PDM HUWS GRAY	WOSFL Premier Division	Match 01
Darvel	1 (1)	Murphy
Glenafton Athletic	2 (1)	Moffat 2
Sat 29th Jul 2023	KO 2:00pm	Recreation Park, Darvel

Glenafton travelled to face Darvel in the opening Premier Division game of the 2023/24. Doubtless the Glens all red strip would bring back memories for the home support of that fantastic evening when their team knocked Premier Division side Aberdeen out of the Scottish Cup.

Glenafton starting eleven included 4 summer signings making their competitive debuts for the club – Luke McBeth, Lyall Holding, Gary Fraser and Ryan Sinnamon as well as Michael Moffat who joined the Glens after a loan spell from Ayr United last season. 

In the Darvel line up was former Glenafton winger Leon Murphy who made the move to Recreation Park during the close-season and Ross Barbour, the younger brother of former Glens player Graem Barbour; while in the dug-out was former Glens’ striker David Winters, now assistant manager to Tony McInally.

A minute’s silence was held before kick-off in memory of former Darvel player John Frew who captained the club to the league title in 1967, and recently passed away.

Glenafton kicked off and within 3 minutes it was Leon Murphy that opened his Darvel account after collecting a pass from Scott Ferguson before cutting inside a Glens defender and firing a shot from the edge of the ‘D’ that whizzed past keeper David Markey and into the net.

A minute later Jamie Glasgow spurned a great chance to double Darvel’s lead after blasting a shot from 10 yards over the bar.

Glens began to grow into the game with both Paul Paton and Gary Fraser building attacks from the back including one which saw Sam McKee pick the ball just inside the Darvel half, hold off the challenge of Glasgow, drive forward and then survive the attempted sandwich of Dean Cairns & Mark Sideserf to progress down the right and square the ball across the goalmouth for the incoming Michael Moffat only for Stephen Bronsky to intervene and clear the danger.

On 15 minutes the visitors drew level with an exquisite finish. Lyall Holding gathered the ball near the half-way line and with no options forward he rolled the ball back to Paul Paton who launched a long high ball into the Darvel box for Moffat to chase down showing defender David Syme a clean pair of heels. As the ball descended the Glens striker never took his eye off the ball, aware that keeper Andy Leishman had chosen to stay on his line and that Danny O’Halloran was now closing in, and from the corner of the six-yard box he delicately chipped the ball over the goalie’s head for it drop and hit off the base of the far post and into the net.

Glens enjoyed a good spell of possession. Fraser picked up the ball in the centre circle to drive forward shaking off Glasgow and then as Cairns faced him head on, he simply turned his back on the bewildered midfielder before quickly turning and continuing his run forward only for his shot from distance sailing high over the bar.

Midway through the half the home side began to press. Ian McShane and Murphy were prevented from breaking into the box by a red line of defenders and Luke McBeth stripped them of the ball. Soon after Scott Ferguson won a free kick at the edge of the box only for McShane’s effort to be bravely headed away by McBeth on the end of the wall. Murphy and Ross Barbour combined down the right to win a corner kick which was cleared by the Glens defence at the expense of a disputed corner which McShane played short to Glasgow before curling the return pass high and wide of the goal.

Played then raged back and forth for a period with rain showers coming and going too.

Back came Glens and Craig Pettigrew launched a long ball upfield for Alex McWaters to chase into the box only for Syme to block his run and allow the ball to run into the hands of Leishman. At the other end a Darvel shot from 20 yards flew undeterred through a packed penalty box before whizzing inches wide of the post.

Glens countered through Holding winning a corner after a good run down the right, O’Halloran won the ball in the air and Cairns booted it clear. Murphy made another mazy run down the right before picking out Ferguson to whip a low shot from the outskirts of a box that took a deflection forcing Markey into pulling off a great save and push the ball wide of the post.

On 35 minutes a Darvel corner was won in the air by Syme and the ball fell for Cairns to fire a close range shot which was blocked and cleared by McLean, only for McShane to quickly whip it back into the box where Graham Wilson clipped it into the net but from an offside position.

Some respite for Glens as McKee broke down the right and into the right-hand side of the box only for his cut-back for the incoming Moffat to be clutched cleanly by Leishman.

Ferguson’s header at the other end slipped wide of the post while soon after he gathered a short corner from McShane but his shot from the corner of the penalty box dipped over the bar.

Back came Glens and Scott McLean’s powerful run down the left saw him skip past Barbour before progressing to the bye-line only for his cross to be cut-out by O’Halloran for a corner. McLean took the kick which  was headed on at the near post by Moffat before McBeth’s header cannoned off Syme and the ball fell for Pettigrew on the outskirts of the box to chip it back into goalmouth for McBeth to flash a header wide of the post, albeit from an offside position.

HT Darvel 1 Glens 1

The home side kicked off the second hald and were soon on the front foot. O’Halloran headed a corner wide of target; Barbour drilled a low shot that lacked the power to trouble Markey who got down low to hold; the same could be said of Murphy’s shot that the keeper clasped cleanly and Sideserf’s diving header flew wide of the far post.

On 54 minutes Glens made a double change with Lyall Holding and Alex McWaters making way for Michael McMullin and Dylan O’Kane. The young striker was soon in the thick of the action snapping up the ball in the centre circle and totally committed to driving forward before thumping a shot from distance that sailed over the bar. Back came Darvel and Markey was called into action again, diving to intercept Glasgow’s low ball for the incoming Ferguson.

On 56 minutes the game became shrouded in controversy.

McShane picked up the ball in the middle of the park and forced his way forward to break into the right-hand side of the box to clip a ball to the near post where Murphy somehow got down low to guide a header that appeared to crash off the underside of the bar and the quick reactions of Markey saw him block the loose ball with his knee. The keeper then pushed the ball against the inside of the post before falling to his knees and grabbing the ball with both hands, holding it tightly on the ground. Arms were vehemently raised from both sides the Blue demanding the ball had crossed the line the Reds strongly of the opposite opinion. The referee glanced over at the assistant referee on the line and pointed to the centre circle with the lino now running to the half-way line.

Goal to Darvel! But wait, the Glens were incensed with the decision and the referee then consulted his assistant and it appears there was an uncertainty over whether the ball had crossed the line or not – enough it would seem to deny a goal, the game remained tied at one-the-piece.

The home side continued to press and a corner-kick was headed on at the near post by Wilson to set up Ferguson but his side footed shot ended up, (in the words of Sutherland Brothers & Quiver),  lying in the arms of Mar(ke)y!   

Glens got their breath back and won a corner kick which saw the four-pack of O’Halloran & Syme and Pettigrew & McBeth simultaneously leap for the ball – who won the ball was less clear but it fell for Sideserf to head clear out the box.

The visitors continued to press and on 62 minutes the Moff struck again to put them in front.

A long ball upfield was intercepted by an O’Halloran header sending it high into the air and the ball then chased down by Moffat who managed to give O’Halloran the slip before progressing and cracking a low shot from the 18-yard line that flew past the outstretched leg of Syme and the reach of the diving Leishman before nestling in the net. As the Glens gathered near the corner flag to celebrate the crestfallen Darvel players made their way to the centre circle.

Nevertheless, the home side licked their wounds and Barbour broke through the middle but with his route to the box blocked he rolled the ball back to McShane to curl a powerful shot from 25 yards pulling off another fine save from Markey who held on tightly to the ball as Wilson hoped to snap up any spillage.

Back came Glens and O’Kane stripped O’Halloran of the ball on the outskirts of the box before driving to the bye-line and cutting inside towards the edge of the six-yard box only for Leishman to block his shot at the expense of a corner-kick, which was cleared by Barbour.

McMullin then switched play from deep on the left to upfield on the right with a great ball for O’Kane to trap and drive into the box, skipping past Sideserf and then leaving O’Halloran grounded but once again Leishman rushed from his line to block the young striker’s shot on the six-yard line.

Darvel then enjoyed a good spell of pressure albeit with lots of passing on the outskirts of the box but couldn’t breach the penalty area until a Sideserf cross from wide on the left bounced of the top off the bar and fell for Glasgow to bullet a diving header that was blocked by Markey before he pounced on the loose ball.

On 71 minutes Darvel brought on Craig Moore for Graham Wilson.

The home side tried to breach the Glens box again but Ryan Sinnamon stopped Cairns in his tracks and McShane’s free-kick from 20 yards saw Markey get down low to push the ball away and Murphy looked certain to prod it home at the near post but instead the ball drifted wide of the far post, but Moore was adjudged to be offside in any case.

With 15 minutes to go Glens Sam McKee made way for Ollie Rowe.

Darvel pressed again and Murphy picked up the ball at the right-hand corner of the penalty box but again with no way through he was forced to run along the front of the box before playing the ball back to McShanewho was restricted a shot from 25 yards that whizzed high and wide of the far post.

Back came Glens and Fraser’s long ball upfield caught the Darvel defence napping leaving Moffat with a free run to goal and O’Kane following for company and as they approached the box Moffat let O’Kane take up the running forcing Leishman to rush from his line and on this occasion the striker slotted the ball through the keeper’s legs and into the net. To his dismay the assistant referee flagged for offside although he appeared well behind Moffat when collecting the ball!

At the other Cairn’s glancing header was comfortably collected by Markey.

With 5 minutes of normal time to go Glens brought on trialist Alan Frizzel and for Michael Moffat.

Darvel continued to press without testing Markey as they struggled to break down a well-drilled Glens defence.

Indeed, Glens came close to extending their lead after O’Kane chased a ball down the left before cutting into the box and drilling a low shot from a tight angle past three defenders and beating the diving Leishman at the near post, only for the ball to hit the post and roll along the length of the gaping goal before slipping wide of the far post.

McBeth broke down a Darvel attack with a powerful header and although Frizzel was quick off the mark to leave the struggling O’Halloran in his wake Leishman run out of his box to boot the ball clear.

Into what would prove to be 6 minutes of added time Darvel’s man-of-the-match Leon Murphy conjured up the best ofthe chances as the home side pressed for a late equaliser only for his curling shot from 20 yards to be pushed round the post by Markey at full stretch.

The six minutes flew by for Darvel while they dragged on for Glenafton but when the whistle went  the travelling support went back up the brae and headed doon the road delighted with their team’s efforts.

FT Darvel 1 Glens 2

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. David Markey 5. Craig Pettigrew 6. Paul Paton 4. Luke McBeth; 14. Lyall Holding (3. Michael McMullin) 8. Gary Fraser 11. Ryan Sinnamon 2. Scott McLean; 7. Sam McKee (20. Ollie Rowe) 10. Alex McWalters (18. Dylan O’Kane), 9. Michael Moffat (16. Alan Frizzel)

DARVEL
1. Andy Leishman 2. Ross Barbour 4. David Syme 5. Stephen Bronsky 6. Iain McShane 7. Leon Murphy 8. Dean Cairns 14. Mark Sideserf 15. Graham Wilson 17. Scott Ferguson 20. Jamie Glasgow Subs. 3. Danny O’Halloran 9. Ally Small 10. Ross Urquhart 11. Thomas Reilly 16. Craig Moore 21. Andrew Wilson 24. Rob Miller

Match Photos

Darvel v Glenafton Athletic