PDM HUWS GRAY	WOSFL Premier Division	Match 16
Glenafton Athletic	2 (1)	Moffat, Caddis
Largs Thistle	3 (0)	Sewell 2, Lapsley
Sat 10 Feb 2024	KO 2:00 pm	Beechwood Park, Auchinleck

Glenafton made one change to the eleven that started against Auchinleck Talbot last Saturday with Taylor Buchanan making way for Mchael McMullin. Sam McKee remains on the injured list.

Captaining Largs was former Glenafton striker Scott Adam.

Prior to kick-off a minute’s silence was held in memory of Alfie McCurdie, former member of the committee and a stalwart of the ground staff.

The opening 10 minutes saw play grind back and forth without either side breaching the other’s box or fashioning a shot on target.

Largs won a corner kick which was floated into the box but came to nothing. The visitors then enjoyed a spell of pressure but again without testing the keeper. Jamie Wilton cracked a low angled shot from

Glens countered through Scott McLean forging his way up the right wing before the feet were taken from him 12 yards from the goal-line. It was McLean that clipped the free kick into the heart of box where Wull Sewell won the aerial battle against Michael McMullin, only for Michael Moffat to recover the ball on the left and float it back into the far end of the box busy box where Ollie Rowe trapped the ball on his chest but the raised arm of Cory Hughes triggered an off-side flag, despite Craig Faulds playing him on.

Back came the home side with Dylan O’Kane breaking down the left and then turning back to shake off the back-tracking David Ramsay before curling a diagonal shot from 10 yards that keeper Joe Wilton did well to get down and clutch the ball at his near post.

Back came Largs through Sewell bursting deep into the left-hand side of the box and squaring the ball for the inrushing Ramsay only for keeper David Markey to clear with an outstretched leg. The visitors continued to press keeping McMullin busy with two headed clearances and soon after another ball hoofed clear. Midway through the half Sewell won the ball in the box but under pressure from Rowe his sliding shot was comfortably held by Markey.

Glens mustered a few breaks up field, each of which fizzled out as the visitors enjoyed a prolonged period of pressure. Jamie Martin cracked a low angled shot from 25 yards out that whizzed wide of the post. Soon after a free-kick floated high into the Glens box was won in the air by Ryan Sinnamon triggering a 10-man stramash with Adam the visitors driving force in trying to win the ball only for a united Glens defence to force the ball out towards the left touchline from where Liam Lapsley won a free-kick which was cleared.

Further waves of attacks failed to breach the Glens box and a sucker punch was delivered on the stroke of half-time Gary Fraser from outside the ‘D’ launched a high ball up the right wing which was brilliantly trapped by Scott McLean before breaking through the narrow gap between Laurie McMaster and McCreath to drive to the edge of the box where he held off his pursuers to touch the ball to the incoming Michael Moffat who clipped the ball powerfully on his stride to flash it beyond the reach of the diving Wilton at full stretch and into the far corner of the net. Glens 1-0 on 44 minutes, the half-time whistle blew as the celebrations concluded.

HT Glens 1 Largs 0

Glens made a change at half-time with Liam Caddis coming on for Dario Viviani.

Like the first half, play immediately began to rage back and forth, only this time carrying a much great goal threat at both ends. The best of the Glenafton chances fell to Moffat who got on the end of a great ball into the box by O’Kane only for his header from 6 yards to fall into the keeper’s hands. At the other end Martin from deep in the left-hand side of the box looked to curl a shot at goal but instead slipped a reverse pass to McMaster on the overlap to drill a low ball from the bye-line across the face of goal beyond the reach of Markey at the near post for Adam only for his effort to divert the ball into the gaping net to be blocked brilliantly by Craig Pettigrew and the loose ball was eventually mopped up.

Other chances came and went before the home side doubled their lead on 54 minutes. Pettigrew pushed forward to the centre circle in the Glens half before pinging a forward pass to Moffat on the far side of the centre-circle with his back to goal as well as two defenders on his back. In an instant he turned and nutmegged one defender before leaving them both chasing shadows (if the sun had been shining) to drive forward  to the ‘D’ and nudge a diagonal ball beyond McCreath for Liam Caddis breaking into the box where he killed the ball with his left foot then guided a right-footed shot through the legs of McMaster and low into the far corner of the net beyond.

The home side celebrations however were soon muted as Largs hit back in a deadly fashion with slick inch-perfect passing at pace down the right before the ball was cut inside, where a delightful dummy was executed to allow the ball to be played back out wide from where it was squared into the six-yard box for the inrushing Wull Sewell to guide it home on 55 minutes; Glens 2 Largs 1.

Largs continued to press and Stuart Faulds won the ball with a crunching tackle at the edge of the box before slipping it wide to Sewell on the left to square the ball across the face of the goal only for Markey to dive and hold as Faulds and Adam closed in. On 58 minutes David Ramsay was sent tumbling on the left-hand side of the box after a challenge from Pettigrew and although Scott Adam sent Markey the wrong way from the spot his effort slipped inches wide of the right post.

Back came Glens with Caddis leaping to send a header into the box for McLean to chase down into the box only for the keeper to rush from his line and clutch the ball.  Another Glens attack ended with Moffat lashing out after being held back and catching Cory Hughes in the ribs, the assistant referee immediately flagged and the striker shown a red card on 61 minutes.

The home side regrouped and Caddis won a corner-kick which O’Kane floated into the six-yard box only for Wilton to gather safely.

But back came Largs with attacks from both the right and then left-hand side of the box, the latter forcing Markey to leap and punch the ball at the junction of post and bar behind for a corner which although was won in the air by Sewell, saw the striker penalised for a shove on Caddis.

Largs made a change with Scott Adam making way for Darryl Duffy.

Soon after Caddis intercepted Martin’s pass at the centre circle and clipped the ball to Fraser on the right to drive into the box and drill a low diagonal ball to the far post for the inrushing Caddis only for Hughes to get a touch to divert it wide for a corner. Although McCreath won the aerial battle with Pettigrew his header whizzed wide of the back post for another corner which concluded with McMullin’s powerful downward header being held on the line by Wilton.

Largs immediately countered and a ball from the left was floated to the back post where Ramsay stooped but his header, under pressure from McMullin, sailed high over the bar. The visitors made another change with Blair Devine replacing Jamie Martin.

At the other end Caddis and McMaster chased a long ball down the left and it was the Glens man that won the ball a couple of feet from the bye-line while the Largs man lost his balance and fell to the ground, with the linesman in close attendance. Caddis progressed along the bye-line into the box while McMaster got back on his feet only for the referee, some distance behind play, to blow for a free-kick to the visitors. Despite the strong appeals from the home side and with no consultation with his assistant the referee who had kept his flag down, then allowed the free-kick to be taken from inside the box some 10 yards from where the alleged foul took place.

Largs then rubbed salt in the wound, once again in devastating fashion with slick and deadly unchallenged passing from the centre circle to the right-hand side of the box where the ball was laid on a plate from Liam Lapsley to tap home from a few yards. Largs all square at 2-2 on 75 minutes.

The 10 men of Glenafton mustered an occasional attack with Pettigrew’s shot from 22 yards drifting wide of the post.

However Largs laid siege to the home side’s goal with a flurry of attacks. A corner from the right was headed back out by Caddis at the near post and the ball quickly recovered by Largs to float a ball to the back post for Hughes only for Pettigrew’s interception to head it out for another corner. This was played short and fell for Faulds to crack a low shot from 10 yards that Markey did well to get down low and hold as Lapsley waited to pounce on any spillage.

A touch of déjà vu when another corner from the right was headed back out by Pettigrew and the ball recycled (as they say) to be fired to the back post where Sinnamon outleapt Sewell to win the header only for McCreath to pounce on the ball before curling a cross to the far post and task of clearing fell to McMullin with a powerful header.

On 89 minutes the visitors pressure paid off. A high ball into the left-hand side of the box was gathered by Lapsley, a yard or so from the bye-line and a yard with the penalty box, where with Sinnamon at his back he held the ball up before rolling it back to the inrushing McMaster to take a touch with his left foot only for his right to be caught by Fraser sending him to the floor. Up stepped Wull Sewell to lash the spot-kick into the roof the net on 89 minutes to complete the scoring and put Largs 3-2 ahead.

FT Glenafton 2 Largs 3

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. David Markey 11. Ryan Sinnamon 20. Ollie Rowe 5. Craig Pettigrew (captain) 3. Mick McMullin 2. Scott McLean 6. Paul Paton 8. Gary Fraser 17. Dario Viviani (12. Liam Caddis) 18. Dylan O’Kane 9. Michael Moffat Subs Not Used: 4. Taylor Buchanan 10. Alex McWaters 14. Lyle Holding. Ally Semple (gk)

LARGS THISTLE
1. Joe Wilton 2. Sean McLeod 3. Laurie McMaster 4. Ryan McCreath 5. Cory Hughes 6. Stuart Faulds 7. Jamie Martin 8. Liam Lapsley 9. William Sewell 10. Scott Adam 11. David Ramsay Subs. Darryl Duffy , Blair Devine, Lewis Davidson, Craig Forbes, John Cumming. David McGrath, Eliasz Zalewski (gk)

Match Photos

Glenafton Athletic v Largs Thistle