Arthurlie's Junior Cup joy as Barrhead boys reach first final in 26 years after derby-day glory

JOHNSTONE BURGH...1 ARTHURLIE...2

(Arthurlie won 4-3 on aggregate)

Colin Reilly wants his never-say-die squad to create their own slice of Junior Cup history after Arthurlie reached their first final in 26 years.

A second-half winner from Dylan McGuigan clinched the Renfrewshire Derby for the Barrhead outfit at Keanie Park on Saturday night.

Johnstone Burgh had taken the lead through Kieran Brophy but Conor Bolger quickly levelled before McGuigan’s crucial strike minutes after the restart.

Arthurlie will now face West of Scotland League Premier Division rivals Darvel in the final on Sunday, June 2, at Cumbernauld’s Broadwood Stadium, North Lanarkshire.

‘Vale lost 1-0 to Auchinleck Talbot in Friday night’s second leg at Recreation Park but narrowly prevailed 2-1 on aggregate.

Not since 1998 have Arthurlie had a shot at the famous silverware – back then they thrashed Southside Derby rivals Pollok 4-0 to lift the trophy in sensational fashion.

Now delighted boss Reilly wants new memories to be created as he lifted the lid on what the competition means to everyone connected with Arthurlie.

“This is unbelievable for the club,” he explained. “The committee work really hard behind the scenes. The players, myself and the backroom team are all really close. It will mean a lot to the fans as well.

“I’ve never been involved in Junior football. I played senior football at Dundee United and Morton then in South Africa and managed in Dubai.

“For me, the Scottish Junior Cup is massive. I always remember my gran watching it in the olden days and that’s what attracted me to Arthurlie – the history of the club and what the Scottish Cup means to them.

“This is the holy grail, isn’t it? I have one out of 20 boys that has been to a Junior Cup final and that’s Bryan Wharton.”

Reilly added: “We stood strong, we battled, the boys were outstanding and I thought we deserved the victory. The big thing was to just keep believing and showing loads of energy, especially in the wider areas.

“We’ve got a lot of hunger and desire in the team and they’ve never once downed tools. I’m really proud of them.”

Kick-off was delayed 15 minutes to allow the huge 2,393 crowd, which included Rangers legend Ally McCoist, into Keanie Park with sun-soaked queues the length of the street.

Conditions were perfect and life got even better for the Burgh faithful when Brophy grabbed the opener in the 17th minute when he nodded home from a corner. However, their joy was short-lived as Bolger equalised five minutes later.

These sides – who shared a 2-2 first-leg draw at Dunterlie last weekend – just couldn’t be separated it seemed.

In the 50th minute, that all changed as ‘Lie took a decisive lead when McGuigan guided a Dylan Dykes lay-off into the far bottom corner of the net.

Burgh had chances to level but Jason Naismith headed just wide and a Kyle Lafferty strike was off target with an effort.

The Barrhead men could have sealed it when Lee Roulston put the ball past the post from a flick-on but ‘Lie held on anyway to spark scenes of celebration at time up.

Burgh – who last night named former Pollok and Cumnock gaffer Murdo MacKinnon as their new boss – will now focus on attempting to win promotion from the First Division.

Interim manager Tommy Montgomery said: “In semi-finals, it’s about who makes the least mistakes and we gave away two cheap goals. We’re disappointed.

“Goals change games and that’s what happened. I think we went out with a whimper rather than a roar.”

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