PDM HUWS GRAY	WOSFL Premier Division	Match 23
Glenafton Athletic	2 (1)	Kerr 2
Auchinleck Talbot	1 (0)	Slooves
Tues 02 Apr 2024	KO 7:30 pm	Loch Park, New Cumnock

Glenafton made one change from the eleven that started against Irvine Meadow XI on Saturday with Dylan O’Kane replacing Michael Moffat.

In Auchinleck’ starting line-up was former Glenafton goalie Aidan Glavin while former Glens midfielder Michael Wardrope was on the bench.

Glenafton got off to a great start with a goal on 6 minutes. Captain Craig Pettigrew intercepted Gareth Armstrong’s ball into the Glens box knocking it forward to Sam McKee who rolled it back to Paul Paton and from deep in his own half he launched the ball upfield for Shug Kerr to chase into the Talbot box and although the back-tracking Neil Slooves got the first touch he lost control under pressure from Kerr who nicked the ball before holding off another challenge from the inrushing Aiden Wilson and then stepping aside of Slooves to curl a powerful shot from 12 yards into the net beyond the reach of the keeper .

The visitors responded well and created several chances

A corner floated in from the left to the back post saw Michael McMullin win the aerial battle only for the ball to edge of the box where a low shot was drilled through a ruck of players and cleared off the goal-line by Lyall Holding. Talbot won a free-kick wide on the right and as they packed the Glens box the ball was played short down the right before a good break deep into the box for the ball to be played back to the six-yard line where Slooves did well to divert it goalwards but lacking the power to trouble keeper David Markey.

Midway through the half Markey double fisted a corner-kick, curled to the top corner of the back post, far upfield where it was collected by Ali Boyle before unleashing a thundering shot from 30 yards only for the keeper to push the ball straight up high in the air and then catch it cleanly on its descent. Talbot continued to press and Neil McPherson from the outskirts of the box played a perfectly weighted pass into the box to match Tarek Abed’s diagonal run to the corner of the six yard only to sky the ball over the outrushing Markey and high over the bar.

Glens responded with Kerr chasing a long ball down the right put pressure on Slooves to play the ball back to keeper Glavin who quickly played to McPherson on the opposite side of the box but the defender got into a fankle on the outskirts of the box and was stripped off the ball by the inrushing McKee to break forward to lash a low diagonal shot from 15 yards that the advancing Glavin did well to push out towards the touchline.  Gary Fraser gathered the loose ball and played a one-two with Paton before launching it high into the goalmouth only for the ball to drift wide of the back post, while Cammy Crooks claim of being barged in the box waswaved away.

HT Glens 1 Auchinleck 0

Auchinleck got off to great start and equalised 6 minutes in the second half. Schoneville curled a vicious free-kick from 22 yards round the Glens wall and the ball seemed certain to find the top corner of the net only for Markey to leap and push it over the bar with a strong hand. The corner-kick, from the right, was whipped into a packed box and a flying header saw the ball shoot back to the corner from where it had come and was then clipped to the back post where Neil Slooves leapt, head and shoulders above the defence, to guide a header into the net.

Soon after Ross Smith gathered the ball on the ‘D’ and cut into the box to fire a low diagonal shot that Markey did well to block with his feet. Talbot continued to press with some fine build up play. McPherson from inside the Glens half rolled a ball up to the right had corner of the box where Abed played the ball, with a cute back heel, into the path of the incoming Boyle to progress towards the six-yard box and play a square pass to Connor Boyd, however he struggled to get the ball under control through pressure from Holding and Fraser and stumbled to the ground, the chance gone. Back came the visitors and McPherson pushed to the bye-line before cutting the ball across the face of goal where Markey dived at the feet of the inrushing striker to clutch the ball.

Markey launched the ball far up field where Kerr trapped it and laid it off to Cammy Crooks to drive into the box and as he tried to skip past Slooves the defender appeared to try and take the feet from Crooks and then pulled him back by his arm, sending him crashing to the ground, to the astonishment of the players, his team-mates and the home ground, the referee waved play on!!

Back came the visitors through Schoneville launching a long high ball up the left which was headed on and then chased down by Smith to progress to the edge of the ‘D’ to fire a low shot only to be pushed wide by Markey who had rushed some 15 yards off his goal line. Soon after a determined run by Abed saw him break into the right-hand side of the box to and weave paste defenders before squaring the ball along the six-yard line where Smith let it run by him before swivelling to lash an angled shot that beat Markey but slipped inches wide of the back post.  

On 78 minutes it was the home side that broke the deadlock after winning a free-kick just short of 30 yards from goal. McMullin lined up to take the kick but rather than have a shot at goal he floated it over the Talbot wall and the unmarked Shug Kerr was free to drift between two defenders into the six-yard box and sweep the ball home.

Kerr came close to hitting hat-trick in the closing minutes. Paton released McKee down the right to drive to the bye-line before whipping a ball to the far side of the box for the incoming Cammy Ross and although his shot was blocked the ball fell for Crooks. The lively midfielder then broke into the box only to be forced wide to the left-hand side and clip the ball back into the goal mouth where Kerr was first to react to win the ball and drill a low shot from inside the six-yard box only for it to slip wide of the keeper’s outstretched leg and agonisingly wide of the post.

There was still time for Talbot to seek out an equaliser. A corner kick from the left was punched clear from under the bar by Markey and gathered by Boyd on the outskirts of the right hand side of the box from where he played a one-two with McPherson before driving deep into the box and whipping low ball across the face of goal but their were to be no takers and the chance was gone.

FT Glens 2 Auchinleck 1

A crucial three points from Glenafton in their first home league win of the season.

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. David Markey 14. Lyall Holding 20. Ollie Rowe 5. Craig Pettigrew (captain) 3. Michael McMullin 15. Cammy Crooks 6. Paul Paton 8. Gary Fraser (2. Cammy Ross) 7. Sam McKee (10. Alex McWaters) 19. Dylan O’Kane (12. Liam Caddis) 18. Hugh Kerr Subs Not Used: 10. Alex McWaters 11. Ryan Sinnamon. Harvey Gilmour, Ally Semple (gk)

AUCHINLECK TALBOT
1. Aidan Glavin 2. Neill McPherson 3. Scott Schoneville 4. Neil Slooves 5. Aiden Wilson 6. G. Gareth Armstrong (captain) 7. Ross Urquhart (Kyle McAvoy), 8. Ali Boyle (Michael Wardrope) 9. Connor Boyd 10. Ross Smith (Ruaridh Langan) 11. Tarek Abed (Luke Gillies) Subs Not Used Chris Henry (gk). Ryan Kennedy.