Tynecastle FC secured a place in the semi-finals of the SPORTSassist South East Region Cup with a 2-0 victory over Longniddry Villa at Saughton Park. First half goals from Matthew Dillon and Andrew Mackay earned the home side a deserved victory in a match where the visitors rarely threatened.
The tie started at a frantic pace with both sides exchanging chances early on and perhaps Longniddry could have taken the lead on a couple of occasions. First, Alex Williamson shot wide from inside the box and then Tynecastle keeper Kyle Wilson saved well to deny Ellis Grieve.
After surviving those early scares Tynecastle began to take charge and Longniddry keeper Cameron Sandilands kept his side in the game when he denied Dillon after the striker was through on goal.
But there was nothing Sandilands could do when in the 25th minute Dillon opened the scoring. A ball from the left side played in Dillon but this time he took his chance, calmly firing a first time right foot shot into the bottom left corner.
Shortly afterwards, and just before half time in the 36th minute, Tynecastle doubled their lead. After a well worked counter attack resulted in a corner, Craig Turnbull's accurate ball in from the left was met by a rising Andrew Mackay whose powerful header was too strong for the defender on the line to keep out.
Longniddry could have got back in the game in the dying seconds of the first half. Strikers Jack Branley and Williamson broke through and found themselves in a two-on-one situation. However, Branley's ball to Williamson was played only moments too late and he was ruled offside when he only had the keeper to beat.