Nithside do Trophy double

The season ended with an entertaining Houliston Cup Final at the Holm Park on Sunday as Nithside added to the Harkness Plumbing Trophy they won earlier in the season. It was Normandy Star who took the lead after only 12 minutes as John Howie was played in and made no mistake, and Normandy probably should have extended their lead as they dominated the first half. Nithside stuck to their task though and five minutes before half time Michael McGhie pounced to level the match. Into the second half Nithside pushed forward and Sean Potts was first to react when the ball came back off the bar and he prodded them in front. Two big decisions in a minute midway through the half put Nithside in control, as Paul McCann thought he had levelled with a header only to look up to see the offside flag, then Nithside went down the other end and were awarded a penalty, which Michael McGhie duly dispatched to make it 3-1. Normandy probed to try and find a way back into the game, and in the 73rd minute Paul McCann powered home a header to reduce the arrears but as they looked for the equaliser they were leaving gaps at the back and Thomas Nicholson exploited one with 4 minutes to play to secure the trophy for Nithside. Thursday night saw the league campaign wrapped up as Palmerston Colts climbed to fifth in the table with a 1-0 win over Normandy Star thanks to Andy Gilstons effort