Alex Lamb was next to have a pop, sending a flicked header from a crossed ball on target but Hastie collected.
With 28 minutes on the clock Sam Mackay advanced up the left wing and dissected the Clach defence with a pass to David Allan who ran in on goal and got a shot on target but Hastie made a good block with his feet.
The match started to heat up and referee Braidwood had a busy spell with the notepad booking Finnis and MacAskill both within the space of 5 minutes for rash challenges.
Pandemonium then broke out on the 38th minute. As keeper Hastie kicked the ball down-field and play ventured into the Academy half, the near-side linesman called the referee back with Colin Williamson lying flat out in the Clach box. After a fairly long discussion Andrew MacLeod was called back up the park, and was given a straight red card. Referee Braidwood then went over to Williamson and as he got to his feet he also got his marching orders. It looked as if Williamson possibly had a pop at MacLeod, who may have retaliated, but the linesman spotted what had gone on.
To add to the mayhem the referee then awarded Academy a penalty kick over the heads of the incident. Richard Macadie took it and keeper Hastie made a good diving save, but the referee deemed that either the keeper had moved too early, or one of the Clach players had encroached into the box before Macadie struck the ball. Either way he ordered the penalty be retaken. Sam Mackay claimed the ball this time around, and he took the second attempt which he hammered down the middle to give Academy a three goal advantage.
0 – 3
Neil MacCuish continued to remonstrate with the referee as they ran back to the centre-circle, and he was the next to have his name entered into the book.
With a minute of the half left Academy went 4 goals up. David Allan again terrorised the Clach back line running in on them from the left wing and got a shot on target that keeper Hastie could only block, and Richard Macadie pounced on the loose ball and hammered home.
0 – 4
Into first half injury time Clach pulled a goal back when Adam Naismith ghosted in unmarked to the Academy box and got onto the end of a Stuart Leslie cross to slam the ball home form 4 yards out.
1 – 4
Referee Braidwood blew for half time to end what was a very entertaining first 45 minutes.
Half Time 1 – 4
Clach made a change at the start of the second half with Duncan Jones coming on for Michael Finnis.
Academy went nap with only 7 minutes of the second half played. Sam Mackay picked the ball up on the left in his own half of the park, and went on a run through the middle of the Clach defence beating 3 or 4 men before picking his spot from 20 yards out and curled a right foot beauty into the top left hand corner of the Clach net for his hat-trick. Keeper Hastie may have just got a hand to the ball but couldn't stop it bulging the net.
1 – 5
Clach to give them their due kept attacking when they had the ball and Gordon Morrison nearly capitalised when Stewart Ross sent a short back-pass back to Alan Bokas, but Bokas was sharp off his line and charged the ball off the feet of Mossision before the striker could really get time to make the most of it. Bokas took a knock in the challenge, but played on.
Clach pulled a goal back with 68 minutes played. Adam Naismith did well up the right flank before delivering a cross into the heart of the Academy box and Gordon Morrison steamed in and smashed the ball into the roof of the net.
2 – 5
The action continued to flow and MacCuish should have done better from a free headed but he powered his attempt over the cross-bar, and David Allan then had a great chance to increase the Scorries lead when he ran in one-on-one with keeper Hastie, but the Clach keeper made a good block. Craig Shearer followed up and looked certain to score but his shot was cleared off the line by the Clach defence.
2 minutes from time Steven MacDonald got a good attempt on target but Alan Bokas took to the air with a diving save and palmed the ball round his right hand post for a corner kick.
In the last minute of the game substitute McKiddie broke into the box from a Macadie pass but keeper Hastie came to meet him and blocked his shot with his feet.
Full time 2 – 5
