Without wanting to sound patronising, Stranraer can be proud of their performance. For the first twenty minutes they pinned us back in our own half and there did not appear to be two divisions between the sides. Admittedly they only created one chance, and they missed the target with that, but the ‘Well fans behind the goal were making anxious mutterings for a long time.
Thankfully we managed to compose ourselves and put our foot on the ball. Adams was excellent, making several probing passes while Pearson used his pace to good effect on the left. There’s no denying that we were fortunate with the opening goal but we had a spell of pressure before that. If enough crosses are played into the box, you’ll get lucky eventually.
Frankie made a great save early in the second half but Faddy quickly killed the tie. He was marked very closely all game but showed some wonderful pieces of skill and, equally as important, he managed to keep his temper in check.
Faddy’s strike partner Dirk Lehmann also put in a power of work. His contribution in holding up the ball and winning headers from the giants in the Stranraer side was crucial. He might have been a wee bit sharper in the box but still deserved his goal at the end.
We have had an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable cup run and the team deserve credit for that, whatever happens in the semi final. But for now at least, the dream lives on.
Bring on Dunfermline or Rangers!