A weekend of close Scottish Cup quarter-final ties awaits

The three snow-delayed quarter-final ties in this season`s Scottish Cup are due for decision on Sunday, the ties should be close affairs as they all involve National League 1 sides. The only semi-final certainty is Clydesdale in the men’s competition who defeated holders Bromac Kelburne in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in the only match to survive the Arctic conditions.

The Titwood-based side will host the winner of the Grange v Dundee Wanderers confrontation at Fettes. If league form is any guide, then the Edinburgh side must start clear favourites having completed the double over the Taysiders. A 2-0 win at the cup venue was followed by a 6-2 victory in Dundee, Frank Ryan scored a hat-trick that day, Cammie Fraser got two and the other emanated from Luke Cranney.

Although Fraser will be absent as he is on Scotland Commonwealth Games duty, the five times cup holders will hope to still have too much firepower for the Dundonians. But Grange`s form has not been spectacular since the season restart, apart from the Wanderers` win, they have been held to draws twice and then went down 5-3 to Kelburne at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

A weekend of close Scottish Cup quarter-final ties awaits
14 October 2017 at Auchenhowie.
Western Wildcats v Grange – photo by Duncan Gray

Again league form would suggest Western Wildcats should progress to the next round at the expense of Inverleith at Peffermill. Wildcats triumphed 5-2 and 4-1 over Inverleith already this season with the free-scoring Andrew McConnell getting a hat-trick in the latter triumph.

But the Wildcats have also suffered from a lack of consistency since the winter shutdown with defeats at the hands of Uddingston and Clydesdale to demonstrate their vulnerability. And the Wildcats will be without striker Rob Harwood who is on the Gold Coast. On the other hand, Inverleith have yet to record a win against National League 1 opposition this season, to break that duck on Sunday would be to meet a challenge.

On paper the Grove Menzieshill v Edinburgh University quarter-final clash on Tayside might be the closest affair, especially as the equivalent league encounter finished in a 2-2 draw. But the students are not firing on all cylinders since the season restart, draws with Inverleith and Dundee Wanderers are evidence of this, and they have slipped back into sixth place in the table.

In contrast the Taysiders are unbeaten in their last four games, including a convincing 4-0 triumph over the students at Peffermill. And they are scoring goals, 16 in the last four outings with Paul Martin, Cameron Golden, Albert Rowling and Aidan McQuade doing most of the damage.

However, despite these statistics and predictions, over the years the Scottish Cup has so often thrown up a rogue result or two – and will undoubtedly continue to do so.

In the women`s cup quarter-final Grove Menzieshill will hope to join Edinburgh University, GHK and Wildcats in the semi-finals if they can see off the challenge of second division Aberdeen University in the North East.

The prize for the winner will be a semi-final clash with Western Wildcats while the draw paired up Edinburgh University and GHK in the other semi.

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