McBoookie.com West of Scotland League Super League Premier Division: Match 10

Saturday 17th December 2016, Loch Park, New Cumnock

Glenafton closed the year with another gritty performance to secure a 1-0 win over Kilwinning and three more points to maintain their 2nd place position in the Premier Division fours points behind Rob Roy with a game in hand.

The visitors enjoyed the early pressure forcing a number of corner kicks that more often and not were won consistently by the aerial power of the Glens defence. Midway through the half and a Buffs free kick from just outside the box looked goal bound only for keeper Brian McGarrity to pull off a great save and push the ball round the post for another corner that came to nothing. The home side’s best chance up until to that time had fell to Joe Andrew after his close range shot was blocked in a crowded box. On 25 minutes the striker found himself in the same position when a free kick was floated into the box and Ryan McChesney outjumped the centre back to head the ball down and there was Joe on the edge of the six yard box to lash the ball past keeper Adam Strain.

Joe Andrew puts Glens ahead

The home side took heart and Ryan Borris’s corner kick saw Strain punch the ball from under his bar and McChesney’s effort to bury the loose ball blocked; his second attempt was foiled by a crunching well-timed tackle from Ricky Hanvey that had home appeals for a penalty waved away. The Buffs appeal for a hand ball by Craig Menzies in the Glens box suffered the same fate soon after. H/T Glens 1 Buffs 0 

Play in the second half ebbed and flowed from end to end with half chances coming and going. Midway through the half McGarrity pulled of another stuffing save to tip a powerful angled shot from Kenny Hogg over the bar. Both sides used up their quota of substitutes and Buffs were doing most of the pressing  in the closing stages with former Glenaftom midfielder Findlay Frye the driving force as they tried to salvage a point. They  came close to getting caught out with a couple of Glens breaks upfield both of which saw Chris Dallas set up Mick McCann but Strain was his equal on both occasions. The keeper almost paid the price for running far out of his box to punt a long ball upfield only for David Gray to gather it and from deep in his own half come within a whisker of finding the empty net. With the game now in time added-on the Buffs won a free kick 25 yards from goal and Carlo Monti’s strike hit the raised arm of Darren McGill to earn the visitors a spot-kick. Up stepped Ben Lewis (who had scored from the spot in the corresponding fixture at Abbey Park) however Brian McGarrity (who had saved a penalty at Troon last week) dived down low to his left to push the ball away and  the loose ball mopped up by Menzies just before the referee blew for full time . F/T Glens 1 Buffs 0

Brian saves the points

Celebrations

Glenafton Athletic: 1. Brian McGarrity 2. Dan Orsi 3. Alan Cairns 4. Craig Menzies 5. Ryan McChesney (14. Conor Lynass) 6. Cameron Marlow 7. Ryan Borris 8. Ally Park 9. Mick McCann  (15. David Gray) 10. Joe Andrew (12. Chris Dallas) 11. Darren McGill. Subs Not Used Kieran McAnespie Gk Scott Watson

Kilwinning Rangers: 1. Adam Strain 2. Joe Coleman 3. Sam McCloskey 4. Ryan Clark (14. Isaac Kerr) 5. Tommy Maitland 6. Findlay Frye 7. Dean Agnew (15. Ian Cashmore) 8. Liam McGuinness 9. Kenny Hogg 10. Ben Lewis 11. Ricky Hanvey  (16. Carlo Monti) Subs Not Used 12. Barry Fleeting 17. Calvin Kemp.

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