Pupils play Scottish Cup holders on Saturday 19th July

[Mack]

Quite an interesting friendly fixture will take place on Saturday 19th July at Kintyre Park. Pupils will play host to last season's Scottish Cup winners Eddlewood Amateurs from Hamilton.

The game will have a 3pm kick-off to suite the visitors.

Eddlewood defeated Queens Park 1-0 at Hampden in May of this year.

[Ship called Dignity]

Good test Mack, thanks for posting. Time to get the camera out.

[Kintyre Forum News]

From the Pupils website. Well done.

Pupils claim top scalp

Scottish Cup Holders Lose in Campbeltown

Campbeltown Pupils 4 Eddlewood Amateurs 2

Although only a pre-season friendly, the management team must be very pleased the way a young Pupils squad aquitted themselves against an excellent Eddlewood side.

Emphasis must be placed on the fact this was a friendly fixture, and, things will get tougher when competitive football resumes in August; however, the main positive was the level of fitness the squad has achieved through the pre-season sessions.

In the early exchanges, Eddlewood found it difficult to get any real quality possession, this, mainly due to the ability of the home side to close their opponents down. Eddlewood from the outset tried to play a passing game, and must be commended for persevering with their plan throughout the match.

The Pupils for their part were a hungry team, winning most of the fifty-fifty situations and being first to the ball throughout a facinating first forty five minutes. The home side showed more than a little abilty on the ball themselves as the countered at speed, especially on the left-flank with a willing runner in the excellent Fraser Wylie.

Gary Grumoli once more showed up well in attack, snatching the lead for the home side in opportunist fashion when scored from close-range mid-way through the first-half.

Eddlewood did not make enough of their excellent possesion play, continully being thwarted by the endevour and sheer hard work of a very fit home side. The second goal was a classic, the ball travelling from Keith Mitchell to the overlapping Fraser Wylie, who in turn slipped the ball inside to Gary Grumoli. Taking the defence on, Grumoli squared the ball across goal for Alex McPhee to slid the ball home for the Pupils second goal.

The half-time 2-0 lead was well-deserved for the commitment the home team had shown to the cause.

Eddlewood's second-half fightback was predictable given the Lanarkshire's clubs excellent credentials. They reduced the leeway through a piece individual play from a mercurial forward, who picked the ball up after a defensive lapse to drill an angled drive into the far corner of the net.

Thoughts of an equaliser were dispelled when the Pupils once more restored their two goal cushion. A mistake by the visitors goalkeeper allowed Keith Mitchell the opportunity to craft an exquisite goal, a curling chip-shot beyond a number of despairing defenders into the top corner of the net.

Eddlewood were far from finished, with ten minutes remaining they once more reduced the leeway with a well-taken close range strke.

Sensing a late comeback the visitors launched forward, the Pupils having goalkeeper Neil McKay to thank for two outstanding saves within minutes of each other. The first was a ferocious strike from fifteen yards which the home goalkeeper saved in incredible fashion at his near post. The second was almost a replica, the home goalkeeper parrying the ball to safety before finally saving at the feet of an incoming forward.

The fixture was made safe when Eddlewood pushed too far forward. Caught cold with a swift counter-attack, the defence could only watch as Gary Grumoli made the tie safe when he drilled the ball home under the advancing goalkeeper.

The Pupils Football Club would like to thank our visitors for bringing their successful club to Campbeltown. We wish them all the best in the new season, and, would like to add our congratulations on their wonderful effort in winning the top prize at Hampden Park earlier in the year.

[petewick]

Well done Pupils