Albion cut Elm down in Cup with four-goal salvo in second half

Albion AFC recorded a resounding 5-0 win over Elm Edinburgh and now face AC Midlothian for a place in the final of the Edinburgh and District Sunday Amateur FA Second Division League Cup.

The visitors scored four of their goals in a lopsided second half to seal a comprehensive victory. Table toppers Westside AFC or Football Club of Edinburgh, or lowly Ultimo Goccia 04, will lie in wait for the winners of the Albion v AC semi-final in the amateur football showpiece at Saughton Enclosure on the first day of May.

Elm and Albion are both treading water in mid table of the Second Division, but it was visitors Albion who asserted their potential as promotion material with a blistering second 45 minutes at the Capital's Milton Road venue.

Their midfielder Craig McIntyre and striker David Dickson were the protagonists behind the majority of positive play in an altogether scrappy first half, and the two almost combined to open the lead after just eight minutes. McIntyre slipped a clever ball forward to his attacking counterpart, but Elm goalkeeper David Gay bowled out from his line to gather ahead of Dickson.

A defensive slip two minutes later gifted Albion the lead. David Strain's long, high ball forward from deep in the Albion half sailed over the outstretched head of Elm left-back Darren Nicholson, setting up a chase for possession between Dickson and home No.?1 Gay, the former knocking the ball beyond the last man to allow Albion's Craig Morrison the easy task of converting the loose ball from close range.

Elm fashioned a creative opening of their own on 22 minutes as the right winger Tyler Cunningham displayed superlative vision from the Albion by-line to pick out team mate Graham Hogg on the far side of a crowded box, but Hogg crashed his emphatic volley into the side netting from an angle ten yards out.

Alan Terrell, the Albion centre back who oozed class and calmness throughout a barely troubling first half, committed a rare error to present Elm with another chance of an equaliser, a clearance from the right of his own penalty area falling to the hosts' James McNicol 25 yards out in the centre of the pitch. Despite twisting his body to meet the airborne ball in acrobatic style, McNicol's spectacular right-footed drive flew inches past the top right-hand corner of Mark Aitken's goal.

Elm found more fortune in attack than within their backline, and during a series of five consecutive corners they almost levelled matters, the best of their efforts coming when Richard Gay's header was cleared off the line by Albion's Kyle Kirkwood.

Elm threatened to equalise after the interval as they poured forward, but Albion struck a quickfire double to dampen the home side's spark. John Urey spearheaded a new-look attacking formation for the visitors and the change in tactics paid off handsomely for the striker, who converted two Dickson crosses from the right within a matter of minutes to put his side 3-0 up.

Dickson took advantage of an increasingly downbeat Elm defence by beating the offside trap twice late on to add a double of his own.

Albion boss John Urey Snr was delighted that his altered second half line-up reaped dividends and handed the visitors a comprehensive 5-0 win en route to a semi-final berth.

"In the first half, we started out 3-5-2 and we changed our system to a 4-3-3 and began to play the ball in behind Elm. With the pace of our lads, it was one-way traffic. We brought on three players, including another striker and that changed the complexion of the game. The guys took the goals really well.

"We now have a semi-final to look forward to. We've played AC Midlothian twice already and they were close games, which we lost. I'm hoping to be at full strength for that game and we fancy our chances."

Elm coach Darren Walls, whose side miss out on that mid-March meeting with AC, felt aggrieved at Albion's second, crucial, goal but revealed his club still harbour ambitious plans for their debut season "They got their second goal which was miles offside," said Walls. "We were attacking and attacking at the start of the second half, but that goal just killed the game. We've only played one game since the start of November - obviously we've been training, but you need matches.

"Being a new team, we are hoping for a top-four finish in the league. We are still in two cup competitions, so we'll be hoping to go far in them. Every week I've got 20 guys at training. There are always guys going to be left out, but in terms of commitment, I can't ask for any more."

Elm Edinburgh: David Gay, James McNicol, Colin Monkhouse, Chris Arnott, Richard Gay, Warren Chadwick, Tyler Cunningham, Sallah Mboob, David Gilroy, Graham Hogg, Gary Wallace, Darren Nicholson, Alex Rankine, Darren Taylor, Keith Spence, David Johnstone.

Albion AFC: Mark Aitken, David Strain, Mark Rowe, Craig Morrison, Kyle Kirkwood, Alan Terrell, Calum Gordon, Craig McIntyre, Craig Williams, David Dickson, Barry McNeill, John Urey, Chris Paul.