PDM HUWS GRAY	WOSFL Premier Division	Match 25
Troon	2 (0)	Gilroy 2
Glenafton Athletic	0 (0)
Sat 20 Apr 2024	KO 2:00 pm	Portland Park, Troom

Glens lined up with the eleven that started against Beith on Tuesday night. In the Troon line up were former Glenafton favourite Dale ‘Gunner’ Moore and centre back Aldin El-Zubaidi who had short spell on loan from Kilwinning Rangers last season. Meanwhile on the bench was Dario Viviani who also haf short spell at the Glens on loan from Ayr United earlier this season and is now on loan at Troon from the Somerset side.

Although Troon kicked off in the glorious sunshine it was the Glens that looked lively from the start. Cammy Ross breaking down the right before switched the ball to the left where Sam McKee and Michael McMullin combined to win a corner kick which Dean Fulton cleared under pressure from McMullin.

Play began to flow back and forth with the visitors creating the better of the few chances on show. Shuggy Kerr broke down the right with two defenders giving chase and while Ross was tight on the right on the overlap the striker opted to cut inside to the edge of ‘D’ taking another defender out of play before slipping the ball into the box for the unmarked Crooks only for keeper Dale Burgess to race from his line and swipe the ball from his feet.

On 15 minutes Troon won a free-kick inside the Glens half after Crooks and Paul Paton closed down Mark Shankland. James Gallagher launched the kick high into the box where keeper David Markey came off his line to leap head and shoulders above all combatants to clutch the ball cleanly.

Glens countered with the lively Ross driving down the right to the half way line before clipping the ball infield for Cross to push on before slipping it to McKee who progressed to the left-hand side of the box where he pinged the ball beyond the outstretched leg of Dale Moore, playing at right-back, to the near post for Kerr arriving in the six-yard box with Gallagher in close attention, only for his touch to send the ball wide of target. 

At the other end Moore, down the right, whipped a ball deep into the six-yard box where Paton and Ollie Rowe, shut out Kyle Gilroy while Markey gratefully gathered the ball. Soon after Leyton Dunlop, from the right, on the outskirts of the box, chipped the ball to the near post for Fulton but he lost control under pressure from Paton. McKee gathered the loose ball and played a slick one-two with Ross to break up the left but his attempt to pick out Kerr was intercepted by Moore and with his back to McKee he tried to hook the ball over both their heads only for it to hit him full on the face as the Glens midfielder backed in.

A free kick was awarded and the ball fired up-field where it fell for Jack Sherrie deep on the left-hand side of the box to lay it off for Shankland, who with his back to goal turned and gave Kerr the slip before sweetly striking a powerful shot from a tight angle that crashed off the cross-bar and out of play with 21 minutes on the clock.

Glenafton responded immediately in a similar fashion. Kerr began a series of passes that included McKee, Ross and Gary Fraser before the ball was returned to Kerr to drive forward to the edge of the ‘D’ where he was brought down by Smith; hotly disputed by the Troon defenders. Up stepped Fraser to blast a shot that beat the four-man wall and Burgess rooted on his line only for the ball to thunder off the post and the rebound was cleared.

On 30 minutes Glens came close to breaking the dead-lock. By this time McKee and Ross had switched wings and it was the latter that gathered a ball floated deep into the left-hand side of the box over the head of Moore and from here he pushed across to the outskirts of the corner of the six-yard box to thread a low shot in the space between the keeper at the near post and the back-tracking El-Zubaidi and all three could only look on as it agonisingly drifted an inch wide of the back post.

Glens continued to press but were almost caught out as Kyle Gilroy burst into the six-yard box at breakneck speed and although he was first to get his foot to the ball the advancing Markey got enough of a touch and Craig Pettigrew quickly hooked the loose ball to safety.  Soon after the keeper leapt at the back post to punch a corner-kick away from the head of the likewise leaping El-Zubaidi. 

Back came Glens to finish the half strongly. Crooks floated a high ball into the box for the inrushing Kerr at the back post only for Smith to intercept at full stretch and hook the ball back to the outskirts of the box where it was trapped by Ross before he pushed towards the bye-line and whipped the ball past two defenders towards Kerr, still at the back post, only for El-Zubaidi to intervene with a more acrobatic clearance than his team-mate Smith; the former Glens defender was have an outstanding game.

Crooks and Paton combined to release McKee down the right only for his cross to be cut out by Sherrie at the expense of a corner which McKee floated high into the goalmouth which was scrambled clear.

Another super run by Ross had Fulton literally chasing shadows on the sun-drenched Portland Park and Dunlop was next up but he opted instead to hurl the Glens man to aforementioned sun-drenched park! Paton curled a great free-kick to the heavily populated far corner of the six-yard box but there was no aerial battle and the ball deflected wide to a corner from the right.  Again McKee floated it high into the goalmouth and although it dipped over the heads of aerial combatants Kerr and El-Zubaidi it was McMullin’s glancing header that battered of the back-post guarded by Moore and incredibly rebounded back across the face of goal through the narrow gap between the keeper and McMullin and on through the group congregated at the back post where eventually Rowe positioned himself to volley a low shot that was either blocked by Burgess or hit the back post and it was Rowe that was first to react to gather the rebound only for this shot from a tight angle to fly wide of target. 

Quite a finish to a competitive first half.

HT Troon 0 Glens 0

Although Glens kicked off still under glorious sunshine it was Troon that looked lively from the start of the second half.

Shankland cracked a low angled shot from the ‘D’ which flew inches wide of the far post with Markey rooted on his line at the near post. Soon after Moore’s effortfrom close range flew over the bar under pressure from McMullin.

Play went back and forth for a short spell before Troon were back on the front foot.

Gilroy cut in from the left and side-stepped Pettigrew before curling a shot from the outskirts of the six yard that slipped wide of the far post. A minute late Moore from tight on the right clipped a ball to the near post where Shankland’s glancing header bounced of the base of the far post and Lyall Holding mopped up the loose ball.

Paton broke down another Troon attack and launched the ball up the park for Kerr to chase with El-Zubaidi for company and the big defender sent a high looping header towards his own box only for Kerr to continue to the chase, forcing keeper Burgess to rush to the 18 yard line to leap with the Glens striker and get the first touch to the ball before exiting the box momentarily!

Glens pushed forward in numbers and Sherrie found himself boxed in at the corner before squaring to Dunlop to whip the ball up the left where Kyle Gilroy nicked the ball from Paton just inside the Troon half before tearing down the left with Rowe in pursuit, however a clean pair of heels took him deep into the box before slotting the ball past Markey from a tight angle to put the home side ahead on 58 minutes.

Glens made a change with Sam McKee making way for Liam Caddis to partner Kerr up front.

Ross pushed forward for the Glens driving between two blue shirts before being tripped by a third. Fraser stepped up to leather a free kick from 28 yards that beat the wall and continued goalwards, only for Burgess to keep his eye on the ball and smother it on the line as Rowe closed in.

From just inside the Troon half Kerr threaded a ball up field where Caddis stayed onside before giving chase and leaving El-Zubaidi and Moore in his wake, however once again the alert Burgess raced out his box and swiped the ball clear of Caddis. However, Ross gathered the loose ball wide on the left belted up the left wing before whipping the ball across the face of the goal by which time Burgess had returned to the near post and pull off a fine save, pushing the ball up into the air beyond the reach of Caddis lurking at the back post, nevertheless he recovered the ball and  rolled it back to the incoming Crooks and although his shot looked to give Burgess little chance, Smith intervened and cleared it from the six yard line.

At the other end Shankland’s low diagonal shot from inside the box was well held by Markey.

Back came Glens and Holding from deep on the right launched a high ball to the left hand-side of the box for Caddis only for Moore to get a touch at the expense of a corner which was curled to the near post and punched away by the leaping Burgess.

On 72 minutes Troon made a change with Ewan McLevy coming on for Dean Fulton and two minutes later Glens brought on Michael Moffat for Cammy Ross.

The home side came close to doubling their lead on 76 minutes as Gilroy cut into the right hand side of the box and evaded tackles from Pettigrew and Rowe before picking out the unmarked Shankland on the far end of six yard line to drill a low shot that beat the outstretched leg of Markey before smacking off the inside of the post sending the ball bouncing along the face of the goal where Moore from close range curled a shot round Rowe only for Pettigrew to head the ball off the line.

Glens countered through Moffat breaking up the left to the edge of the box and rolling the ball back for Kerr to fire a shot from 18 yards only for Burgess to pull off a fine save before Smith hooked the loose ball out of the danger area and initiating a deadlier counter which concluded with Kyle Gilroy again cutting into the right hand of the Glens box, drawing Markey from his line and skipping past him to fire the ball into the net from a narrow angle beyond the reach of the back-tracking Rowe; Troon 2-0 up on 77 minutes.

The visitors rallied and won a corner on the left which Fraser floated to a crowded near post where it was cleared back out towards Fraser who lobbed it high into the near post again where the keeper and Kerr challenged and both collapsed to the ground after a clash of heads. Play was stopped at the outskirts of the box and possession returned to Paton loft a high ball back into the box where the recovering Kerr won the header to send it deeper into the six yard box only for the recovering Burgess to claw the ball away from its target, Moffat.

On 83 minutes Mark Shankland rightly left to warm applause from the home support to be replaced by young Darion Viviani.

The visitors continued to press against a stubborn defence their closing chances were restricted to a Fraser shot from distance that flew wide of target and the Crooks shot from 25 yards that Smith bravely headed clear from the edge of the box.

FT Troon 2 Glens 0

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. David Markey 14. Lyall Holding 20. Ollie Rowe 5. Craig Pettigrew (captain) 3. Michael McMullin 2. Cammy Ross (9. Michael Moffat) 15. Cammy Crooks 6. Paul Paton 8. Gary Fraser 7. Sam McKee (12. Liam Caddis) 18. Hugh Kerr Subs Not Used: 10. Alex McWaters 11. Ryan Sinnamon, 17. Harvey Gilmour, Craig Johnston, Ally Semple (gk)

TROON
1. Dale Burgess 5. Logan Smith 6. Jack Sherrie 9. Mark Shankland (17. Dario Viviani) 10. Kyle Gilroy 11. Dale Moore (captain) (20. Rabin Omar) 12. Aldin El-Zubaidi14. Dean Fulton (2. Ewan McLevy) 16. Leyton Dunlop 18. Grant Brennan 19. Jamie Gallagher. Subs Not Used: 3. Sam McCloskey 7. Ben Black 15. Aaron Boyd 21. Robbie McBlain (gk)

Match Photos

Troon v Glenafton Athletic