Scottish Cup Second Round – 26th October 2024 @ Balmoor Stadium
Match Report From Ross McGowan
The magic of the Scottish Cup took Lochee United north today dreaming of glory and of all the legendary status that this competition brings.
The Bluebells upset the odds in the first round with a remarkable 3-2 win away to East Stirlingshire and they would have to beat the bookies again this afternoon if they wanted to progress against a Peterhead side flying high in League 2 of the senior ranks.
With the Blue Toon boasting a formidable goalscoring threat in the shape of Rory McAllister, today’s encounter signalled a significant step up in class for Lochee.
However, if Dougie Cameron’s men were looking for any encouragement then Peterhead going winless in their last five outings may have just offered a glimmer of hope.
Whilst the mood on the bus north was one of guarded optimism, even Lochee supporters of the most rose-tinted predisposition could not have imagined the dream start their side would make to this game.
With barely three minutes on the clock a long ball forward through the middle into the Peterhead box saw Kerr Hay fouled in the act of holding the ball up at the expense of a penalty and Bobby Linn sent the keeper the wrong way to put Lochee 1-0 up.
Peterhead looked to hit back immediately and Jamie McCabe was forced into a great fingertip save to deny a McCarthy shot from the edge of the box. McCabe then got down low to save again from the resultant corner.
But with fifteen minutes on the clock the travelling Lochee support were sent into delirium when Lochee took a sensational two goal lead. Bobby Linn burst down the left and slipped a clever ball in behind the defence for Kerr Hay who used his first touch to try and evade the defender, and when a desperate last-ditch challenge clipped Hay’s heels the referee once again pointed to the spot. Bobby Linn duly dispatched the spot kick to propel Lochee into a barely believable 2-0 lead.
Hay was now looking almost unplayable to the home defence and it was very nearly three when he was brought down at the edge of the box only for Callum Moore’s set piece effort to whistle just past the upright with the keeper beaten.
But if the magic of the cup was in the air, Lochee’s supporters had to get their fill of it quickly as this ruthless Peterhead side proceeded to reverse Lochee’s early advantage in frighteningly short order.
First, an inswinging corner from the left was headed home by Jason Brown at the back post to pull the scores back to 2-1.
Then, with Lochee high up the park a swift Peterhead counter-attack put the visitors on the back foot and whilst MacKenzie Lemon did well to slow things down there was nothing anybody could do when the ball was laid back to Andy McCarthy to curl a magnificent shot into the postage stamp corner to square the tie at 2-2.
Lochee looked to dust themselves off and get their football going again with a well-worked, patient passing move out from the back enabling Bobby Linn to scramble for a corner down the left. And when the ball was whipped into the box the Peterhead defence looked momentarily panicked as a stramash ensued but the ball just would not sit for Lochee and was cleared to safety.
Peterhead now looked to push the game higher up the park and pin Lochee back with some crisp quick-fire passing and with Lochee unable to clear their lines Cieren Dunne fired into the top corner to put Peterhead 3-2 up.
And Lochee’s misery was compounded right on the stroke of half time when a free kick on the byline was whipped across the face of goal with pace and Seb Ross supplied the faintest of head-flicks to put the hosts 4-2 ahead.
That was how the sides went in at the break and whilst Lochee looked early on to be contenders for pulling off the shock of the round, Peterhead served up a sobering lesson in how quickly the tide can turn against you when faced with senior opposition.
But just as quickly as Peterhead had seemingly taken the game away from Lochee in the first half, they offered Lochee an avenue back into the game in a bizarre opening sequence to the second 45.
First, Peterhead keeper Blessing Oluyemi got himself into a tangle in a misunderstanding with his defence that saw him off his line and exposed but Connor Coupe’s shot drifted agonisingly over the bar.
Then, trying to play out from a goal kick Peterhead lost possession to Callum Moore and as Lochee worked the ball across the middle through Ewan Murray, Bobby Linn popped up to fire low into the near post and pull Lochee back to 4-3.
And moments later Lochee almost found themselves all square when a reckless act of self-sabotage in the Peterhead defence saw a blind passback bound for their own goal but Oluyemi managed to scramble back and clear off his own line.
Ryan Paterson, Corey Gray and Callum Lamb were introduced off the bench with manager Dougie Cameron going for broke, and Lochee will have fancied their chances with Peterhead now struggling to find the passing fluency that tore Lochee apart in the first half.
But with 20 minutes to go Lochee were given a mountain to climb when Peterhead worked the ball to substitute Cammy Smith at the edge of the box and although Jamie McCabe got his fingertips to Smith’s low fizzing shot it squeezed into the corner to put the hosts 5-3 up.
Lochee kept driving forward with Callum Lamb stealing possession down the right and picking out Ryan Paterson at the front post but Oluyemi got his angles right as Paterson shot wide.
And the decisive blow was struck in the closing stages when a cross to the back post was headed home by Peterhead skipper Jason Brown to wrap up a 6-3 win for the Blue Toon.
The scoreline barely tells the story of what was a 90 minute rollercoaster of emotions for us all today. Lochee made a blistering start to the match and for a short spell we all dared to dream. And even in the second half at 4-3 with the wind behind us our guys continued to press for an equaliser.
In the end it was not to be against an excellent Peterhead side who are right in the picture for promotion to League 1 this season. There is no shame in losing to a better team, we always relish the opportunity to test ourselves against the best at this level in the Scottish Cup, and every single Lochee United player can go home to their families tonight knowing they did themselves and their club proud.
Man of the match today was the scorer of our three goals Bobby Linn who elevated us with his experience and showed that he still has what it takes to compete on the big stage.
Next up is a return to league action with a home fixture against Letham next Saturday.
As always – COME ON THE CHEE!!!
Lineup – McCabe, Lunan, Lemon, Donald, Joyce, Steel (Lamb 65’), Coupe (Paterson 65’), Callum Moore, Linn, Murray (Gray 80’), Hay
Lochee goals –
Linn (Pen) 3’
Linn (Pen) 15’
Linn 56’
