Newtown finally nearing amateur football cup final two years on

Newtown being beaten 5-3 at home by Chirnside United at the weekend in a Beveridge Cup first-round tie (Photo: Bill McBurnie)

Newtown beat Hawick Waverley 2-1 last night, March 16, at Netherdale in Galashiels in a semi-final on hold for over two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

That final, to be played on a date yet to be fixed, will mark the culmination of a cup run for the Borderers that began back in November 2019 with a 5-3 first-round away victory against Strathclyde Evangelical Churches Football League side Machan United at Larkhall in South Lanarkshire.

Newtown had looked to be destined for an early exit from the cup after going 3-0 down but an Andrew Crawford hat-trick and goals from Matt Scott and Chris Nicholson earned them a comeback victory.

They went on to demolish the now-defunct Kelso Amateurs 11-0 in the contest’s second round and beat South Lanarkshire’s Law Community 4-2 in the third round and Stow 2-1 in the quarter-finals before their cup run was curtailed, until now, by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Goals from Louis Blacklock and Calum McGowan gave Newtown a 2-0 half-time lead last night, and Matthew Linton scored Waverley’s consolation effort with seven minutes to go.

They will face Central Scottish Amateur Football League premier division side Lesmahagow in 2020’s postponed final.

Their South Lanarkshire opponents, second in their league with 24 points from nine matches and four games in hand on league leaders Drumchapel, have already reached the semi-finals of this season’s South Cup as well, plus the semi-finals of 2022’s Scottish Amateur Cup.

Newtown, currently fourth in the Border Amateur Football Association’s A division with 18 points from 11 games, are out of action this weekend but play Stow at home in a Waddell Cup quarter-final on Saturday, March 26.