| Saturday 27 Aug 2022 KO 2:30pm | Loch Park, New Cumnock |
|---|---|
| Clydebuilt Home Improvements Scottish Junior Cup | 1st Round |
| Glenafton Athletic 8 (3) | S. McKenzie 4, Kerr 3, McMullin |
| East Kilbride Thistle 1 (1) | Longworth |
Prior to kick-off, Glenafton manager Ryan Stevenson and Club Secretary John Stewart posed with Marie Walker, today’s match ball sponsor. Marie sponsors a match ball every season and her support is greatly appreciated.
The Glens also donned the new home strip for the first time this season and the club is extremely grateful that local business Iain Watt Haulage Ltd. has sponsored both the home and away kits.
Glenafton Athletic welcomed East Kilbride Thistle to Loch Park for the 1st round tie in the Clydebuilt Home Improvements Scottish Junior. The two sides last met in the competition in the 4th round of Season 2016/17 at The Showpark with the visitors running out 4-0 winners and indeed they would go on to beat Auchinleck Talbot in the final.
Glenafton made three changes to the 11 that started against Bonnyton last week David Blyth, Dylan O’Kane and Cameron McKenzie making way for Leon Murphy, Calvin Kemp and Hugh Kerr.
Starting for East Kilbride was captain David Gray, a member of the Glens treble-winning (Scottish Junior Cup, Super League Premier Division Champions Evening Times League Champions Cup) side of 2016/17. On the bench was player / assistant manager Aaron Connolly leading goal-scorer in the Scottish Junior Cup finalist side of 2013/14 and Ayrshire League Cup winner the following season.
The visitors kicked-off on another gloriously sunny day in New Cumnock but things didn’t look too bright for them in the opening encounters.
Leon Murphy’s attempt to lob the keeper from wide on the left dipped over the bar. He then played a long one-two with Hugh Kerr before curling a cross into the six-yard box that was headed clear. Calvin Kemp won the ball on the outskirts of the centre-circle in the Thistle half and then fed Murphy down the left who promptly rolled the ball back to Kemp to clip a high ball into the box for the incoming Hugh Kerr and Sean McKenzie surrounded by three Thistle players. Kerr and Barry Russell challenged for the ball in the air but instead it fell to the feet of Sean McKenzie who managed to hold off Jordan Hutchinson before lashing the ball home from 6 yards out. Gens 1-0 up on 4 minutes.
Two minutes later Russell floated a free kirk from the centre circle to right hand side box where Sean Winter got the jump on Michael McMullin with a tremendous leap to send a looping header toward Jamie Longworth at the back post only for Ollie Rowe to intervene and head the ball clear.
At the other end McMullin won the aerial battle to get on the end of Jamie McKernon’s ball deep into the box and although his bullet header went through keeper Tam Kane’s legs Russell was on hand to hook the ball clear.
On 11 minutes the visitors equalised in spectacular fashion. It began with Hutchinson’s long pass up the left wing for Craig Hastings to gather but with his way into the box blocked he doubled back and picked out David Sinclair in acres of space in the middle of the park who took a touch before unleashing a shot from 35 yards that whizzed past players from both sides before bulging the net a foot inside the post.
Glens were soon back on the front foot after another good ball into the box by Kemp which eventually fell for McKenzie only for Hutchinson to get in the way of his shot from 12 yards. A corner followed soon after which created panic in the box and Kane forced McKenzie to play the ball back to McKernon who chipped the ball to back post for Kerr but his close-range header sneaked inches wide.
Thistle countered with Kane launching a goal kick long and high up the right for Winter to flick on with his head, taking two defenders out of play, allowing Longthorne to gather the ball and break into the box unimpeded and as Ollie Rowe closed in, he squared ball to Ally McDonald but from 6 yards out he clipped the ball past the advancing keeper David Markey and well wide of the back post.
Paul Paton from deep on the right fired a long diagonal ball for Murphy to collect wide on the left who then skipped past Winter before clipping the ball to the back post for Kerr to climb above Hutchinson only for his header to loop high over the bar. At the other end McDonald chased down a ball into the box but his low shot was comfortably held by Markey.
On 20 minutes the Glens regained the lead after Kemp intercepted Hastings infield pass to David Gray before breaking forward at speed, slipping past one defender then another before laying it off to Sean McKenzie who continued the run into the box before drilling a low diagonal shot that beat Kane to fly into the far corner of the net.
Glens continued to press and almost doubled their lead 7 minutes later after Sam McKee curled a vicious shot from the right corner of the box that dipped over the outstretched hand of the keeper only to crash off the base of the post and Murphy’s attempt to slot home the rebound slipped wide of the post.
Played then flowed back and forth with both sides searching for an opening with the better of the chances falling to the home side. A shot from Kemp inside the box flew inches wide and soon after McKee‘s shot was deflected wide of the post for the first of three corner kicks in quick succession the last of which saw McKernon float the ball into the heart of the six yard box where Sean McKenzie rose head and shoulders above all comers to head the ball into the net to complete his hat-trick.
HT Glens 3 EK Thistle 1
Glens made one change at the break with Leon Murphy making way for Ryan Nisbet who switched wings with Sam McKee and it was McKee’s cross from the left into the box that Hugh Kerr rose to head home beyond the reach of the diving keeper from 10 yards out to put the Glens 4-1 up
Soon after McKenzie robbed Russell of the ball on the right-hand side of the box and squared it to Nisbet on the right touchline to whip a vicious cross into the six-yard box where the incoming Kerr beat the keeper to the ball only for the header the crash off the bar and McKenzie’s effort to bury the rebound deflected wide for a corner that was cleared. Kerr then met another Nisbet cross and his downward header bounced high into the air only for Kane to push the ball away with both hands.
On 55 minutes the Glens extended their lead after keeper Kane ran from his line to gather a long harmless ball into his box. He then threw the ball out the box in preparation to launch it back upfield only for the alert Hugh Kerr to rush forward and leap high in the air to block the ball sending it deep back into the box and then win the race to chase down the ball and stroke it into the empty net from a few yards out for 5-1.
Credit to Thistle they continued to plug away and forced a corner-kick that was cleared by Rowe’s powerful header.
A sixth goal and hat-trick for Hugh Kerr followed soon after. Kemp won the ball in the centre circle and picked out Nisbet wide on the right who clipped another dangerous ball into the box and although Russell prevented it reaching McKenzie the loose ball was about to be pounced on by Kerr only for Hutchinson to bring down. Kerr sent keeper Kane the wrong way from the spot to make it 6-1 with an hour gone. The smiling striker was then replaced with Dylan O’Kane leaving the pitch to loud applause.
Longworth and Hastings combined well in the box but could find no way through to test Marky.
Markey rolled out the ball to Craig Pettigrew who squared it to Rowe who then launched a long high ball over the Thistle back-line into the right-hand side of the box where O’Kane, having beat the offside trap, was free to chase the ball down and gather it short of the goal line. From here he threaded the ball back between two back-tracking defenders to Sean McKenzie who instantly lashed it home from 7 yards out for his fourth goal of the game, despite Thistle concerns that there was no offside flag. 7-1 with 63 minutes gone.
Glens replaced Sean McKenzie with his brother Cameron and Sam McKee with James Martin, both players leaving to loud applause. Martin took up his place on the right wing while Nisbet switched to the left.
C. McKenzie came close, after chasing down McMullin’s long ball into the box and lobbing the ball over the advancing keeper only for the ball to dip over the baR.
McKernon then pinged a ball from the middle of the park to Nisbet on the left-hand corner of the box from where he rolled it back to Michael McMullin who continued his run to the corner of the six-yard box before lashing a low shot into the net to make it 8-1 on 75 minutes.
Martin broke down the right before whipping a ball into the goal where O’Kane came within a whisker of getting his head to it, soon after Martin turned provider again as O’Kane burst into the box only for substitute Matt Gray to block his shot.
At the other end after some patient build up play from Thistle ended with David Gray cracking a low shot from outside the box that Markey did well to get down low and smother. Back came Glens and O’Kane skipped past a couple of defenders to drive to the far side of the six-yard box only for Kane to smother his attempt.
FT Glens 8 East Kilbride 1
Glenafton will travel to Rothienorman, Aberdeenshire to face Rothie Rovers, in the 2nd round if the Scottish Junior Cup on Saturday 24th September 2022, KO 2:30 pm. Rovers defeated Armadale Thistle 4-2 in their 1st round tie.
| GLENAFTON ATHLETIC |
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| 1. David Markey 22. Ollie Rowe 4. Craig Pettigrew (capt.) 3. Michael McMullin 7. Sam McKee (17. James Martin) 6. Jamie McKernon 8. Paul Paton 10. Calvin Kemp 11. Leon Murphy (15. Ryan Nisbet) 9. Hugh Kerr (18. Dylan O’Kane) 16. Sean McKenzie (19. Cameron McKenzie) Subs Not Used: 2. Adam Caldwell 14. David Blyth 21. Conor Cullen |
| EAST KILBRIDE THISTLE |
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| 1. Tam Kane 2. Jethro Goldsmith 3. Jordan Hutchinson 4. Paul Tierney 5. Barry Russell 6. David Gray (capt.) 7. Sean Winter 8. David Sinclair 9. Jamie Longworth 10. Ally MacDonald 11. Craig Hastings. Subs used: 12. Matt Gray 16. David McKean 17. Adam Edgar 20. Zak Moynes Subs not used: 14. Stu Gordon 15. Andrew Skinner 19. Aaron Connolly |
| More Match Photos |
| Glenafton Athletic v East Kilbride Thistle |
Glenafton Athletic 