PDM Buildbase WOSFL | Match 38	23/05/2022 KO 7:30 pm	Guy’s Meadow , Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld United	0 (0
Glenafton Athletic	0 (0)

Glenafton started with the same 11 that kicked off against Blantyre Victoria last Wednesday. In the Cumbernauld United goal was trialist Scott McLellan, who had performed so well, again as a trialist, for Blantyre last week and was on Rutherglen Glencairn’s books at the start of the season.

The early exchanges were pretty even with a couple of half chances on show with shots from Calvin Kemp for the visitors which drifted wide and Kieran Boubreki for the host which was easily held by keeper David Markey. Soon after Kemp won Glens a corner kick which was headed clear by Jack Harrison.

On 14 minutes Glens were forced to make a change after Leon Murphy had failed to recover from an earlier knock and was replaced with Sam McKee.

Craig Pettigrew launched a free kick from the centre circle deep into the right-hand side of box for Ollie Rowe to rise and head it back from the goal-line towards the heart of the goalmouth where Hugh Kerr trapped the ball only for his shot from 8 yards to be blocked by Paddy McCabe.

Kerr then headed a high ball into the box for Jordan Ryan to gather before firing a low shot from a tight angle wide of the near post.  Rowe won the ball in the centre circle before threading a forward pass to McKee to burst through the middle and crack a shot from 25 yards that McLellan took the sting out off with both hands.

Cumbernauld came close on 20 minutes after Dale Fulton floated a free kick from wide on the left to the right-hand side of the box where David Cameron leapt to send a looping header high into the air before dropping and bouncing off the top the bar at its junction with the post.

Glens won a free-kick in the centre circle which Jamie McKernon floated into the box and although Rowe won the aerial battle against Stephen McDevitt and Cameron the ball didn’t fall kindly for him and his shot from the edge of the six-yard box flew high over the bar. The visitors continued to press and won another free-kick which McKernon blasted past the wall from 30 yards before McLellan pushed the ball round the post. Rowe then headed McKernon’s corner kick wide of target.

Some respite for the home side after Boubekri released Jay Blair down the right only for his cross into the goalmouth to be intercepted by Pettigrew at the expense of a corner which was cleared.

The visitors then enjoyed another good spell of pressure.

On 30 mins Kemp nicked the ball from the feet of Boubekri to break through the middle before unleashing a shot from 22 yards that whistled wide of the post. Kerr then slotted a great ball into the box for McKee to chase down and clip the ball from the bye-line into the box which was headed clear by McDevitt. McKernon then rifled a shot from 25 yards that McLellan got down low to push past the post. Although Rowe got the better of Cameron in the box his header from the corner looped high over the bar.

Cumbernauld countered with a break through the middle by Boubekri only for Pettigrew to nick the ball at the outskirts of the box and pass to Gilmour who then picked out McKee to break forward before squaring to McKernon who tried his luck from 25 yards only for the ball to take a bounce and the shot sail well over the ball. McKernon then curled a free-kick into the box where Ryan outleapt McDevitt to flash a glancing header over the bar.

Three minutes before the break the hosts won a corner-kick that was mopped and then another break which ended in the same fashion.

Glens countered down the left with Gilmour and McKee with the latter clipping a ball into the six-yard box for Ryan only for McDevitt to intercept and clear to the outskirts of the box where McKernon blasted a shot from 18 yards that whizzed wide of target.

HT Cumbernauld 0 Glenafton 0

Glens were quickly on the front foot with an early corner kick that glanced off the head of Sean Bennie before falling for Ryan at the back post who rolled it back to Kemp only for his shot to fly over the bar. Ryan and Kemp then combined down the right to set up a cross to the back post for Kerr to outjump two defenders only for the header to drift wide. The visitors continued to press with runs down both flanks with Martin and Gilmour pushing up in support of Kemp & McKee.

On 58 minutes, Bennie on the half-way line broke down a good run by Aaron O’Hare and launched a high ball upfield for Kerr to trap and push forward before drilling a low angled shot from 20 yards that bobbled along the ground and bounced wide of the post.

The hosts then enjoyed a decent spell of possession. Boubekri gathered a shy on the outskirts of the box and evading a pocket of three Glens defenders slipped the ball to Cameron who drilled a low angled shot from the edge of the ‘D’ forcing Markey to get down low and at full stretch push the ball away with a strong hand. The resulting corner-kick came to nothing

Back came Glens and from just inside the Cumbernauld half McKernon clipped a high ball into the right-hand side of the box where Kemp did well to trap it and give Martin Lawrie the slip to get a shot away only for it to dip over the bar.

Just after the hour mark Cumbernauld replaced Jay Blair with Gavin Mackie.

Glens continued to press and Kerr switched play to the left where McKee gave McCabe the slip only for his cross from the bye-line to be headed out by McDevitt and hooked to the edge of the box by Cameron where Kemp snapped up the loose ball before firing a shot over the bar.

The home side countered through O’Hare breaking forward before laying the ball of to Fulton and from fully 35 yards he cracked a shot that thundered off the boards behind the goal.

Midway through the half McKernon struck a sweet free kick from 28 yards that got up and over the four-man wall only for McLellan to pull off a fine save and push the ball away with both hands.

At the other end Lawrie made good progress up the left before curling a ball into a busy box only for for it to drop safely into the arms of Markey.

Back came Glens with McKee down the left skipping past Mackie to get to the bye line and although his cross deflected off a defender Ryan was in place to send an overhead kick across the face of goal where Lawrie managed to guide it out for a corner as Rowe closed in. McKernon’s kick was bulleted goalward by a Bennie header only to be blocked by McDevitt’s head and then headed clear for another corner by Fulton which ended with Pettigrew’s glancing header being held on the line by the keeper.

Cumbernauld countered with their best passage of passing play in the match. The keeper launched a long ball up the park which was gathered by Scott Thomson on the right and with Gilmour blocking his way he rolled the ball back to Mackie who pinged a long ball into the box for Fulton only for Bennie to cut it out with a diving header. Thomson, still on the right touchline, snapped up the ball and again with his way blocked he played a great diagonal ball to Boubekri in the middle of the park who took a touch before stabbing a perfectly weighted pass into the box to march Fulton’s run who was then forced to go wide by McKernon and Bennie but still fashioned an angled shot at goal that was deflected wide for a corner kick. Yet, again the corner came to nothing for the home side. However, they continued to press but without creating a clear-cut chance.

Glens then won a corner of their own but this too was cleared albeit at the third attempt.

Thomson’s determination on the right, on the half -line, saw him shake off a clutch of Glens players before cutting inside before clipping a ball forward for Boubekri only for Bennie to intercept with another header which was gathered by Rowe, quickly bundled off the ball by Thomson who then cracked a shot from 25 yards that was deflected wide by Bennie for a corner. At las, a corner for the home side caused some panic in the Glens box. Mackie’s kick was head flicked on to the far post by Cameron where Harrison hooked the ball back across the face of goal and Fulton’s header for the back post was headed out by Bennie for another corner kick. No panic this time as Gilmour and McKernon cleared their lines.

On 77 minutes Glens pushed forward with Kemp and Ryan combining through the middle. Soon after Ryan was then brought down in the middle of the park. McKernon floated the free kick into the heart of the box and although McDevitt won the ball in the air his header was heading for his own net only for McLellan to move swiftly along his line to get a hand to the ball which hit of the post. Ryan chased the loose ball and rolled it back to Kemp to clip a high ball back toward the back post where Rowe beat McCabe to head it back toward the other r post where Kerr dipped to head the ball over the line and into the net. Joy turned to despair as the assistant referee raised a flag for offside, although McDevitt certainly had played Kerr onside.

Cumbernauld replaced Kieran Boubekri with Tom Neil.

Glens won back-to-back corners with the latter ending with Bennie’s header flying past the post. McKernon then picked out McKee on the left to break into the box and Kerr got on the end of his cross, but his shot was blocked by Harrison. Soon after another McKernon corner was won in the air by Rowe at the back post sending the ball to the near post but clipped the bar in the way down and cleared as Bennie and Kerr were outnumbered by four defenders.

Some respite for United as Fulton picked the ball up in the centre-circle and pushed forward squaring to Mackie on the right who whipped the ball into the box for the incoming Cameron only head the ball wide from 8 yards out.

Glens responded with Gilmour, wide on the left, launching the ball into the goalmouth where McLellan leapt to clutch the ball cleanly under the bar and under pressure from Rowe fell to the ground, still holding the ball tightly.

Martin then picked out Kemp at the right-hand corner of the box, where with his left foot flicked the ball over the head of Lawrie and then met the ball on the drop with his right to lob it to the edge of the six-yard box where Ryan’s header fell into the hands of McLellan.

In the closing minutes of added time Fulton tried his luck from distance but his shot drifted well wide of target and soon after Bennie headed clear a dangerous ball into the box.

FT Cumbernauld 0 Glenafton 0

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC

1. David Markey 2. James Martin 4. Craig Pettigrew 5. Sean Bennie 3. Mark Gilmour 7. Calvin Kemp 6. Jamie McKernon 8. Ollie Rowe 11. Leon Murphy (17. Sam McKee) ; 9. Hugh Kerr 10. Jordan Ryan. Subs: 12. Ryan Nisbet 14. David Blyth 16. Darren Curtis 18. Calum Thomson 21. James Hart (gk)

CUMBERNAULD UNITED

1. Trialist 2. Paddy McCabe 4. Jack Harrison 5. Stephen McDevitt 3. Martin Lawrie; 7. Jay Blair (12. Gavin Mackie) 6. Dale Fulton 8. David Cameron 11. Aaron O’Hare; 21. Kieran Boubekri (14. Tom Neil) 15. Scott Thomson. Subs: 9. Trialist 18. Craig Sideserf

Match Photos

Cumbernauld United v Glenafton Athletic

Footnote

This game was played before a decision was made regarding the outcome of Glenafton v Blantyre game played on 18th May 2022 and which was abandoned in the 1st half after Blantyre (who strarted with 7 players) were reduced to 6 players through injury and with Glens leading 2-0 .

27th May 2022

Following a West of Scotland Management Committee meeting this evening, we have been awarded the three points from the abandoned match against Blantyre Victoria. The result will stand as a 2-0 victory.