| Saturday 29 Oct 2022 KO 2:30pm | Loch Park, New Cumnock |
|---|---|
| Clydebuilt Home Improvements Scottish Junior Cup | 3rd Round |
| Glenafton Athletic 4 (2) | Stevenson, S. McKenzie, Kerr, C. McKenzie |
| Stoneyburn 1 (1) | Robertson |
Prior to kick-off manager Ryan Stevenson and club secretary John Stewart posed with a big Glens man George Capstick who once again kindly sponsored the match-ball.
Glenafton welcomed Stoneyburn of the East of Scotland 3rd Division to Loch Park for the Scottish Junior Cup 3rd round tie. The two sides have faced each other once before in the competition back in 1991/92 season in the 5th round at Loch Park. Glens took an early lead with a chip from Davie MacFarlane only for Stoneyburn to equaliset through a late strike from Gary Mills. In the replay a double from Tom Brown put the visitors 2-0 upin 17 minutes to seemingly put the visitors in command only for them to be reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Steve Lindsay. Although ‘The Fulshie’ pulled one back through Brian Lynch on 74 minutes the 10 men held on and then defeated Tayport and Beith before losing out to Auchinleck in the final.
The Glens made two changes to the eleven that started against Irvine Meadow last Saturday with Paul Paton returning from suspension and manager Ryan Stevenson making his debut on the playing front, while Michael McMullin (suspended) and James Martin made way.
Glens kicked-off and enjoyed some early pressure before taking the lead on 5 minutes after winning a free-kick close to the corner of the penalty box on the right hand-side. Paul Paton clipped a ball to the back post where Ryan Stevenson rose to head the ball from the tightest of angles past keeper and defender and into the net at far post.
The home side continued to dominate the early play with Jamie McKernon and Paton picking out their passes and setting up Leon Murphy and Sam McKee for attacks down both flanks. On 9 minutes McKee’s attempt to pick out Hugh Kerr in the box was deflected out for a corner that was scrambled clear.
Stoneyburn then showed their teeth as central defender Dean McConnel picked up a great square ball from Dylan Anderson in the Glens’ half before breaking forward and as Stevenson and Paton closed in, he unleashed a thunderbolt from 25 yards that beat keeper David Markey at full stretch only for the ball to crash off the post.
Back came Glens with another good spell of possession but up against a well drilled defence. McKee’s cut back from the bye-line for Sean McKenzie on the six yard line was intercepted by the head of Colin Gallacher and the ball hooked clear by McConnell. Stevenson then won a corner which was cleared to the edge of the box and Paton’s shot flew high and wide of target. McKee burst into the right hand-side of the box only for his shot from the corner of the six-yard box to be blocked and sent wide by Ben Magee for a corner kick on 15 minutes. Murphy whipped the ball to the near side of six yard box where Stevenson stooped to send a looping header that beat keeper Gavin McQuillan on his line however although it was headed away by Joe Brady on the back post, the defender was a good step over the goal-line but claims the ball had crossed the line goal from both Stevenson and Murphy were waved away.
At the other end Jack Howe floated a free-kick high into the Glens box which was cleanly clutched by the unchallenged Markey, however on 20 minutes Stoneyburn levelled the tie. Cammy Donaldson gathered the ball inside his own half and squared it to Joe Brady overlapping down the right to break into the Glens half and then thread the ball back between two red shirts to complete a neat one-two with Donaldson who then drove forward to the edge of the ‘D’ before rolling the ball into the path of the incoming Ryan Robertson to place a low shot from 18 yards before the reach of the advancing Markey and into the net.
The visitors’ tails were up and they were certainly more confident in pushing forward with some decent breaks. A flowing move down the left concluded with Robertson, from tight on the touchline, lofting a high ball into the box where Ben Magee met it on the drop only for his shot to fly high and wide of target. Robertson had another strong run into the left-hand side of the box only for his low shot to be blocked by Craig Pettigrew.
At the other end Stevenson’s rocket from 25 yards out was well held by keeper McQuillan. Sam McKee then broke down the right only for his cross into the box to be cleared by McConnel and the ball snapped up by David Hendry who quickly dispatched the ball to Magee in the centre circle where he skipped over a slide tackle by Pettigrew. From here the big striker sprinted up the right flank with both El-Zubaidi and Paton in hot pursuit, he cut inside the latter at the edge of the box and held of the former to get to bye-line and cut the ball across the face of goal for the incoming Donaldson only for Ollie Rowe to intercept and clear the danger with the aid of Pettigrew.
Back came Glens with Paton picking out McKee wide on the right to whip the ball into the box which was headed down by Colin Gallacher and the alert McConnel then blocked McKenzie’s attempt to drill home the rebound which sent the ball to the right-hand side of the box, falling at the feet of Paton only for his cross to be clutched out the air by McQuillan. The home side continued to press and Murphy won a corner kick that was scrambled clear but the ball soon recovered by the Glens.
On the 37 minutes the pressure paid off and Glens regained the lead. McKee, on the right wing, slipped the ball forward for Sean McKenzie to break into the box between two defenders, one of whom gave chase only for the Glens striker to wrong foot him before lashing a trademark shot from 10 yards out into the roof net.
HT Glens 2 Stoneyburn 1
The visitors were quick off the block at the start of the second half. Howe curled a free kick into the box which was flicked on by the head of Donaldson towards the back post where two Stoneyburn players arrived unmarked and it was Anderson that got a touch from a tight angle only for Markey to block with his shin and send the ball behind for a corner, which would be the first of four in a five-minute spell. A let-off for the home side. The Glens eventually cleared their lines before and ventured upfield without success.
Back came Stoneyburn and Donaldson broke forward before picking out Anderson in space on the right-hand side of the box from where he drilled a low shot that Markey stopped with the sole of his boot and the loose ball was mopped up. Soon after, Howe clipped a corner into a busy goalmouth where that man McConnell got the jump on the Glens defence only for his header to be tipped over the bar by Markey.
The corner that followed proved to be less potent and was cleared for a throw-in which was launched into the goalmouth and headed clear for the fourth corner which fell at the feet of McConnel but his shot cannoned off the back of Murphy and the danger was cleared.
Play then raged back and forth for a short spell without either keeper being tested and then against what could still be considered the run of the play the home side doubled their lead on 56 minutes. Paton gathered a short throw-in from McKee deep on the right in the Stoneyburn half and quickly returned the ball for McKee to progress to the bye-line forcing Paton’s marker to follow at which point McKee rolled the ball back to Paton with the time and space to superbly curl a high ball to the back post over the heads of the keeper and two defenders for the inrushing Hugh Kerr to leap and coolly clip the ball into the gaping net.
Glens continued to press before both sides made some changes. The visitors brought on M. Brown and Lewis McKee for Magee and Anderson while soon after Glens replaced Hugh Kerr with Cameron McKenzie, who was soon in the thick of the action.
Stevenson threaded a perfectly weighted pass between two defenders into the box for C. McKenzie to chase down and then square to his brother S. McKenzie only for Gallacher to intercept and clear the ball at the expense of a corner. The kick was headed clear of the box and gathered by Paton who picked out Murphy on the right to loft a high ball to the back post where S. McKenzie trapped the ball and fired the shot into the side netting; albeit from an offside position.
At the other end Robertson cut in from the left and slipped the ball to Donaldson who in turn laid it off for Brady to fire a low shot from 18 yards that rebounded off a defender and fell for Lewis McKee only for his shot from 18 yards to fly well over the bar.
Glens made another change with David Blyth coming on for Leon Murphy.
Both sides were still going all out for the next crucial goal with the Glens looking the more likely. McKernon and Paton combined to win the ball on the half-way line before the latter clipped a long through ball into the right-hand side of the box for C. McKenzie to chase down and although he drew McQuillan off his line the keeper was still well placed to cut out McKenzie’s cut back from the bye-line, sending the ball out for a corner which was cleared.
On 78 minutes McKernon pounced on a loose ball inside the Glens half before clipping the ball forward for the McKenzie brothers to chase, at which time McConnel and Gallacher raised their arms for offside, unaware that full back Mitchell Spiers was playing them onside and indeed Spiers then raised his arm by which time Cameron McKenzie was well on his way to the penalty box where he rounded the keeper before slotting the ball into the net from an acute angle just as the back-tracking Spiers reached the goal-line. Glens now 4-1 up while Stoneyburn went down to 10 men after centre-back Colin Gallacher was ordered from the field, presumably for disputing the goal was offside.
With 5 minutes to go the Glens made a further 3 substitutions with Craig Pettigrew, Sam McKee and Sean McKenzie making way for Adam Caldwell, James Martin and Dylan O’Kane to see the game to its conclusion while Stoneyburn also introduced Tony Guatella and B. Ferris.
Meanwhile Stoneyburn were eager to conjure up a consolation goal in the closing minutes and Lewis McKee fashioned a shot from the edge of the box that was comfortably held by Markey. At the other end McQuillan raced from his line to dive at the feet of C. McKenzie to clutch the ball. Soon after Blyth’s volley from 8 yards was deflected over the bar and McQuillan punched the corner-kick clear.
FT Glens 4 Stoneyburn 1
Glenafton will travel to Angus to face Carnoustie Panmure in the 4th round of the Scottish Junior Cup on Saturday 3rd December 2022, KO 1:45 pm.
| GLENAFTON ATHLETIC: 1. David Markey 22. Ollie Rowe 33. Aldin El-Zubaidi 4. Craig Pettigrew (capt.) (2. Adam Caldwell) 7. Sam McKee (17. James Martin) 8. Paul Paton 10. Ryan Stevenson 6. Jamie McKernon 11. Leon Murphy (14. David Blyth) 9. Hugh Kerr (19. Cameron McKenzie) 16. Sean McKenzie (18. Dylan O’Kane) |
| STONEYBURN: 23. Gavin McQuillan 2. Joe Brady 3. Mitchell Spiers 4. Dean McConnel 5. Colin Gallacher 6. David Hendry 7. Dylan Anderson 8. Jack Howe 9. Ben Magee 10. Cammy Donaldson 11. Ryan Robertson Subs. 12. M. Brown 14. S. McCreadie 15. C. Stone 16. Lewis McKee 17. Tony Guatella 18. B. Ferris 1. Jay Anderson |
| More Match Photos |
| Glenafton Athletic v Stoneyburn |
Glenafton Athletic 