang the changes, sacrificing a defender to put himself on as an auxiliary striker. And it paid immediate dividends. The wily veteran’s sweetly struck left foot effort flew in from 25 yards to reduce the deficit and give the home support cause for hope. Price, Veitch and McBride then all came close to equalising before the tie was put beyond them with five minutes remaining.

A ball over the top of an exposed defence, and an unfortunate slip by MacDougall, saw the ball bounce perfectly for the pacy Bridge of Earn striker, who lofted the ball over the outrushing Jacobs to seal the game.

Thus, a hugely disappointing result for Breadalbane, who must pick themselves up for their testing Scottish Cup trip to Stirling this weekend.

Breadalbane:
Jacobs, Cromb (MacDougall), Thomas, McAdam, C Price (D Robertson), McBride, Klatschak, Veitch, Carr, G Price, da Silva

Subs (not used): Milne, McKaskill