Carluke entertained St Rochs in this previously postponed West Of Scotland League Cup tie under the lights at the John Cumming Stadium. This was going to be a tough encounter for the Rovers with St Rochs sitting near the top of the First Division.

The game was nearly abandoned before it started when a frost settled on the pitch and the surrounding areas but the Referee, in agreement with both teams, decided to start the match.

The first half was a tight affair with very little in the way of chances. In the absence of Olly Grenfell the Rovers defence were well marshalled by Mark Cassidy at centre back. For the most part Carluke competed well and matched their opponents all over the pitch, however St Rochs were not giving the Rovers midfield much time to get their passing game going as they were very quick to close them down. St Rochs had a couple of half chances but nothing that troubled Garry Black in the Rovers goal.

The teams went in at halftime with the game finely poised at 0-0 with everything to play for in the second half.

It was clear that in a game of so few chances that the team who could snatch the first goal would be in a very strong position. Unfortunately for Carluke it was St Rochs who were to be the grateful recipients. Rovers were dispossessed in the right back area and when the ball was squared across goals into a busy penalty area Carluke managed to block a couple of shots. However the defence was unable to stop a third effort from Jamie Hamilton which nestled in the bottom of the net in the 50th minute to give St Rochs the lead at 1-0.

The game continued to follow a similar pattern with neither side giving much away until the last 10 minutes when Carluke pushed men forward in search of the equaliser. This left them a little short at the back and St Rochs created a couple of good chances on the break that they should have done better with. Carluke for their part had a very good penalty shout turned down in the 92nd minute when it appeared that a St Rochs defender used his arm to deflect a Rovers cross but the Referee waved away the protests.

What was a tight cup tie ended 1-0 to St Rochs and they move on to the next round. For Carluke it is the end of their cup interest for this season and they can fully apply their focus now on the league where thy are well placed. Although Rovers have lost all their cup games against higher league opposition, they have proven they can more than compete with the top teams in the Divisions above. They should take great heart from this result as they gave St Rochs a very tough match and fought hard throughout with no shortage of skill in their build up play. Final Score: Carluke Rovers 0 St Rochs 1

This Saturday it is back to league business for Carluke when they welcome BSC Glasgow to the John Cumming Stadium with a 2pm kick off.

Photography by Kevin Ramage