GLASGOW PERTHSHIRE have made it through to the Evening Times Champions Cup final where they will meet either Glenafton or Girvan on June 10.

The Central Second Division champions booked their place after confounding the odds to defeat First Division leading lights Cambuslang Rangers 4-2 in a pulsating and entertaining semi-final clash at Keppoch Park last night.

A respectful gesture before kick-off saw the Shire players line up to clap on the title winning Wee Gers who themselves formed an orderly line of their own to applaud their hosts on to the pitch.

Early exchanges were frenetic with the first clear-cut opening arriving after six minutes for Shire midfielder Scott Forrester. However, he suffered a rush of blood to the head and blasted a shot high and wide of the target.

Home team striker Craig Smith’s turn of pace was proving troublesome for towering Lang defenders Mark Bishop and Ryan Kerr while busy Lang forward Dale Simeon was keeping Davie Kirkwood and Mark Thomson busy at the other end of the pitch.

Neither goalkeeper had a save to make until the 39th minute when Simeon turned inside the area and hit a well-struck shot that Chris Calder saved low down to his right.

The breakthrough arrived just two minutes before the interval when a moment of hesitancy by Bishop allowed Smith to race through on goal and he kept his cool despite being forced wider than he would have liked by keeper Ian Stewart to hammer a low drive across goal that the unfortunate James Brown turned into his own net.

A determined Cambuslang emerged after the break to turn the game on its head with a quick-fire double strike from a Thomas Kiolmartin header and a Jordan Morton free-kick.

But the ever alert Smith pounced to level the scores at 2-2 and set the scene for the loudest cheer of the evening when substitute J.P Craig, who was later dismissed for two yellow card offences, fired the Shire 3-2 ahead with an instinctive overhead kick and victory was assured when Jordan-Currie McLean fired homer in a goalmouth scramble for a 4-2 triumph.

Jubilant Shire boss Billy Adams said: “Last thing I said to the players going back out at half time was to do nothing silly and keep things tight yet we were 2-1 down within five minutes.

“It was looking bleak but the final hour our laying siege on their goal was like the Alamo and we scored three times but could have bagged six or seven goals but for the woodwork and a barrowload of missed chances.”

Cambuslang boss Paul McColl confirmed the better team won.

“Perthshire had the majority of scoring chances and I have no complaints about the result. We simply didn’t play well enough to win.”

In other games, Pollok relinquished their hold on the Central League Cup after losing 2-1 to Petershill in a competitive Newlandsfield encounter with all the goals being scored in the first half.

The visiting Peasy took the lead through a 25th minute Ian Gold penalty kick awarded for Luke Crerand being brought down inside the area, but Pollok levelled immediately through a Derek Hepburn counter. Stuart McCann then powered home a header which turned out to be the winner for the Springburn outfit.

Former Pollok ace Carlo Monti netted the only goal of the game as Kilwinning Rangers won 1-0 away to Kilsyth Rangers in the Super Premier play-off game first leg and Cumnock eased themselves into the Ayrshire Cup semi-finals thanks to goals from Stevie Crawford, Josh Watt (pen), Keir Sampson and Ian McMaster for a 4-1 victory over Girvan.

Off the pitch, relegated Super Premier Division outfit Troon Juniors have been quick to begin a summer clear-out with the announcement that highly-rated duo Ally Semple and Adam Forsyth are up for sale.

The breaking news comes shortly after team boss Gordon Burns tendered his resignation and transfer whispers that midfield playmaker Colin Spence and stopper Gavin Collins are on the verge of signing for Arthurlie.

Troon won a bidding war to land goalkeeper Semple from Cumnock at the start of the 2015/16 season and are unlikely to be short of offers for his services and the same applies to top-scoring hitman Forsyth who has slipped behind fellow strikers Ryan Nisbet and Mark Curragh in the Portland Park pecking order.

Rob Roy have confirmed defeat in their bid to retain centre-back Craig Buchanan who has reputedly agreed a deal to join Pollok, as has Clydebank striker Nikky Little.

Results - Evening Times Champions Cup, semi-final: Glasgow Perthshire 4 Cambuslang Rangers 2. Central League Cup semi-final: Pollok 1 Petershill 2. Ayrshire Cup quarter-final: Cumnock 4 Girvan 1. McBookie.com Super Premier play-off first leg: Kilsyth Rangers 0 Kilwinning Rangers 1.