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Tynecastle v Shortlees

3pm  12 August 2018

Scottish FA Cup, Preliminary Round One
Tynecastle 0 Shortlees 2 (att 190)

Edinburgh-based Tynecastle have been trading up since I saw them at the basic Fernieside Recreation Ground in 2015. They left that ground to share with Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale, and this summer moved again, into Boroughmuir Rugby Club's Meggetland Stadium.

It's an impressive venue, with a modern seated stand giving a good view of the pitch, a raised terrace behind one goal where there's also a bar, and an uncovered terrace running the the length of the far side.

On a wet afternoon most spectators remained under the cover of the stand, but I'm not keen on sitting down to watch football so I headed to the terracing. I watched an engrossing match between two sides making their Scottish FA Cup debuts.

Tynecastle qualified by winning last season's South-East Challenge Shield, but as a club on an upward trajectory they'll surely play in the cup again. Kilmarnock-based Shortlees won the Scottish Amateur Cup, becoming the third amateur team to qualify since that route was introduced.

Shortlees may have been underdogs, but it was a close match and it was the home side's goalkeeper who was the busier while the score remained 0-0. Shortlees progressed thanks to two second half goals in just two minutes, the first well taken and the second thanks to a wicked deflection off a defender.

Over 90 minutes they deserved the win, although had Tynecastle scored first the outcome may have been different. Shortlees take on Bonnyrigg Rose in the next round ... if they can win that it will be a major cup shock.










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