East Craigie 4 Lochee United 1

With East Craigie already qualified for the next round of the Thorntons Property League Cup and Lochee United fielding a number of trialists in advance of a crucial league game on Saturday, this game had a pre-season/end of season feel to it, but that shouldn’t detract from a fine performance and result for a young Shipbuilders team.

They took the game to Lochee from the start and should have gone ahead after only five minutes. Rory Faulkner burst through the visiting defence and laid the ball into the path of Finlay Baird who somehow managed to hit the crossbar with goalkeeper Mark Fotheringham stranded.

Then Adam Brown was very unlucky to see his shot rebound off the woodwork and into the arms of Fotheringham.

The Lochee keeper was in action again soon afterwards, diving at the feet of Euan McIlvenny.

It was 25 minutes in before the visitors mustered their first serious attempt ton the home goal with their trialist number 7 hitting the post with a 25-yard drive.

However, on the half hour mark Craigie took a deserved lead when Jordan CONWAY beat Fotheringham with a shot from the edge of the box.

At half time Lochee boss George Shields brought on Connor Birse for Scott McComiskie and another trialist for Kieran McWalter but the home side continued to dominate as an unfamiliar Lochee side, understandably, failed to find any rhythm.

There were other close things for the Lochee goal before the Shipbuilders added a second on 62 minutes, Brown and Nathan Scott combining to set up McILVENNY for a tap-in.

Seven minutes later the home team went three ahead. Brown got to the byline and cut the ball back for McILVENNY to grab his second.

The Bluebells did manage to pull one back 13 minutes from time when BIRSE beat the offside trap and rounded keeper Liam Dunn before  chipping the ball into the net.

And they almost pulled within one goal when their trialist number 7 burst through, only to be denied by Dunn diving to his right to save.

But the final word went to East Craigie nine minutes from the end. Again, the ball came down the right from Sean Reekie and, though substitute Nick Mann miskicked, the ball fell to Conan HOWETT who made no mistake from close range.

So, a well deserved win for the home team and Lochee fans will hope that there is a more familiar look to the line-up when they meet Thornton Hibs on Saturday.

East Craigie: Dunn, Reekie, Christie, McDonald, Brannan, Conway, Brown, Faulkner, Baird, McIlvenny, Howett.

Lochee United: Fotheringham, Trialist, Trialist, McNally, McWalter, McDonald, Trialist, Davie, Reid, Trialist, McComiskie.

Reporter: Jim Davie