Vale of Leithen 3

SFA SOUTH REGION CHALLENGE CUP FIRST ROUND

DAVE RYCE reports from the Garscube Sports Complex

Vale striker Chris Graham is used to entertaining students during his stints as a DJ in an Edinburgh club at weekends – but he led the Glasgow University defence a merry dance on Saturday.

Graham, a summer signing from Peebles, led the line superbly, scoring Vale's opener and setting up the other two in a performance that had onlookers raving.

The start of the game was delayed when the referee noticed that University officials had neglected to put out corner flags.

After several minutes, some were found, but it looked like Glasgow were more in need of white flags in an opening spell that saw Vale pummel the Caledonia League side's goal.

Both teams were without their regular goalkeepers and University defended deep in a bid to protect stand-in David Gibson, but it was a mistake by the stopper that led to the opener in 18 minutes.

Attempting to deal with a passback, Gibson's attempted clearance was poor and fell at the feet of Graham at the edge of the area, who quickly dispatched the ball into the net.

Vale's Raymond Fleming cracked a shot off Gibson's left-hand post as Vale continued to pile forward, and it was no surprise when a second score came in the 27th minute.

Graham was the provider, firing in a cross from the left, which was powerfully headed home by Steven Notman.

Although spending most of their time defending, Glasgow still carried a threat on the break and grabbed a goal back shortly before half time.

Mark Campbell picked out Kevin Lee with a great pass, who motored down the right and sent in a cross which lively striker Jamie Kerr got to just ahead of Vale keeper Lee Gordon and finished from a tight angle.

The second half followed the same pattern as the first, and Vale introduced Frank Harrison to the action in the 64th minute.

The substitute almost scored with his first touch, but managed to with his second after a Graham header from a Robbie Clark cross had rebounded off the crossbar and dropped for Harrison to knock in from close range.

That should have been that, except Vale conceded a goal in the 69th minute that was a personal disaster for captain Campbell Forsyth.

The big centre-half claimed a Scott Devenney cross while Gordon stayed on his line, but only succeeded in knocking the ball past his bewildered goalkeeper and into the net.

It gave Glasgow the boost they needed – and for the first time Vale found themselves on the back foot as the students piled forward in a bid to take the game into extra time.

But poor finishing from Devenney, Chris O'Day and Dominic Vaughan from promising positions meant that it was Vale who progressed to the second round.

Vale of Leithen: L. Gordon; G. Tainsh, Ross McManus, P. Lee, C. Forsyth, N. Nisbet, R. Clark, S. Notman, C. Graham, A. Hunter (F. Harrison 64), Ray Fleming.