Local heroes: Rampant Musselburgh Grammar U15s claim Shield at Tynecastle

Musselburgh Grammar claimed national glory at Tynecastle Stadium against Linlithgow Academy in the final of the Lloyds TSB Scottish Schools FA Under-15 Shield.

Grammar defeated their fellow Lothians side with an assured first-half display in which they plundered two goals and a solid second period that yielded a further strike for a straightforward 3-0 win.

The East Lothian school began the far more assertive side as their opponents Lithgae froze in front of a bumper 500 crowd at the home of Hearts. The Gorgie stadium was bouncing as if filled to capacity thanks to a boisterous and vocal support from both schools.

It was not long, however, until the West Lothian fans proclaimed in song that they were "only here for the party" as their big night went awry thanks to an early double blow.

Musselburgh's brace inside the first 20 minutes confirmed their more settled and professional approach to the opening exchanges. Kyle Galazka nudged the ball across the six-yard box on ten minutes to allow Darren McGrath an easy tap-in from close range. Linlithgow's backline appeared frozen in time as the ball pinballed around their penalty box before flying past a despairing Jack Morris. Ten minutes later, the Lithgae rearguard seemed static once more, their central pairing combining to miss a headed clearance of an over-the-top ball, and Grammar's pacey striker Sam Rintoul broke from amid the last line of defence and latched onto the ball on the edge of the box, tapping the ball past the outrushing goalkeeper Morris and sidefooting into the empty net.

Morris single-handedly halted a deluge of goals, diving to his right to push away Dean Ballantyne's effort and smothering at the feet of Galazka.

Musselburgh spurned a glorious chance to add another three minutes before the interval. Neil Martyniuk's mazy run on the left exploited a non-commital Linlithgow defence and allowed the roving centre back to find his way to the bye-line, where he cut back for McGrath, who inexplicably took a touch of the ball rather than shooting first time with the gaping goal just five yards away.That crucial nudge forward allowed Academy's Steven Bryant to intercept before the ball was scrambled clear.

With the pressure lifted and nothing to lose as they emerged for the second half 2-0 down, Linlithgow posted a far superior second-half performance, but Musselburgh moved up a gear, too, and continued to pepper shots on Morris's goal.

Martyniuk's penalty immediately after the restart following a blatant foul in the box compounded matters for Linlithgow, but the West Lothian side responded well.

Moments later at the other end, Daniel Taylor's header from a Grammar corner was cleared off the line by an alert Andrew Macdonald on the left-hand post.

A talking point, but hardly a decision likely to have dramatically changed the course of the game, came just moments later when Musselburgh No.5 Martyniuk avoided a red card despite appearing to be the last defender when he hauled down Michael Currie 30 yards from goal. Had he not been impeded, Currie was set for a one-on-one with Grammar goalie Howie, but just a yellow card was administered to his assailant and the resulting free-kick failed to find the target.

Linlithgow's Steven Bryant did force Howie into a superb save, Bryant's speculative 25-yard effort being tipped over the bar in acrobatic style.

Although on the beaten side, Academy coach Grant Armstrong, one of manager Gary MacBrayne's assistants, reflected upon a memorable Scottish Cup journey for his side. He said: "It started up for me on a bus driving up to Stornoway to play Nicolson Institute - that was the first time I went with the team. That was through the snow and everything else and they won 3-0 in extra time. Then they had Holyrood and Grange. You can see they're very disappointed - it's just a shame for them, it really is.

"We spoke to them at half time to make sure they didn't let themselves down like that had in the first half. I think they were a wee bit overawed by the other team and playing in a big stadium like Tynecastle. In the end, I think Musselburgh thoroughly deserved it."

Musselburgh Grammar coach Graham Forrest was naturally delighted at the final whistle. "The boys were absolutely brilliant," he said. "Every one of them was magnificent. They're a great bunch of boys as well."

Grammar will now represent Scotland in the British Schools Under-15 Championship in Cardiff at the end of May with teams from each of the home nations and the Republic of Ireland. They will line up against England next Friday (May 27) before facing Northern Ireland the following day.A Championship Play-off on Sunday, May 29 will determine the overall British champion.

Musselburgh Grammar: Steven Howie, Shaun Lawrence, Robbie Mealyou, Neil Martyniuk, Daniel Taylor, Kyle Galazka, Darren McGrath, Scott Chapman, Sam Rintoul, Dean Ballantyne, George Hunter, Mark Slater, Stuart Tragis, Stuart McKay, Ryan Lee.

Linlithgow Academy: Jack Morris, Daniel Munro, Jamie Bouhaddou, Conor Adamson, Jake Percival, Mark Finnigan, Alan Bryant, Andrew Macdonald, Michael Currie, Ryan Coleman, Steven Bryant, Paul McLaughlin, Rowan Dickson, Callum McCabe, Brandon Weyzig, Ross Cruickshanks.