Doune Castle 3
Rannoch 0

Doune opened their season with a comfortable win in this League Cup sectional tie. A patient Castle had to wait until the second half to grab the goals that saw off the stuffy challenge of a resilient Rannoch.

Colin Burke created Doune’s first opportunity. Burke split the Rannoch defence with a long diagonal ball to the overlapping Jonny Burns. Burns drove the ball across the face of the goal. The keeper did well to save at David Heaver’s feet as the forward prepared to connect.

On 7 minutes, the keeper did well to punch clear a fiercely driven Sean Heaver corner.

Six minutes later, Ryan Duncanson powered forward and slipped the ball wide to Alan More. More skipped into the box and attempted to cut the ball across the face of the Rannoch goal. The keeper was again alert to the danger and gathered low to his left with several Castle players breaking forward to take advantage.

Niall McClure won a strong challenge in midfield and slipped the ball inside to Colin Burke. He moved it on to Sean Heaver who cut inside and whistled a low drive from 25 yards narrowly wide of the right hand post.

Doune thought they had opened the scoring on 25 minutes.

Sean Heaver drilled another corner from the left into the heart of the six-yard box. Ryan Duncanson leapt high above his marker to head into the roof of the net. The referee disallowed the effort, however, ruling Duncanson had unfairly pushed aside the defender.

Rannoch threatened for the first time after 36 minutes. A sweeping break down the right ended with a strong drive towards the far post. Callum Davison anticipated the effort, diving full-length to his right to parry the shot to safety.

Two minutes later, the Rannoch keeper dived low to his left to push away a blistering Sean Heaver shot from the edge of the area after Alan More had created the opening with a fine break down the left flank.

On 43 minutes, Niall McClure surged forward from midfield, leaving two defenders trailing in his wake. He edged a delicate pass forward to David Heaver who cut inside but rifled his effort well over.

Right on the halftime whistle, Lukasz Duszynski lost his footing on the point of shooting after darting forward between the Rannoch central defenders and a good opportunity was lost.

The first half ended with the sides still locked at 0-0.

Doune made the breakthrough three minutes into the second period.

Colin Burke won the ball in midfield and edged it forward to Sean Heaver. He found his namesake, David, with a neat pass inside. David Heaver knocked it into the path of Jonny Burns breaking in support down the right. Burns drove into the box. As the keeper moved to his right anticipating a cross ball, Burns calmly drilled the ball into the net at the near post from 8 yards to make it 1-0.

A minute later, it was 2-0.

Lukasz Duszynski collected wide on the left some 30 yards out. Duszynski cut inside, drifted past two defenders and slipped a pass to Sean Heaver, unmarked in a central position. Heaver brought the ball under control, took two steps forward and hammered a precise 24-yard strike beyond the keeper and into the far corner of the net.

Rannoch replied with an effort from distance that flew well over.

On 57 minutes, Alan More was caught in possession 30 yards out. A Rannoch forward latched onto the loose ball and broke clear on Callum Davison. The forward hammered a low shot towards the near post but Callum Davison retrieved the situation, diving to his left to turn the ball round the post.

Two minutes later, Davison again came to the Castle’s rescue. Richard Smith allowed a long ball to drop as he tried to usher it back towards his keeper. A Rannoch forward broke between them but Davison stretched tall to palm clear his attempted lob.

On the hour, Doune were denied what seemed a clear penalty. Jonny Burns was poised to shoot when he was bundled to the floor with an uncompromising challenge from behind. To the Castle's dismay, the referee dismissed their claims and allowed Rannoch to clear.

On 63 minutes, Sean Heaver curled a free kick from 26 yards over the defensive wall but the Rannoch keeper averted the danger with another fine block.

A minute later, Heaver skipped outside his marker to break clear wide on the right. He drilled a low ball across the face of the Rannoch goal but it zipped a yard behind the inrushing Castle attackers and another opportunity was lost.

On 68 minutes, Callum Davison saved a close-range header after an inviting cross into the box from the right flank.

After 74 minutes, Doune ripped apart the Rannoch defence with a sweeping move.

Niall McClure won possession and passed inside to Jonny Burns. Burns moved it forward to Sean Heaver who sped forward and threaded a pass through several defenders into the path of Lukasz Duszynski. Duszynski’s first effort was blocked. He regained possession and turned inside, leaving the keeper stranded. As he prepared to net, a defender appeared from nowhere to make a vital sliding clearance.

On 75 minutes, Jonny Burns received a caution for shirt pulling, an offence that was to cost him dearly in the closing minutes.

Doune sealed the win with the third goal after 79 minutes.

Christopher MacDonald slipped a fine pass forward to David Heaver. Heaver deceived the Rannoch defence with an astute dummy that allowed the ball to break into the path of Jonny Burns, driving forward once more from his wide right berth.

Burns shrugged off the challenge of a defender at the edge of the area and calmly slotted the ball wide of the outrushing keeper and into the net from 14 yards to make it 3-0.

On 86 minutes, the Rannoch defence did well to block a Sean Heaver free kick as Doune tried to add to their tally.

With two minutes left, Jonny Burns lunged unnecessarily into a tackle as a determined Rannoch refused to capitulate. Inevitably, the fullback received a second caution, his ordering off an unfortunate blemish in an otherwise outstanding individual performance.

The final whistle duly arrived, Doune sealing a welcome win in their first competitive match of the new season.

Doune Castle: Davison, Burns, More, Duncanson, Smith, Burke, Copland (MacDonald), McClure, D. Heaver, Duszynski, S. Heaver Substitutes: Scott, Gallagher, Morrison

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