Scottish Junior Cup 2nd round

Saturday 24th October 2015 Loch Park , New Cumnock

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC 1 (1)

JEANFIELD SWIFTS 3 (1)

Glens Scottish run brought to a Swift Holt

Under darkening skies and the threat of heavy rain Glenafton Athletic and their opponents Jeanfield Swifts along with the match officials line up together in unity before kick-off to Show Racism the Red Card.

Glenafton Athletic & Jeanfield Swifts

The sides had met on two previous occasions in the Scottish Junior Cup with honours even, the Swifts winning 6-1 at Perth (1969/170) and Glens replying with a 3-0 win at New Cumnock (2001/02).

Glenafton made two changes to the starting eleven that lost at home to Pollok in the league last Saturday with Joe Andrew coming in for the unavailable Mick McCann and John Paul Boyle replacing Chris McGuffie.

The visitors kicked off but quickly surrendered possession and Chris Malone’s head flick was gathered by Joe Andrew at the edge of box before a cute touch released Jamie McGeoghegan on the left to whip a ball across the face of goal which although keeper Mark Mitchell spilled the attentive Sean Fleming made a last ditch tackle to prevent John Paul Boyle from burying the loose ball. Two minutes later Swifts striker Chris McLeish tried his luck from 20 yards out but the accuracy of shot didn’t much its power and the ball zoomed well wide of the mark.

On 11 minutes the hosts took the lead and in some style. Jamie Hay robbed Swifts of posssession and picked out Boyle on the half way line who skipped past two defenders and with options on his right and left, chose Andrew on the left he quickly rolled back across the 18 yard line to McGeoghegan who slipped a perfectly timed pass for the overlapping Ally Park who slammed the ball past the advancing keeper and into the net.

Ally Park fires Glens ahead

Glens spurned a chance to add to their two minutes later after Andrew and Boyle caused panic in a busy Swifts box without either able to get a clean shot at goal and eventually Andrew’s second attempt held by Mitchell.

After a shaky start Jeanfield settled well and began to see much more of the ball and looked lively on the break particularly through Kevyn Fowler and Lee Baker. Indeed it was after a Fowler run had been ended by a tackle from Ryan McChesney, earning the Glens defender a yellow card, that Swifts drew level on 23 minutes. Free-kick specialist Anthony Holt from 22 yards out lashed the ball beyond the Glens’ wall and the outstretched arms of McGarrity into the far corner of the net for his 10th goal of the season.

Anthony Holt’s free kick finds the net

With their tails up Swifts pushed for a second and Daniel Kelly curled a shot from the edge of the box that beat the keeper but slipped wide of the post. The home side had then McGarrity to thank for keeping his nerve as Baker broke into the box and the keeper pushed him wide of goal before blocking a shot with a foot and then repeated the feat as Baker tried from a tighter angle, the ball then sailing high over the bar.

Brian McGarrity foils Lee Baker

With 10 minutes to go Andrew made good progress into the box to reach the dead-ball line with Fleming in close attention. The Swifts’ defender lost his footing ,slipped out of play and then appeared to pull back Andrew’s leg as he tried to recover the loose ball, only for his penalty claim to be dismissed. A minute later the Glens’ striker burst into the box again to play a one-two with Boyle before Chris Anton and Mitchell combined to block his effort. Darren McGill then slipped the ball to Jamie Hay and his thundering shot from 22 yards sailed high and wide of target.

At the other end Chris Dodd tried his luck from a similar distance with the ball being held well by McGarrity, but the keeper was soon back in action after a Glens’ corner had been cleared leaving Kelly, the ball carrier, and McLeish to swiftly break upfield. On reaching the box Kelly took solitary defender Craig Menzies out of play by slipping the ball to McLeish only for his low drilled shot to be blocked by MGarrity’s right foot on the six yard line.

H/T Glens 1 Swifts 1

The hosts kicked off and again they made a bright start and forced a couple of corner-kicks the second of which ended with Park towering above Fleming to bullet a header into the six yard box which was eventually cleared with the keeper stranded on the ground. A third corner-kick followed soon after, this too cleared by a determined defence.

Ally Parks powers a header

On 51 minutes Jeanfield earned their first corner-kick of the second half and although this was partially cleared the ball was quickly recovered and returned to Dodd on the left flank who clipped it to the near post where Holt, with his back to goal, took a touch before hooking the ball to the back post only for McGarrity at full stretch to claw the ball away from the line but could do nothing to stop the alert Chris McLeish from lashing it home from close range.

No. 9 Chris McLeish fires Swifts into the lead

Play became bogged down for some time with further chances thin on the ground. With half an hour to go Malone and McGill exchanged heated words and were immediately replaced with Craig McGuffie and midweek signing Michael Wardrope. While Swifts also made a change.

Glens pressed for the equaliser and replaced Boyle with Daniel Orsi but struggled to unpick a well drilled defence while always wary of being caught on the break. Park won another header in a packed box but the ball slipped wide of the post.

Ally Park wins another header

Mitchell then pushed an angled shot from Andrew wide for a corner kick which led to another, which was then cleared. On 77 minutes Swifts won a free kick on the outskirts of the box and as Holt stepped up a travelling supporter warned ‘he usually gets two a game!” – on this occasion the wall and keeper were indeed beaten but the ball crashed off the post.

Back came the Glens through Park, who with his progress deeper into the box blocked squared the ball for McGuffie only for his shot from 18 yards to go well wide. Orsi then shook off Anton before bursting into the box only to be bundled to the ground by player-manager Ross Gunnion, his appeals for a penalty quickly dismissed. A Glens’ free-kick into the box was eventually gathered by Mitchell before Orsi’s angled-drived whizzed wide of the far post.

Anthony Holt makes it 3-1

The last word belonged to Anthony Holt. In the 5th minute of added time after a long kick-out by the keeper was headed on Holt kept his cool and with a perfect weight lobbed the ball high over the head of the outrushing McGarrity and in the fading light he knew before anyone else in the ground where the ball would finish … back of the net…. in what was the last kick of the game. F/T Glens 1 Swifts 3

Glenafton Athletic: 1. McGarrity 2. Park, 3. Cairns, 4. Menzies, 5. McChesney, 6. McGeoghegan, 7. McGill (14. McGuffie), 8. Hay, 9. Andrew, 10. Boyle (15. Orsi), 11. Malone (16. Wardrope). Subs not used: 12. Meikle 17. Buchanan (gk)

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Jeanfield Swifts*: 1. Mitchell, 2. McDermid, 3. Fleming, 14. Anton, 15. Gunnion, 7. Dodd, 8. Holt, 9. McLeish, 10. Kelly, 11. Fowler, 17. Baker. Subs Anderson, Dewar, McKinnon, McPhee

*apologies for any errors JS shirt numbers didn’t match numbers on original team-line

More photos here