Renton break Currie hearts

The compelling clash at Currie's Pentland View Park looked to be heading to a replay as the sides entered the last few minutes locked at 1-1, but a fatal display of hesitancy in the hosts' defence allowed Renton to edge into the fourth round of the national tourney.

The Capital side took a deserved lead through Murray Cockburn on 25 minutes, but the West Dunbartonshire visitors pulled level midway through the second half then countered again with a last-minute knock-out.

Most observers of the game's opening half hour would have estimated that Currie's superior attacking power, spearheaded by the influential Cockburn and Bradley Philp, would prove sufficient for the home side to progress.

The pair caused panic in Renton's defence early on, with Cockburn regularly bursting beyond his opponents' backline with a combination of a great first touch and searing pace.

It took a hat-trick of spurned chances, though, for the powerful No. 11 to finally find his feet. With his fourth chance, afforded to him by Renton defender Liam Henderson's missed clearance, Cockburn seized the ball and ran in on goal, reaching the right-hand edge of the six-yard box before cutting a shot across goalkeeper Jamie Gillies and into the far corner of the net via the left-hand post.

Currie then relented around the half-hour mark and allowed Renton into the game.

After the break, Renton continued their assault on Currie's goal. Currie goalkeeper Andrew Smith acrobatically tipped Callum Spence's shot-on-the-turn over the bar, then blocked Reece Percival's forceful strike from the edge of the box.

With the Currie goalkeeper in seemingly unbeatable form, Renton might have given up all hope of retrieving the tie when their inspirational captain Jay Joyce was forced off the field after sustaining an injury. But they regrouped and persisted in directing every strain of muscle towards the Currie goal, eventually equalising on 50 minutes.

Percival threaded a delightful pass through to Spence, whose drive stung the hands of Smith but continued past the goalkeeper and into the net.

Renton defender Evan Doleman came close to scoring a quickfire second nine minutes later, but saw his shot from the left-hand side of the box tipped away by Smith.

It was Renton who shone as the game approached full-time, and a shaken Currie were to gift them a winner when a replay appeared the more likely outcome.

The otherwise impressive goalkeeper Smith tapped a nervous-looking bye kick towards his defender Dean Anderson on the edge of the box, who, in turn, nudged the ball tentatively back. Renton striker Spence then nicked possession before the goalkeeper could reach Anderson's passback and wandered through to score.

Currie BC Colts: Andrew Smith, Steven Primrose, Ellis Crawford, Lewis Burns, Grant Pringle, Adam Forrest, Dean Anderson, Zack Menzies, Ben Leicester, Murray Cockburn, Bradley Philp, Bradley Thorpe, Mark Craigie, Dale Pringle, Ross Gannon, Scott Alexander.

Renton Craigandro: Jamie Gillies, Aidan Leitch, Evan Doleman, Kieran Connolly, Keir Wood, Paul Vance, Jay Joyce, Liam Henderson, Callum Spence, Stuart Burrows, Glenn Prior, Connor Campbell, David Johnstone, Reece Percival, Sean McCluskey.