It was far from pretty but it was party time at Prestonfield as Linlithgow Rose booked their place in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.
There was little sign of the impressive football that’s been on show all season that has catapulted Gordon Herd’s side to the top of the East of Scotland Premier Division. But, like all good teams, they were able to find a way.
Mark Stowe’s 16th minute penalty was the difference against Sauchie as that proved to be the only goal in a drab and often nervy affair.
The victory ensures Linlithgow are in the fourth round for just the second time in the club’s history.
Highlights were few and far between but Stowe - who bagged his 28th goal of the season - was usually at the heart of them.
He looked to open the scoring early on as he poked the ball beyond the onrushing Charles Clark in the Sauchie goal but the defence bailed out their keeper to hook the ball clear.
A few minutes later, the keeper was adjudged to have brought down the striker inside the box with Stowe duly dusting himself down and firing home from 12 yards.
Ross Kavanagh had a couple of half chances for the visitors but was unable to threaten Cammy Binnie in the Rose goal while Stowe was inches away from doubling Linlithgow’s advantage early in the second-half.
His curling 30-yard free-kick was well saved by Clark to keep the deficit down to a single goal.
Sauchie created little but went agonisingly close to levelling things up midway through the second-half when Darren Carroll saw his header denied by a last-ditch Connor McMullan goal-line clearance.
That sparked a change in momentum with Sauchie throwing everything at the hosts. Conor Kelly almost got one over his former team but saw his header clawed wide by the diving Binnie.
The Rose were handed a boost 10 minutes from time when Kavanagh saw red for an off the ball incident with home skipper Gary Thom.
Liam Allison squandered a pair of gilt-edged chances to put the game to bed in the closing stages but it mattered not as the Rose held firm defensively and booked their place in the next round.
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