Westdyke 2 - Postal ALC 3 - Aberdeen FC 2nd Round - 17th Jan 2026 - Lawsondale Grass.

After defeating Laurencekirk West End at Webster Park in the previous round, Postal made the short trip to Lawsondale to take on Westdyke.  The teams had met twice already this season with Postal winning on both occasions two nil and 5 nil.   Westdyke are a good team however and Postal knew they would come out the traps fast. 

Postal were forced into making more changes due to injuries and holidays.  

Postal lined up as below:

1. Shaun Walker (Y)

2. Bruce Webster 

3. Andrew Riddell (S)

4. Adam Veitch

5. James Steele

6. Keiron Dowbekin (Y)

7. Steven Abel (S)

8. Scott Stuart (S)

9. Harry McAuley  (S)

10. Phil Wallace 

11. Sultan Ahmed (S)

Bench: 

12. Andreas Jones (S)

13. Fraser Smith (S)

14. Robbie Simmons

15. Duncan MacKenzie (S)

16. Doug Russell (S)

Postal ALC Hold Firm After Second-Half Scare to Claim Away Victory at Westdyke

Postal ALC produced a dominant first-half display before surviving a late Westdyke rally to secure a hard-fought 3–2 victory away from home.

Westdyke got proceedings underway, but it was Postal who settled quickest into the contest. Inside three minutes Stuart threaded a fine ball forward for Wallace, whose left-footed effort lacked the power to trouble the keeper. A minute later Veitch showed his defensive commitment by halting a dangerous attack from number 7 on the Postal left with a well-timed challenge.

Wallace was soon at the heart of the action again. On nine minutes he was brought down on the edge of the area and took responsibility for the free kick himself, forcing the Westdyke keeper into an excellent save.

The breakthrough would come shortly after. On 17 minutes Wallace was again fouled on the edge of the box by number four. From the resulting delivery a Westdyke defender handled in the area and the referee pointed to the spot. Wallace calmly stepped up and dispatched the penalty to give Postal a deserved 1–0 lead.

Postal continued to press. A long ball from Wallace released Harry down the right on 20 minutes, his cross finding Sully eight yards out, but the midfielder couldn’t quite work the space for a clean finish. Five minutes later Dobbs was hauled down and Riddell delivered a dangerous free kick that somehow evaded everyone in the box.

On 30 minutes Stuart won possession in midfield and fed Sully, whose cross picked out Phil, but his header drifted just wide.

Postal didn’t have to wait long to extend their advantage. On 32 minutes a long ball found Harry, who shrugged off number five, burst into the box, nutmegged number four and unleashed a superb left-footed drive into the bottom corner. A moment of real quality made it 2–0.  Great team goal and even better individual effort from Harry.

The visitors were now in full control. Dobbs fed Harry on 37 minutes, a sharp turn creating space, but his effort flew over the bar. Two minutes later Postal struck again. Phil clipped a delightful ball over the top, Harry raced through on goal and coolly dinked the ball over the advancing keeper to make it 3–0.  Outstanding finish under pressure from Postals number 9.

Postal might have added a fourth before the break. Webster caught Westdyke napping with a quick throw while a defender tied his laces, releasing Harry, whose shot went narrowly wide. Then came a flashpoint: on 43 minutes Westdyke’s number six was sent off for an elbow on Phil, leaving the home side down to ten men. Even then Postal pressed, Harry laying off to Phil just before half-time, but his shot went wide.

At the interval, Postal ALC looked in total control.

The second half began with more Postal pressure. Wallace drove forward on 50 minutes, his left-footed effort drifting inches past the post. On the hour mark Wallace swung in a superb corner, only for Harry to misjudge his header from close range.  A great opportunity for the perfect hattrick evaded the tall striker.

Postal rang the changes on the hour mark, Jones, Smith, Russell and Mackenzie all coming onto the field of play.

Despite being a man down, Westdyke refused to fold. On 62 minutes they caught Postal napping from a quick throw-in and unleashed a long-range effort that beat Shaun to reduce the deficit to 3–1.

The goal sparked belief in the home side. Veitch was caught in possession on 70 minutes but Westdyke fired well wide. A minute later came a pivotal moment. Phil played the ball back to Shaun, however the pass lacked pace and Shaun brought down an attacker. The keeper was booked and Westdyke converted the resulting penalty to make it 3–2.  A pity for the Postal goalkeeper who looked excellent with the ball at his feet today.

Suddenly the game was on.

Postal tried to regain control. Wallace was fouled outside the box on 80 minutes, but Steele’s free kick thudded straight into the wall. Three minutes later MacKenzie slid Harry in, who cleverly set Phil up before laying the ball back to Mackenzie, whose effort was blocked for a corner.

Late drama followed. On 88 minutes Harry’s shot took a wicked deflection and the keeper did brilliantly to flick it over the bar, though Dowbekin was booked in the aftermath. A minute later Westdyke launched a final cross into the box, but Andreas stood firm and did just enough to force number twelve to head over the bar.

In stoppage time Fraser found Mackenzie, who played Russell through, but instead of shooting he opted to square for Harry, who had strayed offside. Harry was booked shortly after as tempers frayed.

Great dominant display from Postal today in the first half.  The second half left a lot to desire however with the Postal Management Team made too many changes too quickly impacting the flow of the team.

Onto the next round.