Westdyke 0 Postal ALC 5 - North of Scotland Cup 1st Round - 18th Oct 2025 - Lawsondale

Postal Power Through to Next Round with Commanding Win Over Westdyke

North of Scotland Cup – Westdyke 0, Postal ALC 5

Following last week’s Scottish Cup triumph, Postal ALC carried their winning momentum into the North of Scotland Cup, producing a dominant display to sweep aside Westdyke 5–0 away from home on Saturday.

The two sides had met earlier in pre-season, when Postal edged out their opponents, and it was the visitors who once again came out on top in this competitive fixture. With just one change from the previous week’s starting eleven — Kieron Dowbekin replacing the unavailable Doug Russell in midfield.

Line up:

1. Grant Cormack

2. Andrew Riddell (S)

3. Bruce Webster (S)

4. Euan Brechin (S)

5. James Steele

6. Kieron Dowbekin (S)(Y)

7. Steven Abel

8. Alex Clark

9. Harry McAuley (S)

10. Phil Wallace

11. Sultan Ahmed Bench

20. Fraser Smith (S)

19. Adam Veitch (S)

15. Owen Patterson

16. Luca Guiliani (S)

17. Duncan MacKenzie (S)

14. Vinnie Buggie (S)

18. Andreas Jones 

First Half Postal started brightly and created the first clear opening in the 7th minute, when Sultan Ahmed picked up the ball and glided past three defenders before unleashing a strike that flew just wide.

Westdyke responded with a series of set-pieces around the 10th–13th minute, including a long throw and a couple of free kicks into the box, but Postal’s defence held firm.

Grant Cormack was called into action on 22 minutes, diving low to save from a Westdyke header following a corner at the other end, James Steele intercepted a loose ball on 20 minutes, sparking a quick break that saw Ahmed release Phil Wallace, whose effort went narrowly wide.

Wallace was then fouled on 25 minutes, but his resulting free kick struck the wall.

Postal looked the more composed side as the half progressed. A promising move in the 43rd minute, involving Dowbekin, Wallace, and Steven Abel, ended with Abel screwing his shot just wide.

Wallace again went close a minute later.Their persistence was finally rewarded on the stroke of half-time (45th minute) when Bruce Webster’s free kick into the area was met by Euan Brechin, who rose highest to head home and give Postal a deserved 1–0 lead at the break.

Second Half

The management team asked the team to raise their standards in the second half and Postal came out firing in the second period picking up where they left off after the restart.

In the 46th minute, Harry McAuley cut inside from the left and crossed for Wallace, whose layoff found Alex Clark, but his shot was blocked before McAuley’s follow-up drifted wide.

The visitors extended their lead on 52 minutes — Andrew Riddell’s deep free kick found Brechin at the back post, who squared across goal for Wallace to hammer home from close range. 0–2

Luca Giuliani replaced Dowbekin on 60 minutes, and it wasn’t long before Postal struck again. From a header won by Wallace in midfield, Abel played in McAuley, who coolly rolled the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs for 3–0 on 65 minutes.

Postal continued to threaten. On 68 minutes, McAuley crossed from a throw-in, Ahmed teed up Clark, and the Westdyke keeper made a good save. Moments later, a Riddell free kick found Duncan MacKenzie, but his effort was also stopped.

Substitutions followed as Adam Veitch replaced Riddell (70’), Vinnie Buggie came on for Webster (71’), and Fraser Smith replacing Euan Brechin, provided late energy from the bench.

Westdyke’s best chance of the half came in the 82nd minute, when their No.5 hooked a loose ball over the bar from a long throw.

Postal remained relentless, and in the 86th minute, Abel won the ball in midfield before feeding Wallace, who drove forward and slipped in Ahmed. His initial shot was saved, but he reacted quickly to head in the rebound for 4–0.

The visitors completed the scoring in the final minute (90th minute) when Wallace was fouled on the edge of the area. Wallace dusted himself off and smashed the resulting free kick home to seal a comprehensive 5–0 victory.

It was a commanding all-round performance from Postal, built on discipline at the back and incisive attacking play. The result sees them comfortably advance to the next round of the North of Scotland Cup.

Final Score: Westdyke 0–5 Postal ALC

Goals: Brechin (45’), Wallace (52’, 90’), McAuley (65’), Ahmed (86’)

Yellow Cards: Dowbekin (Postal)

Man of the Match: Not awarded