Change of venue for Greenock cup tie
Gary Pews • Published 16 Dec 2011 12:30
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GREENOCK'S Scottish Cup tie against Bellshill Athletic looks set to go ahead tomorrow, after the Lanarkshire club arranged a change of venue.
After three unsuccessful attempts to stage the third round match at Bellshill's temporary home at Fullarton Park in Glasgow, it has now been switched to the artificial pitch at Carluke Rovers ground to enable the tie to finally go ahead.
And the winners now have the added incentive of knowing who they will face in the next round, following yesterday's draw for the fourth round of the cup.
A trip to face Larkhall Thistle is the prize, and while that may not be the most glamorous of matches, it represents a great chance for whoever comes out on top tomorrow to progress to the last 16 of the Junior game's most prestigious tournament.
Greenock prepared for Saturday's game with a friendly match against Premier League club Arthurlie on Monday evening.
The local club lost 3-0 in what by all accounts was anything but a 'friendly', but Greenock boss Stevie Mooney felt his men gave a good account of themselves, with the scoreline not representing the closeness of the game.
The match saw Andy Irvine get his first full 90 minutes under his belt since suffering a bad injury in a Scottish Cup tie against Beith almost a year ago.
The defender could come into the reckoning tomorrow, but Mooney has almost a full squad to choose from, with Paul Scott and Kieran Pettigrew the only doubts with niggling injuries.
Greenock go into the match knowing they have already beaten Bellshill twice in the league this season, but Mooney feels that may well make tomorrow's opponents all the more determined.
He said: "Bellshill will be fired up for the game and will no doubt be seeking to avenge the earlier defeats.
"It is a neutral venue on a surface not unlike Battery Park, but it is not ideal that we go there after a few weeks of no competitive matches, although of course it is the same for Bellshill."
One scenario both teams will be anxious to avoid is the match ending in a draw, as the SJFA is likely to order the replay to be played the following Saturday, Christmas Eve.
So Mooney and his troops will want to finish the job tomorrow at the first time of asking.
l Kick-off at the John Cumming Stadium, Carluke is at 1.45pm.
Greenock Juniors are sponsored by Regents Vehicle Sales, Greenock, and the Lighthouse Bar.
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 16 Dec 11
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