Selkirk 7

East Stirlingshire 4

David Knox at Yarrow Park

UNPREDICTABILITY in sport has been drawing crowds in their thousands to arenas for centuries.

When the unlikely is delivered with the flashes of world-class quality - that surely stunned every one of the 237 supporters on Saturday at Yarrow Park - it is deserving of being remembered for many years to come.

Perhaps it was fortunate that Selkirk’s poet in residence, Thomas Clark, was amongst the lucky punters who paid their fiver at the gate.

While his David-topples-Goliath epic perhaps won’t have the longevity of Homer’s stanzas, it will surely rival The Iliad and Odyssey for similes and superlatives.

This was as good as it can get for entertainment, passion and skill – and deserving of a much bigger stage.

Selkirk manager Garry O’Connor, who has played on many of those bigger stages, was in agreement. He said: “I thought we were brilliant in the first half, terrible after half time, then brilliant again to win the game.

“I thought I was going to have a heart attack at one point.

“We scored some amazing goals, made some brilliant tackles and our goalkeeper produced saves that nobody should be able to make.

“I am delighted with the character we showed and I’m even more delighted that we’re not bottom of the league any more.”

East Stirlingshire began the season playing in the BetFred Cup against the likes of Rangers.

And for many they are expected to bounce straight back up into the Scottish Football Leagues following last season's relegation.

The bookies, who marked the Ochilview side up at 1/9 favourites for Saturday, obviously think so.

But Selkirk defied their lowly league position by racing into the three goal lead inside the opening 20 minutes.

The first came on three minutes with Phil Addison providing the perfect first-touch lay off from Jay Doyle’s cross for Gary McCormack to smash a low shot beyond Jamie Barclay from 15 yards.

The celebrations had barely died down when Addison dinked a 20-yard effort over the keeper for the second.

Kerr Scott, who’d been playing amateur football for Newtown the week before, was unfortunate not to get his toe to the ball for a third on 12 minutes as Addison played in an exquisite angled cross.

Selkirk did go three up on 19 minutes as Jay Doyle collected a Scott pass to pick his spot in the far bottom corner.

Shire had battled hard around the middle of the park without creating any clear cut chances.

But that changed just after the half hour as Andy Rodgers did well to turn away from James Harley and provide the perfect low cross for Jamie Glasgow to tap in at the back post.

The revival lasted barely a minute as Addison pulled out all of his tricks to beat two markers and curl an angled shot in off the bar.

McCormack almost rounded off a remarkable half with a fifth but Barclay saved well at his near post on 44 minutes.

John Sludden rung the changes at the break and his tactical tampering had an immediate effect.

David Grant evaded the offside trap on 49 minutes to beat Amos with a powerful low shot.

And just four minutes later Derek Ure scored from close range to reduce the deficit to one.

The sudden turnaround was briefly halted as Scott raced onto a Ricky Miller through ball but Barclay saved well.

And just a minute later Shire were level. Rodgers intercepted a poor McCormack back pass to square for Grant to score his second.

Selkirk were being forced deeper and deeper – there could only now be one winner, couldn’t there?

Somehow the home team began to play their way out of trouble and on 68 minutes they were rewarded with a penalty as McCormack was chopped down inside the area as he was about to pull the trigger.

Miller’s spot kick was saved by Barclay but Ross King was first to react and side-footed the loose ball into the net.

Rodgers was somehow denied an equaliser by an amazing Amos reaction save.

And moments later the former Falkirk keeper made an even better stop as he somehow clawed the ball off the line to prevent Connor Hogg’s close range effort reaching the net.

His heroics were rewarded on 78 minutes as Addison weaved his way through the Shire defence to complete a terrific hat-trick.

Shire were far from done as Miller, who had dropped into a sweeping role, had to make several timely clearances and Amos produced another couple of outstanding saves.

With two minutes remaining Addison provided a fitting finale for this remarkable day by chipping Barclay from 30 yards out to make it 7-4.

Selkirk: G Amos, M Samson, M Christie (C Nicholson 79), J Harley, A Fleming, R Miller, R King, K Scott, G McCormack, P Addison & J Doyle (C Fair 70).