NINETY minutes are all that separate Dunbar United from their first cup triumph as a senior football club.
The Seasiders came through against Dunipace in the semi-finals of the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup on Saturday.
Now they have a silverware showcase to look forward to next month against fellow East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) Premier Division side Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts.
Kevin Haynes, manager of Dunbar United, was pleased with the 4-1 win at the weekend and was looking forward to the final.
He told Courier Sport: “It will be a tough game, as you would expect.
“You have got to play tough games if you want to win competitions.
“We have done well in this cup so far and it is something we can look forward to.
“This is why people get involved in football.
“Players, coaches, supporters – they want to see the team succeed.
“This would be a wee feather in our cap in terms of the progression the club has made in the last 24 months.”
One of the match’s main talking points at Westfield Park came with the scores locked together early in the second half.
Dunipace’s goalkeeper suffered a serious injury in attempting to deal with a backpass and Taylor Hendry put the Seasiders in front.
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Haynes wished the goalkeeper “a speedy recovery” following the unfortunate incident.
Questions had been raised on social media whether the goal should have stood but Haynes was content with his team’s approach.
He said: “My opinion has not changed having watched it back.
“I took my information from the referee and my players before making any decision.
“The information given to me by the referee was that the backpass was a slack backpass.
“The referee indicated that the goalkeeper had slipped, then the injury occurred trying to get up and recover from it, but at the time the ball had passed him and was at Taylor’s feet.
“I have used the information supplied to players and came to the conclusion that it was a fair goal.
“Obviously, the backlash is the non-sporting behaviour that I am being accused of now from anybody associated with Dunipace but my shoulders are big enough to carry that and I’m happy with the decision I made with the club.”
A venue is yet to be confirmed for the cup final, which is due to be played on April 28.
In the meantime, Dunbar have a further eight league games to play and also a second-round EoSFL League Cup tie against Edinburgh United this weekend.
The manager acknowledged that it was going to be a busy end to the campaign.
The visitors to New Countess Park this weekend are sitting in the relegation zone of the EoSFL Second Division alongside Ormiston Primrose.
Haynes felt it was an opportunity to freshen up his starting line-up but stressed that the main priority was to progress to the next round.
He said: “We are carrying a few injuries or have a couple of guys recovering.
“It will be a good game to get them into the swing of things before we have a packed April.
“The season is due to get finished in the second week of May.
“We have a few games to catch up on in the next seven-week period.
“It is going to be full on – probably 10, potentially 12, games depending on how far we progress in the cup.”
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