PDM HUWS GRAY	WOSFL Premier Division	Match 06
St. Cadoc’s	4 (2)	McHugh, McLaughlin 2, McTaggart
Glenafton Athletic	0 (0)
Sat 26 AUG 2023	KO 2:00 pm	New Tinto Park, Glasgow

Glens made three changes from the eleven that started against Pollok last Saturday with Michael McMullin, Lyall Holding and Ollie Rowe making way for Ryan Sinnamon, Alex McWaters and Sam McKee.

In the St. Cadoc’s line up was former Glenafton defender Richie McKillen.

Although this was the first meeting between the two clubs the U17s sides met 10 years ago in the Scottish Youth Cup semi-final as Newlandsfield with Glens progressing to the final.

St. Cadoc’s kicked off and early on both sides had chances from a set piece. The visitors won a free-kick after Dylan O’Kane had been brought down on the outskirts of the box only for Gary Fraser’s thunderous shot fom 28 yards to batter off the wall. At the other end Antony Brady floated a corner-kick to the near post where it was headed on by Bob McHugh and met by Ronan Hughes but his attempt to head it home from a difficult angle dipped over the bar.

Played ebbed back and forth for a period with Richie McKillen featuring in several aerial battles .

St. Cadoc’s enjoyed a good spell of pressure with Neil McLaughlin down the left and Daniel McManus down the right, both looking partiularly lively. The latter broke into the right hand side of the box and rolled the ball back for Brady to curl a shot from 16 yards forcing keeper David Markey to dive at full stretch and push the ball round the post before Fraser headed clear the corner-kick that followed.

It was Fraser picking up a ball on the right and cutting inside that got the Glens pushing forward again but his shot from distance sailed well wide of target.

On 18 minutes Bob McHugh’s perseverance paid off to put St.Cadoc’s ahead. BJ Coll tried his luck with a low powerful shot from 30 yards that was blocked by Paul Paton on the 18 yard line and then robbed the loose ball from McLaughlin only for McHugh to recover it and with his back to goal twisted and turned bewteen a couple of defenders before setting himself up for a super strike from 24 yards that whizzed home at the post with the Markey wrong-footed.

Some patient build up play from the home side ended with McManus breaking into the right hand side of the box and lashing a low ball towards the goalmouth ended up taking the feet from the inrushing Ronan Hughes with Paton by his side, the referee taking no nonsense on claims for a penalty.

Glens grew into the game and dominated possession for a period.

Fraser from deep on the right switched play clipping a ball up the left for Scott McLean to gather and drive to edge of the box before firing a low shot through the legs of Alan Lithgow only for keeper Mateuz Miller to get down low and safely hold.

Soon after Lithgow was slowly bringing the ball out of defence only for the alert O’Kane to intercept his forward pass and drive to the edge of the box with the centre-half in pursuit. Cutting inside he run along the 18 yard line weaving past Lithgow and then gave Gary Miller the slip before withstanding a push in the back as Miller fell to floor but his route into the box was ultimately blocked by Coll and McKillen doubling up.

Midway through the half the home side were struggling to clear their lines as O’Kane and Sam McKee pegged them back forcing Lithgow to roll the ball back to the keeper only for his attempted clearance to fall at the feet of McKee. He quickly set off for the left hand corner of the box skipping past two defenders before chipping the ball deep into the box over the heads of two others for the incoming Ryan Sinnamon only for Coll to intercept and send the ball wide of the post with the keeper diving towards the other.

The corner-kick from the left was headed clear and out for a throw-in on the right which Fraser gathered and whipped a ball to the back post where the aerial battle between Craig Pettigrew and Lithgow ended with the ball falling for O’Kane but his shot, through a busy box, was blocked by McKillen and duly hoofed clear.

Michael Moffat gathered the ball on the outskirts of the box, holding up play drawing three defenders towards him, before clipping it to McKee in space on the left. He quickly played a sublime one-two with McLean returning the ball between two defenders for McKee to burst into the box and curl a shot that beat keeper in full flight but whizzed over the junction of post and cross bar.

Moffat and Sinnamon then combined to release McLean down the left only for his cross from the deadline to be deflected wide for a corner which McLean delivered into the goalmouth and three consecutive defensive headers ended with the ball dropping for Alex McWaters to trap and unleash a low shot from 25 yards that was deflected wide for another Glens’ corner.

McLean floated the kick to the back post where it was met by the inrushing Sinnamon to beat the keeper and two defenders to the ball only for his header to bulge the side netting.

Glens continued to press in numbers but were facing two banks of defenders still capable however of occassionally surrenderng possession with slack passes.

On 32 minutes the visitors came within a whisker of drawing level. Sinnamon floated a corner from the right into the goalmouth where Pettigrew leapt unchallenged to bullet a header goalward that the keeper managed to push to the side with a strong hand and although it still seemed net-bound Coll cleared it off the line and O’Kane’s effort to steer home the rebound whizzed inches wide of the post.

Back came Glens and although they continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession there were fewer direct attempts at goal and on 36 minutes they were caught with a sucker punch in a clinical fashion.

Brady won the ball in the centre circle and Gary Miller snapped up the loose ball to slip it forward to Hughes who then pinged a defence splitting ball for McManus breaking into the right hand side of the box and quickly square the ball to the other side of the box, taking three defenders out of play, for the incomimg Neil McLaughlin to arrow the ball beyond Markey and into the far corner of the net.

Back came Glens with some excellent build up play. McWaters in his own half slotted the ball upfield to O’Kane who laid it off to McKee and after a well-engineered one-two with Moffat he in turn released McLean tight on the left to drive to goal-line and whip a ball to the near post where Moffat’s header from the 6 yard line flew wide of the post.

The game then flowed back and forth before the last chance of the half fell to the home side only for McHugh’s free-kick from 23 yards to bounce off the Glens wall and Markey mop up the loose ball.

HT St. Cadoc’s 2 Glens 0

Glens kicked off the second half and were soon on the front foot through McLean breaking down the left and clipping the ball into the box where Moffat’s effort from the corner of six yard box was well hel by the keeper.

At the other end McLaughlin cut in from the left and fired a shot from the edge of the box that was deflected out for a corner which was punched high into the air by Markey and then cleared from the box by Fraser.

Back came Glens and Moffat gathered the ball on the outskirts of the box and rolled it into the left hand side of the box for the incoming McKee to clip a shot that deflected of Slattery’s shin sending the ball toward goal but beyond the keeper at full stretch and just beyond the far post. Lithgow then headed clear the corner-kick.

On the hour mark Glenafton brought on Mick McMullin for Ryan Sinnamon and he was soon in the thick of action with a break down the left before whipping the ball across the face of goal deceiving the diving keeper only for McKillen to clear the ball as O’Kane and Moffat threatened.

On 64 minutes St.Cadoc’s made in 3-0 after quick-thinking Coll’s throw-in from the left was chased down in the box by McLaughlin before bursting along the 18 yard line with defender Zak Ross in pursuit, on reaching the ‘D’ he turned and drilled a low powerful shot that flew past two others defenders and into the net at the near post with the keeper rooted to his line.

Five minutes later Glens made a double substitution with Craig Pettigrew and Sam McKee making wasy for Ollie Rowe and Alan Frizzell.

A minute later St. Cadoc’s completed the scoring with another well worked goal. McManus with his way to goal blocked slipped the ball down the left touchline to Coll and although quickly closed down by two defenders he thread a great pass, between them both, to substitute Lewis McTaggart who quickly jinked past Paton before cracking an angled shot from 16 yards that zipped through Ross’s legs and into the far corner of the net. 4-0 on 70 minutes.

Played settled down into the back and forth mode and the home side made several other substitutions.

For Glens Fraser had a couple of shots from 20 yards both of which were blocked in a busy box while for St. Cadoc’s substitute Pearse McGarvey broke down the left, driving to the bye line and drawing Markey from his line but there were no takers for his ball cross the face of the goal leaving McMullin to clear the danger.

McMullin thenfrom wide on the left, launched a high ball to the back post but beyond the reach of Rowe’s leap at the back post. Similarly at the other end a ball whipped in from the left was just beyond the reach of substitute Alan McKenzie as he slid into the six yard box.

FT St. Cadoc’s 4 Glens 0

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. David Markey 15. Zak Ross 6. Paul Paton 5. Craig Pettigrew (cap.)  (20. Ollie Rowe) ; 11. Ryan Sinnamon (3. Michael McMullin)) 8. Gary Fraser 10. Alex McWaters 2. Scott McLean, 18. Dylan O’Kane 9. Michael Moffat 7. Sam McKee (16. Alan Frizzel). Subs: 14. Lyall Holding 4. Luke McBeth

ST. CADOC’S
1. Mateusz Miller 2. Dom Slattery 3. BJ Coll (cap.) 4. Richie McKillen 5. Alan Lithgow 6. Gary Miller 7. Daniel McManus 8. Anton Brady 9. Bob McHugh 10. Ronan Hughes 11. Neil McLaughlin  Subs 12. Daniel Connor 14. Aidan Fellowes 15. Gary Muir 16. Pearse McGarvey 17. Allan McKenzie 18. Lewis McTaggart 21. Ryan Truesdale

	Match Photos
	St. Cadoc’s v Glenafton