Local heroes: Valiant City teams fall at the final hurdle in Airdrie

Local young footballers felt a cup final curse loom large at Airdrie as all Edinburgh representatives at the Scottish Youth FA Challenge Cup finals crashed to defeat.

Tynecastle's under-14 team, the Edina Hibs side a year their senior, and Hutchison Vale's under-16 outfit were all felled in quick succession at the Excelsior Stadium amid tears and dismay from the Capital contingent at each final whistle.

Despite an agonising series of defeats for the Lothians representatives, all players and officials who worked so hard to ensure they appeared at finals day should be mindful of the efforts of hundreds of teams all over the country whose aim is to reach that stage.

Tynie loss to Clydebank side Antonine Blacks was particularly hard to stomach, the maroons losing to a single goal in extra time and seeing an equaliser chalked off for offside.

North Berwick lad Mark Shiells was the star of the first half for the Saughton-based side, taunting the Antonine right-back with some mesmeric wing play on the left. After his fine work in fashioning a couple of good chances, Tynie failed to grasp the initiative in the opening 35 minutes and subsequently faded in a cagey second half. A dank afternoon in Lanarkshire coupled with some nervy football would normally have failed to rouse those in attendance, but Simon Kinghorn's Barmy Army - the Tynecastle support so-called after the team's coach - generated plenty of noise throughout. They were silenced, though, in injury time of the first half of extra time, when Kevin Lavelle glanced home the winner for Antonine.

Kyle Mitchell, with one of Tynie's first efforts on goal, had the ball in the net after the turnaround but was subject to an early flag by the tunnel-side linesman.

Coach Kinghorn was full of praise for a side who carried great expectations going into the final as reigning national champions. He said: "I felt the whole game was flat. It's our 41st game of the season and we were lacking energy. It's different than last year because we were expected to win it again. We're disappointed, of course, but it takes a good team to come back to the final as holders - that's some achievement."

Edina Hibs found a tough opponent in Ayrshire side Clark Drive in the under-15 final, and the two were tied 0-0 at half time after Fraser Eddington had twice gone close for the Capital club.

Ross Stewart, the dangerman in the first half for the Irvine-based team, opened the scoring after the break with a cool finish after latching onto a long ball, and he added a second moments later from the penalty spot.

Dylan Clark immediately restored the deficit to just one with a fine solo effort, belting the ball in off the right-hand post after skipping past two defenders on the edge of the box.

Clark had his head in his hands two minutes from full time as Clark Drive sealed victory, with Lawrence McMahon sending a high, looping shot from the right over Edina goalkeeper Daniel Kerr and into the top left-hand corner.

Martin Owens, the Edina coach, said: "We started really well and had a great 15-minute spell, but just couldn't take our chances. That kept them in the game."

Edina, without a game this weekend, are just one win away from being crowned league champions. Alternatively, they can clinch the Lothian Buses under-15 Division 1 title tomorrow if rivals Hutchison Vale and Tynecastle fail to beat Edinburgh United and Musselburgh Windsor 96 respectively. Owens said of his side: "They're deflated. They've worked tremendously hard to get to the Scottish Cup final, but if we're not champions of Scotland we'll be happy as champions of Edinburgh."

There was no shortage of goalmouth action as Hutchison Vale and Dyce Boys Club played out a five-goal thriller in the under-16 final, the Aberdeen club triumphing with a late winner.

Hutchie's Scott Wilson fooled Dyce goalkeeper Daniel Tootill by floating a spectacular strike from the left wing into the far corner to open the scoring, but the north-east side levelled through right-back Ross Cochrane.

Dyce went ahead ten minutes before half time through a Scott Anderson penalty, but Hutchie captain Taylor Hendry scored the game's second penalty on 67 minutes after Christopher Hendrie was clipped in the box. Ollie MacIntosh's deflected effort at the other end four minutes later won the game for Dyce, and Hutchie secretary Les Trotter had nothing but praise for the winning team.

Trotter said: "They were a really good side, quite physical. They passed the ball as well as us. Our first goal was outstanding and we played as Hutchie teams play after that, but we couldn't sustain it. We had our chances to win it, but credit goes to Dyce."

Tynecastle under-14: Sean Brennan, Angus Luff, David Wright, Danny Brooks, Craig Russell, Max Michie, Jaimie Purves, Robbie Ewing, Greg Binnie, Jason Kerr, Callum Sutherland, Mark Shiells, Lewis Murray, Kyle Mitchell, Tyler Connachan, Greg Kerr.

Edina Hibs under-15: Daniel Kerr, Kyle Galazka, Dean French, William MacPhee, John Pearson, Ross Anderson, Dylan Clark, Jordan Brown, Azad Okan, Jed Davie, Marcus Campanile, Zach Szemis, Calum Livingston, Fraser Eddington, Kieran Owens, Ryan Forsyth.

Hutchison Vale under-16: Gregor Amos, Martin Lackie, Mathew Joint, Connor McGregor, Colin Jeffrey, Marc Berry, Christopher Hendrie, Taylor Hendry, Hne Wilson, Daniel Brown, Jack McIntyre, Jack Thomson, John Fyvie, Scott Patterson, Dylan Rooney, Jack Allison, Scott Wilson, Ross Dray.