| Killie Pie WOSFL Cup | Prelim Round | 30/10/2021 KO 2:00 pm | Loch Park, New Cumnock |
|---|---|---|
| Glenafton Athletic | 1 (0) | Ryan |
| Gartcairn | 0 (0) |
Glenafton faced Gartcairn in the first meetings between the two clubs in the so-called “Preliminary Round” of the Killie Pie West of Scotland Football League Cup! The Airdrie side are enjoying a great season sitting in 3rd place in Conference B and are through to the 4th Round of the Scottish Junior Cup.
The Glens made two changes to the side that started against Rossvale last week with keeper Scott Johnson replacing Brian McGarrity and Mark Gilmour coming in for Aaron Miller.
The Glens won an early corner-kick from which Sean Bennie’s volley was blocked and the loose ball fell for Craig Pettigrew only for his shot to be deflected wide for another corner that was headed clear.
Gartcairn responded through Barry Frew breaking down the middle to set up Ross McNeil to blast a shot from the 18-yard line that Scott Johnson stopped with both hands and Ollie Rowe cleared the rebound as Frew closed in. The visitors recovered the ball however and continued to press before Ross Fisher mopped up the danger.
The game was being played at a hectic pace as Gartcairn were quick to close down play and the ball changed hands (or feet) as both sides tried to mount attacks.
On 10 minutes Liam Craig’s deflected shot dropped kindly for David Sinclair unmarked in the “D” but his volley ended well wide of the target. Glens countered but their third corner-kick served only to set up another break by Frew with the ball eventually falling for Fraser Team but his shot from 20 yards sailed over the bar.
Glens then enjoyed a decent spell of pressure without testing keeper John Hutchison although Fisher came close as his header from a Rowe cross slipped wide of the post. Mark Gilmour skipped past a defender to get to the bye-line and pick out Sam McKee in the box only for Ben Cappie to strip himof the ball and initiate a counter-attack that ended with the visitors camped in and about the Glens’ box for a time before McNeil’s shot from a tight angle whizzed wide of the back post.
Midway through the half Frew picked up the ball in the centre circle to drive forward before unleashing a thunderous shot from 25 yards that saw Johnson leap and push the ball high into the sky with both hands. From the resulting corner Terry Hewitt won the header in a packed six-yard box and although Johnson got a hand to the loose ball it bobbled about the box before falling into the keeper’s arms.
At the other end Alan Cairns took three defenders out of play with a great ball into the box for McKee only for Hutchison to clutch his cross out the air.
The visitors pressed and created a number of decent chances. Sinclair’s free kick from the edge of the box fell straight into the hands of Johnson. Soon after Craig broke down the right to clip a cross for the incoming Frew at the back-post only for Johnson to clutch the ball under his bar. Team then sprinted down the left to set up Frew to shoot from 16 yards only to be foiled by Johnson again, pulling off a great save to push it round the post and then cleanly clutch the resulting corner kick.
At the other end Hutchison cut out another McKee cross before Gartairn called Johnson into action again. Bennet cutting in from the right slipped the ball to McNeil at the edge of the yard box only for the keeper’s shins to block his shot. Johnson then smothered a Craig cross into the goal mouth and soon after Hewitt headed a free-kick into the box over the bar.
Unsurprisingly the tempo of the game dropped a notch and play was scrappy as both sides won and surrendered the ball in equal fashion.
HT Glens 0 Gartcairn 0
The visitors were quickly on the front foot after the restart. Although Craig’s free kick from the outskirts of the box beat the wall it dropped safely into the hands of Johnson. Soon after, Craig’s head was in his hands in disbelief when his curled shot from inside the box was heading for the top corner only for Johnson, at full stretch, to tip it over the bar. The corner that followed was headed clear from under the bar by Bennie and Cairns released Murphy down the right but the break fizzled out.
Back came the visitors through Frew down the left to whip the ball to the back post where Johnson punched it from the head of the incoming Team and the ball played back into the busy box by Barry Eley only for Johnson to wrestle the ball from the feet of Cappie.
Some respite for the Glens when a long throw into the box from Bennie was won in the air by Pettigrew and the loose ball eventually fell into a pack of players where Fisher, with his back to goal, hooked the ball over his head sending it inches wide of the post. Gartcairn won a corner-kick on the left and the ball fell for McNeil in the far side of the box to lash a low angled shot that Johnson got down low to hold.
On the hour mark Glens made their first change with midfielder Mark Gilmour making way for striker Jordan Ryan while soon after Gartcairn brought on Eddie Ferns for Barry Frew. In between times McKee, from wide on the left, floated a great ball to back post where Murphy came within a whisker to get a touch and test Hutchison.
Glens continued to press and Blyth’s powerful run into the box won him a corner-kick on the right which he floated high into the heart of the box and the ball fell for Murphy on the left-hand side which he chipped to the far corner of the six-yard box where Rowe attempted to guide a header to the back post only for Hutchson on his line to push it away with both hands and Rowe’s second bite at the cherry was deflected wide for a corner. It was Rowe that leapt above all around to bullet a header from 8 yards out that Hutchison jumped to clinch with both hands.
Play went back and forth for a short spell before Glens threatened again. Blyth cracked a shot from inside the corner of the box that was deflected over the bar and Hutchison got the jump on Rowe to pluck the corner out the air. At the other end a Gartcairn corner was cleared before another period of back & forth played resumed.
On 70 minutes Glenafton broke the deadlock. Blyth broke into the right-hand side of the box but with his way to goal blocked he rolled it back out to Murphy to clip a perfectly weighted ball for Ryan on the penalty spot only it seemed to come off Hewitt’s head sending the ball into the air before the alert Jordan Ryan turned and leapt to loop an exquisite header over Hutchinon, rooted two yards of his line, and into the far corner of the net.
Glens kept the pressure on and earned another corner that was headed clear by Hewitt leading to a counter attack that ended with Ferns shot being blocked in the box by McKee.
The home side made another change with David Blyth making way for Scott Sherrie who was quickly in the thick things. He picked out Ryan in the box where he evaded Hewitt’s tackle only to be robbed by Cappie who then stumbled to the ground and appeared to accidentally handle the ball before keeper Hutchison gathered. Red shirts loud claims for a spot kick fell on deaf ears!
On 80 minutes Glens made their third change with Calum Thomson replacing Sam McKee.
Sherrie danced into the box to win another corner that came to nothing while Gartcairn responded with back-to-back corners which saw the latter leading to a free kick on the right wing. Ferns floated the ball to the back post where Craig clearly pushed Bennie before winning a header that dipped inches over the bar.
The visitors came close to drawing level on 83 minutes after a free kick from the centre circle was launched deep into the box where Hewitt headed the ball towards the near post and McNeil’s header sent it skyward only for it to nestle on the roof of the net.
The game finished with another period of play raging from end to end without either keeper being tested and on 94 minutes the referee blew for time.
FT Glens 1 Gartcairn 0
A tough shift for two evenly matched sides with Glens keeper Scott Johnson in top form and Jordan Ryan breaking the deadlock with a perfectly weighted header. Glens will now host BSC Glasgow in the 1st Round!
| GLENAFTON ATHLETIC |
| 1. Scott Johnson 2. Sean Bennie 4. Ollie Rowe 6. Craig Pettigrew 3. Alan Cairns; 7. David Blyth (14. Scott Sherrie) 5. Ross Fisher 8. Darren Curtis 11. Mark Gilmour (15. Jordan Ryan); 9. Leon Murphy 10. Sam McKee (12. Calum Thomson). Subs Not Used: 16. Mick McCann |
| GARTCAIRN |
| 1. John Hutchison 2. Barry Eley 3. Ben Cappie 4. Scott Stevenson 5. Terry Hewitt 6. Ryan Bennet 7. Liam Craig 8. David Sinclair 9. Ross McNeil 10. Barry Frew (12. Eddie Ferns ) 11. Fraser Team. Subs Not Used: 14. Michael Tuohy 15. Graham Watson 16. M. Casey |
| MATCH PHOTOS |
| Glenafton Athletic v Gartcairn |
Glenafton Athletic 