SOUTH-WEST REGION	SOUTH CHALLENGE CUP	Round 2
Kello Rovers	1 (0)	Reid
Glenafton Athletic	6 (5)	Moffat 2, McWaters, O.G. Frizzell, Ross
Sat 16 SEP 2023	KO 2:00 pm	Nithside Park, Kirkconnel

Glenafton made six changes to the eleven that started against Gartcairn last Saturday.  In came Lyall Holding, Zak Ross, Alex McWaters, Sam McKee and Alan Frizzell replacing Craig Pettigrew, Michael McMullin, Scott McLean, Ollie Rowe and Dylan O’Kane while after returning from holiday David Markey replaced stand-in keeper Scott Johnson.

In goal for Kello was former Glenafton keeper Ryan Dunsmuir however the Rovers were missing six other first-team regulars, including former Glens defender Sean Bennie.

Kello kicked-off and both sides had mounted attacks without testing the keepers before Glens opened the scoring on 6 minutes. Alex McWaters gathered the ball tight on the right wing before skipping past a defender to whip a curling ball high into the box where Michael Moffat got between two defenders to guide a glancing header home from 6 yards out.

Back came Kell and the lively Lochie Reid won the ball near the Glens’ corner flag from where he whipped a cross into the box but just beyond incoming player (No. 12) and the ball drifted wide of the back post.

At the other end the visitors won a corner kick and although it was cleared, the Glens continued to press and on 16 minutes doubled their lead following a well-worked move.

Paul Paton, from just inside his own half, squared the ball to Lyall Holding who clipped it forward to McWaters who in turn fired it up the right wing for Ryan Sinnamon to chase. From here Sinnamon switched play, launching the ball high to the far side where Sam McKee gathered and rolled it back down the touchline for Alan Frizzell to lob it high into the goal mouth and Michael Moffat once again got between two defenders to guide a header into the far corner of the net.

On 20 minutes the Glen extended their lead through a superbly struck free-kick by Alex McWaters from the left-hand corner of the penalty box that whizzed over the Kello wall and in at the near post despite Dunsmuir’s effort to get a glove on it.

The home side were struggling to breach a well marshalled Glens defence while the visitors continued to threaten with counter-attacks down both flanks one of which finished with them winning a corner-kick on the right. Sinnamon clipped a short pass back to Paton on the outskirts of the box to curl a high ball to the back post where Frizzell stooped to get a head on it, only for an attempted clearance from Kello to end up in the opposite corner of the net for an own goal. Glens 4-0 up on 26 minutes.

The visitors were threatening to run riot breaking forward in numbers. Moffat won a corner which Sinnamon floated high into the goal mouth and both Holding and Luke McBeth leapt high above the Rovers defence only for the latter’s header to sail over the bar.

However the home side enjoyed their best spell of the match thus far. Reid and No. 12 combined to break deep into the right-hand side of the box only for Holding to win the ball at the expense of a corner. No. 12’s header at the near post was intercepted by McBeth’s header and the ball cleared only for Rovers to recover it. Reid on the left wing weaved his way past defenders to break into the box and lay the ball off to No. 12, but his shot was blocked by David Markey and deflected out for a corner. The kick was eventually scrambled clear from a packed box as Rovers continued to press.

Paton pounced on the loose ball deep on the right and quickly switched the ball to McKee on the left to skip past two players before releasing Alan Frizzell up the wing, but with his path into the box blocked, he retreated to corner of the penalty box. From here he cracked a thunderous low shot that whizzed past defenders and attackers alike, as well Dunsmuir at the near post who could only look on in expectation that the ball would fly wide of the far post, only for it to smack off the inside of the post and nestle in the net behind the goalie , Glens up 5-0 on 39 minutes.

Although play raged back and forth in the closing minutes of the half it was the visitors that looked more likely to add to their tally with McWaters floating some dangerous crosses to the back post including one for the inrushing McKee, but Dunsmuir was on his toes to pluck the ball cleanly out of the air.

HT Kello 0 Glens 5

Glens kicked off the second half and were immediately on the front foot with Charlie Maxwell driving through the middle before laying the ball off to McKee on the left who then picked out Zak Ross on an overlapping run into the box where he cut the ball back to the inrushing Maxwell only for Nos. 14 & 16 to combine and block his shot.

The visitors continued to press with back-to-back one-twos between Paton and McKee before the latter drilled a low shot from 22 yards that appeared to have Dunsmuir beaten but slipped inches wide of the post

On 52 minutes Glens added a sixth goal. McBeth slipped the ball down the right for McWaters to chase before joining a number of his team-mates in breaking into the Rovers box to compete for the incoming cross. It was Zak Ross that gathered the ball and kept his cool to curl a shot through a defender’s legs and into the far corner of the net beyond the reach of the keeper.

However, great credit to Kello they caught the Glens cold from the kick-off and the alert Reid cut across the face of goal and clipped the ball into a gaping net much to the delight of the young supporters congregated behind the goal. After a brief celebration, he quickly returned to recover the ball and to re-spot it one the centre. Showing a sense of urgent despties Rovers trailin 6-1 but still with 36 minutes of the half remaining!

However, Glens were soon on the front foot again with McKee down the left and McWaters down the right, a cross from the latter was met by Frizzell in the box only for his header to sail over the bar.

On the hour mark Glens made a double substitution with Paul Paton and Michael Moffat coming off for Gary Fraser and Dylan O’Kane.

Matters took a turn on 64 minutes as Glens were reduced to 10 men. Still pushing forward in numbers Maxwell lost control of the ball and his sliding tackle in an attempt to recover it ended with Rovers No.16 taking a sore one on the shin, enough for a red card considered the referee.

Glens immediately made another change with Luke McBeth making way for Ollie Rowe – or ‘Mr. Rowe’ as the assembled ‘fan club’ from the nearby Sanquhar Academy referred to their teacher.

Rovers made the most of the extra man and were clearly determined in their attempts to reduce the deficit. A free kick from the corner of the box was pushed over the bar by Markey. The corner-kick fell for No. 6 with a wall of players from both sides in front of him, his low drilled shot took a wicked deflection off another Kello player sending the ball across the goalmouth beyond the reach of the keeper only for the ball to slip inches wide of the back post.

Glens countered through O’Kane on the left cutting into the box before drilling a low shot from 15 yards from a tight angle that Dunsmuir did well to smother at his near post.

Back came Kello and a free kick was floated deep into the box and although No. 8 made contact his header lacked power to bother Markey.

At the other end Dunsmuir raced from his line to dive at the feet of O’Kane and steal the ball safely. Soon after McKee and Frizzell combined down the right and a ball to the back post for Sinnamon was intercepted at the expense of a corner kick which eventually fell for McWaters to thunder a shot from 15 yards that appeared destined for the top corner only for Dunsmuir to pull off a fantastic reflex save, with his arm at full stretch to finger-tip the ball over the bar.

Rovers cleared the corner-kick and broke upfield only for the cut-back across the face of goal to be easily gathered by Markey. Rowe then broke down another Kello attack sending the ball up the left wing for McKee to chase and break into the box and from within a pocket of 3 defenders curled a shot that Dunsmuir palmed down with both hands.

On 75 minutes Kello won a free-kick on the outskirts of the left hand corner of the box. The ball was whipped past the two-man wall and although the outstretched leg of No. 8 just failed to make contact the ball continued to dangerously fly across the face of goal and beyond the far post.

Play continued to ebb back and forth while half-chances for both sides came and went.

With 10 minutes to go Glens made their final change with Alan Frizzell (who had covered every blade of grass) making way for Gary Harkins.

Kello’s No. 6 then thumped a low shot form the edge of the box which was comfortably held by Markey and soon after the keeper dived at the feet of No. 19 to foil another attack.

Back came Glens and Harkins leapt to head the ball over the last two defenders leaving O’Kane with a free run into the box only for Dunsie to get the better of him again by getting one hand to the ball and then grabbing it with both hands.

Kello then engineered a couple of other chances, a low angled shot from Reid that was well held by Markey. The same player then broke down the left before squaring the ball into the box only for No. 8 to fire his shot wide of target under pressure from Ross.

At the other end McKee forced his way to the left-hand side of the box and as No.4 closed in he clipped a high ball from a tight angle which seemed netl-bound only for Dunsie to leap at the near post and push it over the bar. Rowe then rose to bullet a header over from Sinnamon’s corner.

The game continued to flow from end to end with possibily the better of the chances falling to the home side. Markey got down low to push No. 12’s close-range angled shot out for a corner and soon after Reid burst down the left to drive to the bye-line and cut it back for No. 19 to guide a shot goalward only for Markey to deflect it away with an outstretched leg before the final whistle blew.

FT Kello 1 Glens 6

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. David Markey 11. Ryan Sinnamon 14. Lyall Holding 4. Luke McBeth (20. Ollie Rowe)15. Zak Ross; 10. Alex McWaters 17. Charlie Maxwell 6. Paul Paton (capt.) (8. Gary Fraser) 7. Sam McKee (19. Gary Harkins); 9. Michael Moffat (18. Dylan O’Kane), 16. Alan Frizzell (19. Gary Harkins)

KELLO ROVERS
Ryan Dunsmuir (capt.), Kiegan Hill, Ally Smith, Robert Hampson, Kieran Pagan, Lewis Lang, Lochie Reid, Archie Scott, Ewan Lawrie, Andy Oram, Robbie Cairns. Subs: David Thompson, Lori Johnson, Alfie McFarlane, Scott Lorimer, Dylan Irving

Match Photos

Kello Rovers v Glenafton Athletic