PDM Buildbase WOSFL | Match 13	18/09/2021 KO2:00pm	Hamish B. Allan Stadium, Rutherglen
Rutherglen Glencairn	1 (0)	Pearson
Glenafton Athletic	5 (3)	Fisher, O.G., Fotheringham, Murphy, McKee

Glenafton made a number of changes to the side that kicked off against Craigmark last week. With Calum Thomson, Sam McKee and Ryan Jordan making way for captain Craig Pettigrew, Alan Cairns and Aaron Miller. On the bench for Rutherglen was former Glenafton striker Kit Cummins.

04’ | Rutherglen 0 Glenafton 1 (Ross Fisher)

The visitors got off to a great start with a wonderfully worked goal on 4 minutes that involved no fewer than nine of the team and it all began with Ollie Rowe breaking down a Glencairn attack on the edge of the Afton box. Ross Fisher then retrieved the loose ball and played it forward to Aaron Miller who side stepped a tackle before slipping a diagonal pass for Mark Gilmour to progress to the centre circle and switch the ball wide for Alan Cairns to break forward down left.  He then picked out David Blyth but with his way blocked he was forced to give a couple of defenders the slip before returning the ball to Cairns, wide on the left, who quickly sent the ball back down the touch line to Craig Pettigrew on the half-way line who switched play to the right with a fine ball well trapped by Sean Bennie. The young full back squared the ball inside to Fisher who promptly zipped a 20 yard pass upfield for Gregor Fotheringham to hold off a defender and pick out Miller to roll a sublime ball forward into the box for the incoming Ross Fisher to chase down and lash it past the keeper at his near post from a tight angle.

The home side responded well to the early set-back and were very much on the front foot for long spells creating a number of chances including a header that dropped over the bar. The best chance however fell to Sean McGuire who gathered a great ball in the box from Harry Mitchell before drawing keeper Brian McGarrity from his line only for Alan Cairns to block his close range shot on the line. Mitchell also set up Jack McIlveen but he curled his shot from 16 yards wide of the post.

Glens created a couple of chances too. Murphy won a free kick near the left hand corner flag and Fotheringham whipped a wicked ball deep into the goalmouth that was pushed away by keeper McGinley for a corner-kick which eventually fell for Blyth only for his shot from 25 yards to be blocked.

Rutherglen countered through Michael Lone weaving past defenders in breaking into the right-hand side of the box only for his low angled shot to drift wide of the far post. Further pressure forced McGarrity to concede a corner which was won in the air by the visitors but the attempt to volley home the dropping ball never came off.

33’ | Rutherglen 0 Glenafton 2( Aaron Miller / Mick O’Byrne O.G.)

On 33 minutes the Afton doubled their lead. Blyth from the centre circle squared the ball to Miller who then clipped it up the wing to Murphy. With his route blocked he reversed and attempted to pick out Gilmour in the centre circle only for it to rebound off Fisher and fall kindly for Bennie on the right who the burst forward before slipping the ball to Miller. The midfielder wrong footed a defender then drifted inside along the outskirts of the box to play a neat one-two with Fotheringham before hitting a low angle shot that deflected off defender Mick O’Byrne and beyond the reach of McGinley at full stretch.

Again, Rutherglen’s heads didn’t go down as they continued to push forward in search of a goal only to go further behind ten minutes later.

43’| Rutherglen 0 Glenafton 3 (Gregor Fotheringham)

Bennie on the right squared inside to Fisher to ping a ball up the right wing to Murphy tight on the right touch line where he was quickly boxed in and returned the ball to Fisher who chipped a ball high and deep into the box where Gregor Fotheringham leapt between defender and keeper to glance a header into the net.

HT Rutherglen 0 Glenafton 3

The home side came close to pulling one-back soon after the restart. A quick break down the left ended with the ball being squared along the 18 yard line where Mitchell met it sweetly to crack a low shot that McGarrity did will to get down low and push the ball against the base of the post and the alert Cairns was in hand to clear the danger as McIlveen threatened.

Rutherglen continued to press with Rowe, Bennie and Pettigrew all mopping up decent balls into the box before Gilmour blocked a shot with McGarrity at his back.

59’ | Rutherglen 0 Glenafton 4 ( Leon Murphy)

Glens extended their lead when Cairns, on the left and inside his own half, launched a long throw up the wing for Fotheringham to control on his chest before squaring the ball inside for Blyth to play a cute forward diagonal pass to Leon Murphy who took a touch or two before chipping a glorious ball from the 18 yard line over the keeper on 6 yard line and into the net.

The same pattern prevailed with the home side determined to salvage something from the game without testing the keeper other than a powerfully struck low shot that McGarrity  blocked with both feet at the corner of the six yard box.

Glens brought on Darren Curtis and Sam McKee for Ross Fisher and David Blyth and soon after replaced Craig Pettigrew.

78’| Rutherglen 1 (Reece Pearson) 1 Glenafton 4

Scott Schoneville made a powerful run down the left flank and from the bye-line whipped a high ball to the back post which was headed home by Reece Pearson while McGarrity protested that Schoneville’s cross had drifted out of play; the goal stood.

The Glens forced a few more corner kicks before completing the scoring in time added on.

91’| Rutherglen 1 Glenafton 5 (Sam McKee)

Gilmour, deep in his own half broke down a Rutherglen attack with a strong tackle that sent the ball flying up the left wing where Sam McKee from the centre circle easily won the race for the ball. He continued his run down the left wing before cutting inside the box and sending the defender one way and then the other before firing a shot through the space between a defender and Fotheringham and beyond the reach of the unsighted keeper.

FT Rutherglen 1 Glenafton 5

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC

Brian McGarrity, Sean Bennie, Alan Cairns, Ollie Rowe, Ross Fisher (Sam McKee), Craig Pettigrew (Ryan McChesney), Aaron Miller, Mark Gilmour, Leon Murphy, Gregor Fotheringham, David Blyth (Darren Curtis). Subs: Calum Thomson, Mick McCann, Scott Johnson (gk).

RUTHERGLEN GLENCAIRN

Marc McGinley, Stewart Hall, Scott Schoneville, Kyle Chrystal, Mick O’Byrne, Craig Leitch (Drew Wingate), Tommy Lone, Sean McGuire,  Jack McIlveen (Reece Pearson),  Michael Lone ( Kit Cummins), Harry Mitchell