Bonnyrigg Rose and Dryburgh Athletic set up Alloa showdown as both reach ScottishPower National League Cup final
Bonnyrigg Rose and Dryburgh Athletic will face each other in Alloa on 24 May for the ScottishPower National League Cup final after winning dramatic semi-finals.
Bonnyrigg skipper Dani Manson struck a spectacular free kick deep into extra time against Barclays League One side Westdyke in Aberdeenshire to secure a place in her side’s first ever senior cup final , before Dundee’s Dryburgh Athletic saw off a second-half Stenhousemuir fightback at Ochilview to join them for a fourth final appearance in five years.
Clara Thum had given Westdyke a half-time lead with a good goal from the edge of the box just before the break, and the home side looked to be heading to the final until Bonnyrigg Rose were awarded a penalty with just minutes remaining of regulation time.
Prolific striker Khya McGurk saw her penalty well saved by Westdyke keeper Kirsten Pratt but she only managed to push it into the path of Rose’s Jen Brown who fired home to send the game into extra time.
Both benches may well have been preparing for a penalty shootout when Manson floated in her free kick on 117 minutes to book their place in the final.
Rebecca Scobie used her pace to grab a brace for Dryburgh either side of half-time, after Stenhousemuir had enjoyed the majority of chances in the opening spell including a rebound off the upright. Then Clara Laing was brought down in the box and skipper Rachel Robbie added Dryburgh’s third from the spot, but Stenny were not out of it.
Cerys Corey was a presence up front, and they pulled one back after Kyla Thomson showed quick feet to cross to Lauren McDonald who struck into the corner. The lively Thomson added one of her own before Zoe McLean maintained Dryburgh’s lead with a save from Corey.
The Dundee side celebrated returning to the final of a competition they were inaugural winners of in the 2021/22 season, when they beat Montrose 1-0. They then lost the subsequent two finals against Edinburgh City and Rossvale, both in extra time, before the cup was won by Stirling University last season. The final will take place once again at the Indodrill stadium in Alloa on Sunday 24 May, as part of a double bill of women’s football with the ScottishPower Regional League Cup earlier at the same venue.
There were top-of-the-table clashes in the regional divisions, with Bishopton making a huge statement in SWFL Central/West with a 5-1 win over title rivals Cumbernauld United. In SWFL East, Edinburgh South won the Edinburgh derby with a 94th-minute winner from Anna Hume to complete a cup and league double over Edinburgh University Thistle and leapfrog them to the top of the table. In SWFL North, Jeanfield Swifts followed their victory over Arbroath with another win over a division title contender, a 1-0 home win over Huntly providing further twists and turns to that league.
Next Sunday these SWFL sides will contest the semi-finals of the ScottishPower Regional League Cup and Plate, with Buckie Ladies travelling to Penicuik Athletic and Alloa Athletic hosting Jeanfield Swifts in the Plate, while Arbroath host Bishopton and Edinburgh South travel to Huntly in the cup semi-finals.
The Barclays Championship and League One will also commence their post-split fixtures for the finale of each title race and the promotion and relegation places.
