- McBookie Premier Division
- Match 17
- Dunterlie Park, Barrhead
- Saturday 29th April 2017
- ARTHURLIE 1 (0)
- Jordan Leyden
- GLENAFTON ATHLETIC 1 (1)
- John Carter
Glenafton made three changes to the side that started against Auchinleck Talbot in midweek with Cameron Marlow, Darren McGill and Mick McCann coming in for David Gray, Ryan Borris and Joe Andrew. Meanwhile top goalscorer and former Arthurlie striker Chris Dallas remains side-lined through injury.
Minute’s silence before kick-off
The visitors made the early running without however testing keeper Grant Hay. On 10 minutes the Glens had their opponents chasing shadows with a slick piece of passing play beginning with Ally Park at the right hand corner of the penalty box who picked out Kyle McAusland who in tun took out Josh Graham with a quick touch to the overlapping Conor Lynass and his one-two with McAusland left defender Kieran Brennan for dead as the Glens full back advanced to the bye-line before cutting the ball across the face of goal where Hay got down low to push the ball away as John Carter waited to pounce.
Mick McCann on the move
A minute later Park, wide on the right, chipped a ball into the box where McCann leapt head and shoulders above central defender Ryan McGregor only for his looping header to dip over the crossbar. Soon after McGill’s free kick 25 yards out whizzed wide of the post.
Arthurlie began to grow into the game and on 20 minutes good wing play by the lively Ryan McKie was rewarded with a corner kick after Park blocked his cut back from the bye-line. It was also Park that beat McGregor to jump to get his head to the corner before Carter then headed the ball clear of the danger area. A minute later the hosts kept the pressure with a free kick from the right hand edge of the penalty box and again Park and Carter combined to not only mop up the set-piece but to initiate a cracking counter-attack. Carter carried the ball from the Glens’ penalty box to the half-way line before releasing Lynass on the right with a free run into the ‘Lie’s box where Hay was advancing out of his yard box and the back-tracking McNeil (trialist) was arriving in support the Glens midfielder opted to square the ball across the face of the goal only for the ball to miss the incoming McCann, the intended target.
Conor Lynass closes in on goal
Arthurlie responded through winning another corner-kick which was whipped into the heart of the goalmouth and although keeper Brian McGarrity got a hand to the ball it fell kindly for McKie only for his free header from close range bullet wide of the target, a let-off for Glens. Mark Blakely picked the ball up in the centre circle and with McKie crying out for the ball wide on the right the central defender tried to catch McGarrity of his line with a speculative launch upfield only for the keeper to get his bearings and catch the ball cleanly.
Ryan McKie heads wide
On 29 minutes Lynass surged through the middle skipping past two ‘Lie players before being brought by a third some 30 yards from goal. Cameron Marlow clipped the free-kick into the box and although McGregor was tightly marking John Carter the Glens striker managed to get a sweet strike on the ball with his raised right foot to send an unstoppable shot home from 10 yards out.
Five minutes later Carter broke through the middle and played a one-two with McCann before slipping the ball to McGill wide on the left who quickly switched play to the right with a cross deep into penalty box where it was met by Lynass only for pressure from Brennan forcing the midfielder to hook his shot wide of target. The Glens continued to press without fashioning any further clear-cut chances
In the closing action of the half the hosts had a corner-kick initially cleared at the near post before the ball was hooked back across the face of goal where Marlow got the slightest of touches to prevent the ball falling for the unmarked James Lindsay with an open goal in front of him. McKie retrieved the loose ball and set up another attack which ended with a ball deep into the box being headed clear by Ryan McChesney.
H/T Arthurlie 0 Glenafton
Play was scrappy at the beginning of the half with few chances on show. The home side failed to capitalise when McGarrity was forced to abandon his goal-line and try to recover the ball as the edge of the box only for Gary Smith to win that race but unable to pick out a team-mate in the box with the keeper stranded. At the other end Marlow burst into the left hand side of the box and although his shot from a tight angle beat the keeper at his near post the ball sneaked inches wide of the back post.
On 61 minutes Arthurlie caught the Glens defence on the back foot as Ryan Deas and James Lindsay combined in the box with the ball falling to the latter to slam his low angled drive home from close range. Three minutes later the striker shook off Alan Cairns to turn and fire a shot from the edge of box that ruffled the side-netting.
James Lindsay set to equalise
The visitors responded through a Marlow free-kick floated into the box which Hay did well to punch clear from the head of McCann although the keeper injured himself in the process, quickly treated by the magic sponge of the Glens physio.
Midway through the half the Glens made a double substitution with David Gray and Dan Orsi replacing Cameron Marlow and Darren McGill.
Chances remained thin on the ground with set pieces remaining the main source. On 72 minutes the home side won a free kick 20 yards from goal and although Smith curled his shot round the right hand side of the defensive wall the ball sailed past the junction of the post and crossbar. At the other end Gray from wide on the right floated a free kick to the back post where Hay did well to get down low to grasp the ball as Carter closed in.
With 78 minutes gone Glens made their final substitution replacing Mick McCann with Joe Andrew. Two minutes later Gray’s short corner kick to the edge of the six-yard box for Park ended with the midfielders angled header crashing off the crossbar. Two minutes later another Gray corner kick was play deep into the far side of the box where McAusland stooped to send a looping header high into the air which was clutched under his bar by Hay with Andrew challenging. In between the corners Arthurlie’s player manager Chris Mackie had come on for Gary Smith.
Ally Park (No.8) header crashes off the cross-bar
Good attacking play by Cairns earned Glens another corner-kick with two minutes of regulation time remaining. Gray’s kick to the back post was met by McAusland and his header crashed of the self-same post and the attempt to bury the rebound glanced off the outside of the post and behind.
Kyle McAusland’s header rebounds off the post
Arthurlie, who still carried a threat, were content to run the clock down to secure the point that would secure their Premier Division status and made a double substitution in time added on before the final whistle blew. F/T Arthurlie 1 Glenafton 1
GLENAFTON ATHLETIC: 1. Brian McGarrity 2. Kyle McAusland 3. Alan Cairns 4. Craig Menzies 5. Ryan McChesney 6. Ally Park 7. Conor Lynass 8. Cameron Marlow (16. David Gray) 9. Mick McCann (17. Joe Andrew) 10. John Carter 11. Darren McGill (14. Dan Orsi) Subs Not Used. 12. Ryan Borris 14.Chris Meikle Gk.Blair Lochhead
ARTHURLIE: 1.Grant Hay, 2. McNeill (Trialist) 3. Kieran Brennan 4. Mark Blakey 5. Ryan McGregor 6. Graham Girvan 7. Ryan McKie 8. Ryan Deas 9. James Lindsay(12. Gary Carroll), 10. Gary Smith (15. Chris Mackie) 11. Josh Graham (14. Daryl Convery)
Glenafton Athletic 