Johnstone Burgh beat Tranent to win the Scottish Junior Cup
Johnstone Burgh staged a remarkable comeback to secure the Call Robert Scottish Junior Cup with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Tranent FC at Broadwood Stadium in North Lanarkshire on Sunday.
The final saw both sides locked at 1 – 1 in regulation time before spot-kicks decided the contest.
Early on, Tranent appeared to hold the initiative, with a Harry Girdwood header opening the scoring and putting pressure on Burgh. However, Johnstone Burgh’s resilience shone through in the second half.
Ciaran Diver fired into the corner of the net with 16 minutes remaining.
Things worsened for Darren Smith’s Tranent side as they were forced to hold on when Scott Gray was sent off for a second booking just a few minutes later.
With both sides unable to produce a decisive breakthrough in normal time, the game progressed to a penalty shootout.
Tranent’s efforts faltered with missed attempts from Dean Brett and Euan Bauld – Bauld’s effort was saved by Burgh’s goalkeeper Luke Scullion – while Ben Miller and Robbie McIntyre converted their penalties.
Burgh players turned their chances into silverware with well-taken penalties from Fraser Mullen, Ciaran Diver, Ross Davidson, and a composed effort from veteran Kyle Lafferty, ending decades of waiting since their last cup success.
Lafferty – whose career has seen him feature for clubs like Rangers, Hearts, and Kilmarnock while earning 89 international caps and scoring 20 goals for Northern Ireland – played a pivotal role in the shootout.
Johnstone Burgh manager Murdo MacKinnon is now the third Burgh manager to win the Scottish Junior Cup, breaking the club’s 57-year wait to lift the trophy once again.
Fellow Johnstone side Thorn Athletic said: “Massive well done to Johnstone Burgh on bringing the Scottish Junior Cup home.
“Great to see the town’s football community getting behind the team, and hopefully, it was a great night of celebrations for all involved.”
Photo: Nearly 3,000 Johnstone fans travelled to Cumbernauld
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: Regular time ended one all
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: Johnstone Burgh’s goalkeeper Luke Scullion get a wee hold of the cup
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: The team celebrate their win
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: Murdo MacKinnon kisses the worlds fourth oldest trophy
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
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