PDM HUWS GRAY	WOSFL Premier Division	Match 28
Glenafton Athletic	1 (o)	Kerr
St. Cadoc’s’s	1 (0)	McTaggart, McLaughlin, Sweeney
Tues 07 May 2024	KO 7:30 pm	Loch Park, New Cumnock

Glenafton made two changes to the eleven that started against Kirkintilloch on Saturday with Lyall Holding returning from suspension replacing Cammy Crooks (injured) and Alex McWaters replacing Dylan O’Kane. Unfortunately, former Glenafton defender Richie McKillen had to sit this one out after collecting quite the shiner in the St. Cadoc’s game against Clydebank at the week-end.

Glens kicked off in the bright sunshine while the visitors were first to breach their opponent’s box through Aidan McIlduff’s cross from wide on the left to the edge of the six-yard box for Bob McHugh who was quickly dispossessed by Lyall Holding and Ollie Rowe.

The home side countered down the right where Alex McWaters played a neat one-two with Shuggie Kerr to skip past Gary Miller into the box and although he was stripped of the ball by Alan Lithgow team-mate Kerr quickly recovered it and side-stepped Lithgow to drill a low angled shot from 16 yards that was comfortably saved by keeper Max Currie.

Play continued to go back and forth before St. Cadoc’s opened the scoring on 12 minutes. McIlduff gathered the ball at the left-hand corner of the box and threaded a pass between two defenders into the box for the inrushing Lewis McTaggart to chase down and although keeper Ally Semple raced from his line to dive at the striker’s feet, McTaggart stood firm, recovered the ball and guided into the net as he lost his balance.

Soon after Neil McLaughlin broke into the left-hand side of the box and pushed to the bye-line from where he rolled the ball back to McTaggart only for his shot from 18 yards to be deflected wide of the post for a corner kick which Anton Brady floated to the self-same post where Ryan Sinnamon leapt to head the ball high into air which was cleared on its descent by the Glens defence.

The visitors were enjoying much of the possession with patient build up play from the back without however creating any clear-cut chances. McTaggart picked up a pass on the outskirts of the ‘D’ only to be dispossessed by Craig Pettigrew while Gary Fraser mopped up the ball before releasing Cammy Ross up the left wing only to run out of room at the touchline.

Soon after, McHugh, with a clutch of blue shirts in his way, opted to shoot from 30 yards but it lacked the accuracy of the Cads passing.

The same could be said for Alex McWaters shot from a similar distance on 20 minutes as it too bounced wide of its target, however it heralded a good spell of the home’s sides presence in their opponent’s half.

Ross from tight on the left played a great one-two with Kerr, despite Miller’s man-handling of the striker, to burst towards the bye-line leaving Ronan Hughes in his wake, before whipping a cross into the box only to be intercepted by Miller at the expense of a corner.

McWaters fired the kick to the near corner of a packed six-yard box where Kerr got a touch before McTaggart to knock the ball deeper into the goal mouth where Pettigrew with his back to goal (and with Miller glued to his back), managed to hook the ball toward the goal where the keeper managed to block it with his knees and then his chest before falling backwards into the goal while McLaughlin, two yards off the line hoofed the ball clear.

Although play raged back and forth it was the home side that looked more threatening with balls into the box and Kerr and Liam Caddis winning the aerial battles.

On 28 minutes Holding and Ross combined well deep on the left flank and as the latter looked to float the ball into the box the frustrated full back Dom Slattery took him out. Paton, 12 yards from the bye-line and tight on the touch-line curled the free-kick into the busy goalmouth where Miller rose like a rocket only for his header to send the ball behind for a corner. 

McWalters from the right clipped the ball to the near side of the six-yard box where Ross nodded it on and the alert Rowe stooped between two defenders to guide a downward header toward goal only to hit Currie’s foot on the line before the ball was scrambled clear, temporarily.

McWalters floated a free-kick from the right into the heart of the box where Kerr outleapt Slattery & Hughes only for his header to drift wide of the post.

At the other end McLaughlin was looking lively up front (and in defence to be fair) but the visitors were struggling to penetrate the Glens box with Holding, Pettigrew and Rowe taking turn to clear their lines. Slattery launched a long throw from the right, a few yards from the bye-line, to the near post for McTaggart only for Holding to intervene and head the ball clear.

In a final push before the break McWalters burst down the right showing the pursuing McIlduff a clean pair of heels only for the defender to deflect his cross which ended up on the roof of the net. The corner from the right that followed was cleared only to be recovered by Paton on the left to float a ball deep into the box where Rowe won the aerial battle laying the ball off to McWalters tight on the right to clip the ball to the far corner of the six-yard box only for Paton’s looping header to fall comfortably into the clutches of Currie.

The home side unlucky to be behind at the break.

Glens 0 St. Cadoc’s 1

The home side started the second half brightly. Caddis laid the ball off to McWalters deep on the right flank who then played a slick-one two with his team-mate before whipping the ball from the bye-line into the goalmouth for the incoming Kerr and Ross only for Slattery to head wide at the expense of a corner which was cleared.

Glens continued to press and another high ball into the box saw Ross get the jump on Slattery on this occasion but his header sailed well wide of target. Soon after Kerr climbed high between two defenders at the edge of the box to head the ball down into the path of Caddis and as he tried to complete the one-two Miller intervened on the six-yard line to boot the ball into touch.

On 54 minutes McWalters floated a corner kick from the right into the box for Caddis and Kerr, and although the former was being held back by Slattery the latter leapt to power a header from 8 yards that crashed off the outside of the right post while the keeper was rooted on his line at the other post.

A minute later Gary Fraser cracked a low shot from 20 yards that saw Currie come off his line to get down low and stop the shot and then gather the loose ball as Kerr closed in.

The home side continued to push forward with Fraser and Paton dominating the middle of the park. Fraser laid off a short pass to McWalters on the left to ping a high ball to the far side of the six-yard box where Kerr got the jump on three static defenders only for Currie to leap and cleanly catch the ball.  Ross then fired a low powerful shot from the 18 yards line that was blocked by Lithgow on the six-yard line sending the ball back to the edge of the box where it was met by Paton only for his low angled shot to drift wide of the far post.  

The Glens having been camped on the outskirts of the Cads box were caught out as Daniel McManus burst through the middle holding of Ross and on reaching the box slipped the ball wide to McLaughlin breaking into the left-hand side of the box only for his attempt to square the ball across the face of goal strike Ross on the arm.  Neil McLaughlin stepped up to slot the spot-kick home beyond the reach of Semple at full stretch. Hard to take that the visitors were now 2-0 up with 62 minutes on the clock.

On 70 minutes Glens made a double substitution with Cammy Ross and Liam Caddis making way for Michael Moffat and Dylan O’Kane. Three minutes later McWalters curled a free kick to the six-yard line where Kerr beat substitute Kyle in the air to send what looked like a goal bound looping header only for Currie to leap, finger-tip and flick the ball over the bar.

 The corner that followed from the left was fired to the rear of a packed six-yard box where Pettigrew under pressure from Miller sent a header wide of target, his claims for a penalty waved away.

Paton gathered the ball in the centre circle and clipped a ball into the heart of the box where Moffat’s header for the inrushing Kerr was cut out by Currie.

On 80 minutes Glens made a final change with Alex McWaters making way for Sam McKee.

The home side continued to enjoy good spells of possession deep in their opponent’s half without however creating any clear-cut chances until, that was, the 84^th minute. Fraser threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the box for McKee to gather and squeeze through the gap between McIlduff and Lithgow before laying the ball off to Shuggie Kerr to thrash a low shot between Miller and substitute Ross Taylor and past the keeper, rooted four yards off his line, into the net.

The Glens went all out for the equaliser pegging St Cadoc’s back while also surviving a couple of counter-attacks only for the third one, on 92 minutes to prove lethal. A Glens clearance only reached as far as the centre circle where McManus curled a forward pass for Gary Muir breaking into the right-hand side of the box to instantly lay it on a plate for fellow substitute Ronan Sweeney, on his tod, to guide it home from close range.

The final whistle blew moments later.

FT Glens 1 St. Cadoc’s 3

A final score that certainly didn’t reflect the effort put in by the Glens tonight.

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
21. Ally Semple 14. Lyall Holding 11. Ryan Sinnamon 20. Ollie Rowe 5. Craig Pettigrew (captain) 11. Ryan Sinnamon 10. Alex McWaters (7. Sam McKee) 6. Paul Paton 8. Gary Fraser 2. Cammy Ross (19. Dylan O’Kane) 12. Liam Caddis (9. Michael Moffat) 18. Hugh Kerr Subs Not Used: 1. David Markey

ST. CADOC’S
1. Max Currie 2. Dom Slattery (16. Ross Taylor) 3. Aidan McIlduff 4. Gary Miller 5. Alan Lithgow 6. Anton Brady (15. Gary Muir) 7. Daniel McManus 8. Ronan Hughes (captain) 9. Bob McHugh (17. Ronan Sweeney) 10. Lewis McTaggart (12. Kyle Munro)11. Neil McLaughlin (14. Aidan Fellowes) Subs Not Used: 18. Craig Malcolm 21. Craig Truesdale

More Match Photos

Glenafton Athletic vs. St. Cadoc’s