SFA Youth Cup: St Mirren U19s 2-1 Stenhousemuir U19s

St Mirren forward Jon Scullion proved that size doesn’t matter as the smallest player on the park claimed a double to help his side into the semi-final of the Scottish Youth Cup, writes Matthew Harold from St Mirren Park.

The young Buddies were made to work for the victory by lower league outfit Stenhousemuir in order to join Celtic, Dundee United and Queen of the South in the final four of the tournament.

Scullion got on the scoresheet within the first three minutes as he managed to get onto the end of a cross from the left and put the ball beyond the helpless Sean Diamond in the Warriors goal.

From then on the Paisley side dominated their opponents, with the small dynamo forward pair of Scullion and Jack Smith tormenting the visitors defence, but fortunately for Stenhousemuir, neither could find the way to a second goal.

But with ten minutes left in the half Stenhousemuir found themselves on level terms after gaining a free kick on the right wing, which Jordan Burns ultimately dispatched beyond Michael McKinven in the home goal and into the roof of the net.

Just before the break St Mirren should have regained the lead as Sean Kelly rose above his marker to meet a corner from the right, but the centre half could only direct his header into the stand behind the goal.

St Mirren continued to press in the second half, with Diamond having to react sharply in order to prevent David McAlinden from getting onto the end of a pass through by Jason Naismith, but the Warriors keeper raced from his goal to clear.

The home side were then gifted a series of chances as a result of some sloppy passing by the Stenhousemuir midfield, but neither Scullion or Thomas Reilly could make anything of these opportunities.

With less than 20 minutes left in the game and the visitors defence looking solid, it was Scullion who regained the initiative for St Mirren after they gained a free kick 30 yards out, which the forward powerfully struck beyond the outstretched arms of Diamond and into the net.

They could have extended the lead minutes later as 15-year-old substitute Kieran Doran struck the bar from just outside the area as the Buddies maintained their stranglehold of the game.

With their side heading out of the cup, Stenhousemuir decided to go for broke, but they failed to properly trouble McKinven, with the only problem for the St Mirren coming in the last minute, when he took a knock and looked like he would need to be substituted.

Be he continued and so did his side, with Scullion almost claiming his hat-trick at the death as he got onto the end of a long ball and attempted to lob it over Diamond, but the keeper got a hand to the ball and the forward blasted the rebound over the bar.

But it wasn’t to matter as David Longmuir’s side claimed their place in the last four of the Scottish Youth Cup.

St Mirren U19: McKinven, Meechan, Cole, Owens, Kelly, Naismith, McAlinden, Cairns, Reilly, Smith, Scullion

Subs: Lamont, Williams, Fulton, Doran, White

Stenhouemuir U19: Diamond, Duncan, Lawson, Docherty, Nelson, Welsh, O’Grady, Brash, Love, Burns, McGuire

Subs: Taylor, McClune, McKinlay, Wilson, Shaw, Quinn, Doherty.

Man of the Match: Jon Scullion (St Mirren U19)

Referee: David Munro