Scots juniors on the verge

SCOTLAND need just a draw against the Republic of Ireland tomorrow to retain the Umbro Quadrangular tournament in the Isle of Man.

The Scots followed up a 4-3 win over the tournament hosts on Wednesday with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Northern Island last night and need just a share of the spoils this weekend to ensure they win the competition.

Scotland did it the hard way, however, blowing a two-goal lead and needed a goal three minutes from time to grab victory.

A Gary Middleton free-kick gave Scotland the lead before he then missed a first-half penalty.

Bryan Dingwall put the Scots two ahead as he converted a Robert Downs pass only for Northern Ireland to hit back through Sean Quay and Conor Doyle. But Pollok striker Dingwall grabbed his second of the evening with just three minutes remaining to give Scotland a crucial win.

Boss Keith Burgess said: "We had a crazy spell when we let them back in it but we came good in the end and we deserved to win."