THE Evening Times Champions Cup was yet again Ayrshire bound last night after Beith proved too hot for Petershill as they ran out 4-1 winners in a New Tinto Park finale that also brought the curtain down on the 2017/18 Junior season.

The attraction of the televised World Cup showdown between Portugal and Spain resulted in a somewhat sparse crowd being in attendance as the game kicked off and right from the first whistle Petershill – with four juveniles in their starting line-up, inclusive of their former player Ciaran McElroy – were put under the cosh by their lively Ayrshire opponents for whom wingers Darren Christie and Joe Bradley were to the fore in the early exchanges.

A fright for the Peasy backline arrived when Bradley’s cross-cum-shot from the right flank struck the top of the crossbar with goalkeeper John Gibson beaten however their goal was only to remain intact until the 13th minute when a searing run forward by Christie ended with him releasing Kenny McLean into space and his low driven cross was turned home by strike partner Andy Reid from close range for 1-0.

With their tails up, Beith continued to dominate and little was being seen of Petershill as an attacking force. However, a reminder of the threat they posed came in 23 minutes when Chris Hall controlled a forward pass and let loose a shot that carried over the crossbar.

At this stage in the proceedings, Peasy skipper Jordan Murch was exerting an authority in midfield and his pass released McElroy who showed good skills in coasting past a couple of Beith defenders to send a powerful shot goalwards that beat Stephen Grindley all ends up only to strike the top of the crossbar.

Peasy supporters roared their approval and Beith’s fortunes appeared to be on the wane as goalscorer Reid limped off with what looked to be a calf problem to be replaced by defender Nicky Docherty as gaffer Johnny Millar opted to promote Keir Milliken into a forward role.

The tactical switch was to prove a triumph for Millar in 39 minutes after Milky won the race for a through ball and fired the ball across goal to veteran hitman McLean and he let the ball run onto his left foot before directing a low shot beyond Gibson to double his side’s advantage.

The half finished with Jason Hardie flashing a shot across the face of Beith’s goal and the Glasgow outfit went in at the interval trailing 2-0 to the disappointment of their manager Willie Patterson who admitted afterwards.

He said: “Losing the second goal so close to half time was a blow and it might have been easier to take if Jason sticks his chance away but it wasn’t to be.

“We have lost to a very good Beith team and my big regret is not going up against them with our strongest side. It says everything when we only signed our right-back Cameron Stevenson this afternoon.”

Play became scrappy when the teams reappeared for the second half and there was little in the way of goalmouth action. However, Beith put the result beyond doubt in 70 minutes when Connor McGlinchey led a forward surge and threaded a through ball to the dangerous Bradley and his cut-back was slotted home by McLean for what was his 200th goal for the Ayrshire side.

Minutes later, the scoreline read 4-0 as Paul Frize and McLean – later named man of the match – combined for the one-time Glasgow Perthsire midfielder to prod a low shot beyond helpless goalkeeper Gibson.

It is to Petershill’s credit that they kept plugging away and their reward arrived in 89 minutes when a far-flung cross was netted by Jordan Kennedy at the back post to put a better complexion on the scoreline at 4-1.

Jubilant skipper John Sheridan accepted the glittering silverware to the delight of his club’s cheering supporters and admitted: “I’ve waited a long time to get my hands on this trophy and have watched on from afar as various teams have won it so this is a special moment and a great moment for this team and club.”

His manager Johnny Millar added: “We played a lot of good football first half but let our performance levels drop after the interval and Petershill came more into the game.

“Thankfully we got our act together to finish strongly though I wasn’t best pleased to lose the late goal as it took some off the shine away from our display.”

Striking ace McLean emerged from the dressing room clutching his Man of the Match award and the 34-year-old admitted: “It’s not been my best season but finishing with two trophies and now this award will get the juices going and I’ll be raring to go when pre-season training comes around.”