Lothian Thistle 2

Peebles Rovers 0

Neil Hobson at Saughton Enclosure

IT proved to be cup heartbreak for Peebles Rovers last Saturday, as they missed out on a spot in the Alex Jack Cup final; going down 2-0 to Lothian Thistle at Saughton Enclosure.

A close range goal from Jamie Devlin and a controversial Kevin Brown penalty saw the Edinburgh side book a spot in the final against Steven Vinter’s Tynecastle.

The opportunity for silverware so early in the season must have been a mouth-watering prospect for Ger Rossi’s team. But, once again, the Rover’s nightmarish record against Edinburgh teams was their undoing.

However, it would be unfair to dismiss the progress that the new-look Peebles side has made; a constantly improving defence and a solid central midfield pairing of Ger Rossi and James Runciman has added undoubted steel to a youthful Rovers team.

On a roasting day at Saughton Enclosure, the game kicked off with early Thistle pressure as they utilised the long ball to rain down on the back four. Some quality policing from Jamie Mackay and Michael Cockburn at right and left-back respectively, added extra security from the channels that Lothian attempted to manipulate following their failed aerial bombardment.

The Rovers’ counter-attack was launched from midfield following a delightful Runciman ball forward. He enjoyed acres of space thanks to a preoccupied midfield, a fact that Saul Schulz-Keith was keen to exploit as he burst away down the left flank looking to put the ball to strike partner, David Lindsay, in the middle. He was eventually muscled out by his marker, but it was a prime example of the explosive potential that quick, counter-attacking football offers for this Rovers team.

The Hutchy pressure was bound to make Peebles crumble eventually, and when the first goal arrived on 31 minutes it carried all the weight of a ferocious below-the-belt punch. The back line had otherwise defended heroically, especially former Leithen Rovers captain Colin Smith, but a move from Hutchison Vale saw Scott Mackenzie scarper away down the right flank and then send a ball flying into the danger area. Jamie Devlin pounced like a lion from some long grass and blasted the ball past McGinley.

First-half frustrations were compounded on the half-time whistle as Schulz-Keith was forced off through injury, prompting Rossi to bring Alan McMath back into the fold to make his first league appearance since a thigh injury in July.

Despite not being quite up to speed, his quality and experience opened new doors for Peebles in an attacking sense. He provided that cutting edge that was somewhat lacking in the forward areas.

More chances started falling their way during the second-half, thanks largely to McMath’s high-octane work rate that yanked the defence about. Three chances came the striker’s way, but a combination of a lack of match sharpness and the inspired form of the Thistle keeper prevented the former Leithen Rovers man from notching on his league debut.

But, most frustrating for Peebles was the penalty awarded on 62 minutes that sparked furious debate. The Rovers protested that Kevin Brown collapsed all too easily under a Mackay challenge, the referee was having none of it and Brown stepped up to swing the axe from 12 yards to put more distance between the two teams.

Peebles boss Rossi said: “I think every time we play against these sorts of quality teams, we are going to learn. It’s quite a steep learning curve, and it can be hard to take, but from our perspective it shows that we can go out and compete

“I think our touches in the final third are letting us down, but it’s nothing that hard work on the training ground can’t fix. We will get it right; we just need to take our chances.”

Peebles now look ahead to their next league fixture against Coldstream tomorrow. The game is at Whitestone Park and will kick-off at 2:30pm.

Peebles: McGinley, Mackay, Smith, Brown, Cockburn, Zavaroni, Runciman, Rossi, Inglis, Lindsay, Schulz-Keith. Subs: Ndiweni, Robertson, McMath