Nicky Breaden slides the ball home to tie the game at 3-3 and take it into extra-time.

Nicky Breaden slides the ball home to tie the game at 3-3 and take it into extra-time.

Brook Street this morning bowed out of the Scottish Cup after a 4-3 extra-time defeat at fellow Division IV side, NDW FC. However, far from being disappointed, Eike claimed that there were far more positives to take from the game than negatives.

“OK, we lost and we’re out of the Scottish Cup, but the players showed a terrific workrate, and but for the width of the crossbar we could have actually gone through in regulation time”.

He continued, “We showed real character and fight to get the score back to 3-3 after being 2-0 down early on, when it was looking like we could be facing a real hammering. Let’s also not forget that our side included four 17 year-olds and two were 18. That’s probably the youngest side ever fielded by the club, and I think they did very well”.

“We also had Conor Meldrum making his debut after signing late last night, so all in all I am very satisfied with our performance despite the final outcome”, he said.

NDW were fast out of the traps and within seventeen minutes found themselves two-up through an Asad Salman. Sam Ferretto slammed the ball home to get Brook Street back in the tie with twenty minutes played. Richard Gabriel had the chance to level the scores midway through the half but rushed his shot and rattled the woodwork instead of the rigging.

Despite all Brook Street’s good work, it was the home side who scored the next goal, Graeme Toney firing home after a fine solo run eleven minutes into the second half.

Sam Ferretto was left kicking himself after fluffing his lines with a quarter of an hour to go, but Brook Street finally got the goal their hard work deserved eleven minutes from time when Krsto Grubić lobbed the home keeper from the edge of the box.

Brook Street were in the ascendancy now, and after a chance for Lachlan MacKinnon had been cleared, the home side finally succumbed to the incessant pressure four minutes from time when Nicky Breaden hammered home the equaliser.

After such a spirited fightback, it was a huge blow to the Brook Street players that after only two minutes of extra-time, Graeme Toney hit his second goal of the game to make it 4-3 to the home team.

Sam Ferretto thought he had levelled the scoring a minute into the second period of extra-time, but a defender popped-up on the line to clear to safety. That was to be the last of the goalmouth action as fatigue played it’s part in the match petering out into a dour midfield slog.

So despite a very good effort, it’s the Tartan Cup for Brook Street next week, and a trip over to Fife to face Urban Gorillas.