Rangers lose their grip on trophy

Without the influential figures of captain Dylan Graham and Connor Pogue both missing due to injury a big performance would be required against a strong Newhill side.

Newhill capitalised on the slow start of the Southside team and opened the scoring after only five minutes when their striker finished off a move down the right hand side.

The lead was increased on 20 minutes when again a break down the right created the chance leaving Southside with a mountain to climb to get back into this game.

Southside were merely busy containing the home side attack for the remainder of the half without ever threatening at the other end.

In fact it was not until the hour mark that the Newhill keeper was called into serious action saving a long range effort from Jack Livingstone.

Newhill almost killed it off completely on 65 minutes when a break this time down the left went right across the Southside goal and it was Jack Livingstone who produced the goal line clearance to keep any faint chance of staying in the competition alive.

The stay of execution was short lived when Newhill did make it 3-0 on 70 minutes when a wonder strike free kick sailed high into the net beyond the diving Stuart Wylie in the Southside goal.

Richard Wilson had a chance on 75 mins to claw back a consolation goal but his strike from 10 yards went narrowly over.

The final whistle blew bringing to an end a game that Southside need to learn from, not dwell on, as the focus now turns back to the league campaign this Saturday at the Grove.

Southside: Wylie, Kirk, Hamill, McCready, Allen, Hogg, Corrigan, Williams, McDowell, Wilson, McNiece(C), Livingstone, Erwin, Wallace, J Stewart.