Strollers dump rated visitors from Challenge Cup in thriller

An end-to-end match with all the equilibrium of a frenzied see-saw provided a thrilling tie at the Gyle Recreation Ground in the second-round stage of the national tournament, with the home side letting slip a two-goal lead midway through the second half before Warnock's last-gasp intervention.

Strollers' midfielder Faron Gribben and striker Dale Wight looked the most likely in the hosts' ranks to create an opening throughout, and it was the latter who hit after just five minutes to give Gyle the lead.

The Capital side's goalkeeper Liam Robertson produced a flying save to his right soon after to tip an overhead kick by Mossvale striker David Orr onto the post, but he was helpless later in the half to prevent the visitors equalising. On 38 minutes, Christopher Logan's corner from the left deceived Robertson and his entire defence, curling directly into the far corner of the net with the ball already over the line before Orr applied a touch to send it into the roof of the net.

A quicksilver Gyle brace after half time set the tone for a goal-filled second half and put the hosts 3-1 to the good. Wight found space beyond the Mossvale rearguard on 49 minutes and cracked a shot from a few yards to the right of the penalty spot to send the ball between goalkeeper Scott Ramsay and the near post. And just sixty seconds later, Mossvale defender Jason Hollywood attempted a rather panicked headed passback to his goalkeeper over a ruck of players from 20 yards out. The ball had nowhere near enough pace to take it through to No. 1 Ramsay, and Gyle striker Warnock emerged from the cluster of bodies on the edge of the penalty area to seize the ball inside the box and sidefoot past the advancing keeper.

However, loose defending by the Strollers led to the fifth goal of the contest five minutes later as Mossvale pulled the score back to 3-2. Scott McCready capitalised on some loose play among the home side's back four by poking a shot low into the net from 15 yards out.

On 67 minutes, Gyle contrived to concede another. As with Mossvale's first goal, their third was another case of a dead ball from long range sailing straight into Robertson's net, this time a free kick by Logan from 25 yards out doing the damage.

Mossvale's newly-gained momentum, though, petered out and the visitors were unable to fully turn the game around. Instead, a galvanised Gyle fought back to reassert their superiority. he hosts' Daniel Smith smacked the underside of the crossbar with a piledriver from outside the box in the final ten minutes, and with the final chance of the game, Raymond Singleton's inviting corner to the far post was nodded in by Warnock - cue rapturous celebration from the home contingent on and off the field.

Gyle boss Gary McCardle revealed that the result was the product of a recent heart-to-heart between players and management at the club.

He said: "We've got good fight in the team now. Boys at this age like to go out on a Friday night and, last month, the team had a particularly bad result against Edinburgh United (losing 8-0]. We had a meeting afterwards where the coaches asked the players what they wanted from being part of the team, and vice versa, and since then we have been better and the team spirit is great."

Gyle Strollers: Liam Robertson, Jason Smith, Sean Byrne, Jules Paterson, Colin Curnyn, Faron Gribben, Daniel Smith, Raymond Singleton, David Warnock, Dale Wight, Sean Potter, Darren Russell, Michael Melville, Calib Paterson, Gregg Smith.

Mossvale BC: Scott Ramsay, Barry Kavanagh, Daryl McNeil, Gary Beagan, Jason Hollywood, Christopher Logan, Steven McQueen, David Cunningham, Steven Bullimore, David Orr, Scott McCready, Keiran McFadden, Stewart Warnock, John Currie, Mark Gallagher.