Star rise to occasion as depleted Uni suffer

DEPLETED and ultimately defeated, Napier University stumbled through a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Newtongrange Star 'A' to crash out of the Lothian & Edinburgh Amateur FA Miller Cup at Saughton 3G.

With victory, the visitors won the right to face Tollcross Thistle at the same ground in the third round of the competition.

The students lined up with a starting eleven – no substitutes – containing two injured players and struggled from the off, falling to Star's first-half onslaught and a late hat-trick by John McManus.

"We passed them off the park," said Star coach Alan Scotland. "It was the first time we've played on the artificial surface and I thought it was excellent – it really suited the way we play our passing game."

There are only three places separating the two sides in the Lothian East division, but it was promotion-chasing Star who were always in the ascendancy.

A simple one-two between roving midfielder Ian McManus and his namesake John, a striker, stretched the Napier defence after seven minutes and allowed the former to drill a 15-yard striker from the right-hand side of the penalty area into the far corner of the net. Just over ten minutes later, Star, continuing to spread the ball around every part of the pitch, again used their ball retention to good effect.

A flowing move culminated in John McManus crossing for strike partner Steven Nethery, who sent a rasping six-yard header into the net.

Shortly before half time, Star struck a quickfire double to send the result beyond doubt.

Firstly, John McManus lofted a clever shot from the left-hand edge of the penalty area over the goalkeeper Calum Wallace and, although the ball rebounded off the right-hand post, Sean Bingham collected before smashing the ball into the roof of the net.

Then John Jenkin's thunderous drive from fully 35 yards soon after flew into the bottom right-hand corner and ensured Star went into the interval four goals to the good.

A dejected Napier produced a rare show of defiance shortly after the restart as a superb reflex save by Wallace denied a goalbound shot from John McManus.

The home No.1 was helpless, though, on 77 minutes as the same Star striker opened his account for the match, picking up Greg Paterson's loose defensive header and firing the ball high into the net to make it 5-0.

Wallace repelled another John McManus strike immediately after, this time reaching a point-blank headed effort to touch the ball to safety, but the frontman atoned for his miss by hitting his second of the game with an easy finish with five minutes remaining.

Napier did strike back when Paterson's incisive through ball was latched onto by Callum Howie and expertly converted by the forward at a one-on-one with Star goalkeeper Steven Hay.

But, the final say, and the match ball, went to John McManus, who finished off a counter attack as Napier pressed by running half the length of the field and striking Star's seventh.

Coach of the winning side, Scotland, was naturally delighted with the resounding victory, but will expect a different Napier side to emerge when the two sides meet again this weekend.

"I thought they would have been better," he said, "but I realise they were without a few players. Their league results this season have been good.

"We've got them in the Ian McDonald Cup quarter-final at home this weekend and still have to play them twice in the league. We'll certainly be expecting a different team then.

Napier University: Calum Wallace, Adam Szymoszowskj, Gregor Campbell, Greg Paterson, Thomas Differ, Paul Henderson, Chris Malseed, Howie, James McLean, Daniel O'Donell, Darren Lester.

Newtongrange Star: Steven Hay, Paul Smith, Steven Dorans, Ian McManus, Michael Thomson, William Mason, Gary Irvine, John Jenkin, Steven Nethery, John McManus, Sean Bingham, James MacDougall, Kevin Smith, Scott Beattie, Alan McGowan.