2pm 27 January 2023
Scottish FA Youth Cup, Quarter Final
St Johnstone U18 2 Dundee United U18 1 (att 150)
In England, youth cup games are usually played at the clubs' main stadiums and often attract large crowds. No so in Scotland where St Johnstone's quarter final was surprisingly scheduled for a Friday afternoon on a 3G training pitch.
Still, it gave me an additional ground to visit on my way to another of the quarter finals, being played in the evening at Aberdeen's training ground.
Technically the tie was at McDiarmid Park, just not in the main stadium. The artificial pitch is adjacent to the first team ground, and is floodlit, fully enclosed and has a pair of dugouts on the far side.
I'd expected that spectators would have to watch from outside the fence but, in another change from the norm at English top level youth games, the sizeable crowd was allowed pitchside.
The game was a slow burner. St Johnstone were the better side, but looked to be facing defeat until two late goals turned the tie in their favour. They'd had the better of a tight first half, but conceded a penalty just before the break to go behind.
The home side spurned chances after the break, at one point hitting both post and crossbar within seconds. Eventually, with about eight minutes left, they got the equaliser their play warranted.
I was waiting to find out whether Scottish Youth Cup ties have extra time or go straight to penalties, but St Johnstone left that question unanswered with a stoppage time winner. They'd left it late, but it was deserved.
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