Inspire Dominate to Lift Cup Final Trophy

On a massive night for both Inspire and Blantyre Vics for not only a South Lanarkshire derby but the CLYFA Division A Cup final at New Douglas Park, with family and friends in the main stand the pressure was on both sides for the coveted trophy.

Inspire come into the Tuesday night cup final with a chance of the double as they face Gairdoch United on Sunday in the Regional Cup Final and with a chance to grab the league however in the most dramatic and nerve wracking way with the Vics facing W Academy Bucketeers on the final day of the CLYFA 2012 Division A league. So a win on the night will be the first piece of the puzzle to the awaited treble.

Meanwhile Blantyre Vics had only defeated Inspire once in the last 3 matchups coming in the league cup. It was all square going into the brutal penalty shootout nonetheless Blantyre ignored the pressure of the spot kicks by slotting home 4 in a 4-1 penalty shootout win progressing them into the next round. Both teams have been toe to toe with each other throughout what has been an entertaining season and now for Blantyre nothing but a win against W Academy would see them defeat the reigning champions in the most thrilling way.

The semi final for Inspire was bread and butter as they thrashed Gartcairn 5 goals to nil with a Aiden McColligan and Oliver Duffy brace to secure their place in the final stage. The same can’t be said for Blantyre Vics as Cabusnethen Talbot took them to an exciting shootout. The deciding penalty came to Zac Kirk who placed the decider in to the back of the net as it finished 10-9 on penalties to Vics as they set their sights on the trophy going to New Douglas Park.

A 20 degrees scorcher at new Douglas park meant playing conditions were at it’s peak for a massive summers night cup final. Straight off the bat both teams were desperate for that first important goal. The first chance came for Blantyre as a dinked ball over the yellow shirts found Ashton Spence who then intelligently slipped in Liam Carr but a great stop from O’Donnell denied the opening goal. You could tell both teams were nervous especially in both boxes with a limited amount of chances. Nonetheless it was Inspire with the majority of the possession in the opening 20 minutes.

Inspire started to find their flow towards the end of the first with the substitute Chey McEnroe making a real difference with his hold up play and work rate whilst almost grabbing the first goal. It was C-Jay McGauchy who placed a dangerous ball deep into the penalty area however an unfortunate spill from Dempsey fell to McEnroe however he couldn’t find a clean connection to put home the cup final 1st half goal.

The 1st half was a tense period with some mistakes here and there, however there was still a second half to play and it was ultimately going to be the team who kept comfortable possession would go home with the trophy. That team would be Inspire who seemed more relaxed in the second 35 minutes which led to the opener. C-Jay McGaughey had a lot of green space in front of him which he took advantage of leading him to unleash a rocket into the top right corner which had to come considering how much more controlled and disciplined Inspire became.

The dominance continued for Inspire with more chances courtesy of McEnroe and McManus sparked the idea of the second approaching. It would come from the man who scored 2 in the semi final and skipper Aiden McColigan who bombed down the right flank like a cheetah and then kept his cool in front of goal to score the double in an astonishing manner. Vics would have chances occasionally but they just didn’t have enough of the ball to match the dominance of Inspire which let them down in the end however now there thoughts will be on Saturday for the title decider which will be an incredible achievement for the coaches, players and parents.

And then the cherry on top to complete what had been a fantastic display from inspire as C-Jay McGaughey again took matters into his own hands by striking a similar finish to the first to get his second and the third for Inspire . This meant that Inspire were 25/26 CLYFA Division A Challenge Cup winners and in the end deservedly against a very good Blantyre Vics squad however the second half performance defined the final outcome on what had been a terrific night for the potential treble winners. Full time at New Douglas Park Inspire 3-0 Blantyre Vics Blues.

Inspire Magic Moment: I think McGauchy’s first is what won Inspire the game because of the impact it had on his teammates allowing them to play freely and efficiently in the second half.

Blantyre Vics Magic Moment: Despite the scoreline the Vics did created numerous opportunities however the one that looked to have gotten them in the lead early on in the first period from Liam Carr who couldn’t find the cutting edge in front of goal which proved costly as the match went on.

Inspire Player of the Match: No doubt it’s between McGaughey and Aiden McColligan and the match officials did give it to the skipper so ill give McGaughey his plaudits. First of all the 2 goals are impeccable the way he knows exactly when to pull the trigger and the finish perfectly executed for both goals , not only the brace but the constant threat down the flank for Blantyre as he constantly made the right decision in the tight spaces on the wing.

Blantyre Vics Blues Player of the match: On a disappointing night for Blantyre Vics I thought captain Conley McEihinney took of the midfield in stages as he always looked for the forward pass either to the centre forward or winger and not only that but his aggressive nature off it too.