GREENVERSITY RENEWABLES	WOSFL Premier Division	Match 10
Glenafton Athletic	2 (0)	Mullen, Kerr
Troon	2 (1)	Dunlop, Veitch
Sat 09 Nov 2024	KO 2:00 pm	Loch Park, New Cumnock

With tomorrow being Remembrance Sunday, a minute’s silence was observed before kick-off to remember the service and sacrifice made by those that lost their lives while defending our freedoms.

Glenafton made three changes to the eleven that started against Shotts two weeks ago with Jared Willet (unavailable), Sam McKee (unavailable) and Chris Erskine (injured) making way for Cammy Ross, Evan Maley and Jordan Allan, making his debut for the club.

In the Troon line-up was former Glenafton midfielder Dario Viviani while former defender Aldin El-Zubadi was on the bench. In the dug-out were former Glenafton players, assistant manager Andy Bell and coach, the legendary Craig Bingham.

Glenafton kicked-off and were first to threaten after Ross Lindsay curled a ball deep into the box where Jordan Allan and Mark Morrison challenged for a header that saw the ball drop over the bar, each claiming it was the other that won the battle – goal kick to Troon.

Play quickly fell into a pattern of back and forth with few chances on show.

 On 10 minutes Dean Fulton broke into the right-hand side of the Glens box before drilling a low-angled shot only for keeper Ally Semple to get down and smother the ball on his line.

At the other end on 25 minutes, another determined run down the right by Cammy Ross saw him pick out Jordan Allan in and around the penalty spot but with Morrison tight on his back he rolled the ball back to Michael Mullen on the 18-yard line only for his shot to fly over the bar.

The visitors responded in deadly fashion. The goal-kick was played short and gathered by Jamie Gallagher inside the ‘D’ from where he drove diagonally to the right and from 10 yards within the Troon half he clipped the ball upfield into the right hand side of the Glens box for Morrison to chase with Craig Pettigrew for company, meanwhile Semple raced off his line but failed to get a grip of the ball, leaving Morrison to drive to the corner of the six yard box before slipping the ball towards Fulton, sparking a melee of red and blue shirts in and around the six-yard box. With Semple still well off his line, Lyall Holding stood guard as Fulton looked to line up a shot however Ollie Rowe made a timely block only for the ball to fall to Dario Viviani, by which time Semple and Pettigrew were back in the fray. Another superb tackle by Rowe robbed Viviani of the ball which fell kindly for Leyton Dunlop to curl the ball from 16 yards past his grounded team-mate Fulton and into the roof of the net beyond the reach of Semple. Troon 1-0 up in 27 minutes.

Soon after Morrison cracked a vicious dipping shot from 25 yards that took a bounce before Semple safely gathered. The visitors continued to press and from a corner kick the ball eventually landed at the feet of Callan Veitch on the edge of the ‘D’ but his low shot lacked the power or direction to trouble Semple.

The floodlights were now on and things began to brighten up a bit for the home side with a good spell of possession in the Troon half. On 40 minutes Lindsay whipped a free kick from 10 yards inside the Troon half into the box where it bounced up off the six-yard line and the inrushing Kerr beat Gallagher to the ball only for his bullet header to crash into the side net, albeit the air-borne keeper Dale Burgess had his near post well covered.

Glens continued to push down the right with Ross and Evan Maley, however the only reward was a corner kick which came to nothing.

HT Glens 0 Troon 1

The visitors had an early free-kick floated into a packed box but a poor connection saw the ball end safely into Semple’s hands.

At the other end a neat move saw Mullen hold off defenders on the outskirts of the box before laying it off to Ross overlapping down the right only for his square ball to Kerr box to be intercepted at the expense of a corner which was headed out for a throw.  Allan launched the shy high to the near corner of the six-yard box for Kerr and although the striker was arm-locked by both Logan Smith and Dario Viviani he managed to nod the ball back for Ross only for his shot fromm 12 yards to be deflected over the bar for a corner. Lindsay clipped the ball into a packed six-yard box, about 7-a-side, after the ensuing stramash Burgess was able to collect it at his near post.

Glens came close to drawing level on 52 minutes when Mullen’s header from a Lindsay free-kick thundered of the cross bar towards the left-hand side of the box from where Kerr then sent a looping header back across the goal mouth beyond the reach of Burgess only to drift inches wide of the back post. The home side continued to push. Allan launched a shy from the right into the heart of the box for Rowe but a blatant shirt-pull by Smith saw him win the header and sent Rowe tumbling to the ground.

Nevertheless on 62 minutes the home side’s pressure paid off through sheer determination. Another Glens attack was booted clear from the Troon box only for Pettigrew, from the centre circle, to leap and send a powerful header back towards the edge of box for Mullen who in turn laid it off to Maley to skip past a couple of players before drilling a low diagonal ball for Kerr only for Wharton to intercept but fail to control the ball. It was the quick-thinking Kerr that got between the two centre-backs to retrieve the ball and hold off Morrison’s advances before laying it into the path of Michael Mullen to blast a low shot into the net from 15 yards out. 

Play was now raging back and forth.

Allan gathered the ball in the centre circle and quickly picked out Ross at the right hand corner of the box who gave Jack Sherrie the run around before cutting across the 18 yard line and slipping the ball to Mullen deep in the box who was forced to roll it back out for Ryan McCubbin to tee up a shot from 20 yards that was deflected wide by Callan Veitch and the corner cleared.

At the other end Fulton chased down a long ball on the right and from the bye-line whipped a great ball into the heart of the box for the inrushing Dunlop only for Rowe to intercept with a clearing header which was quickly recovered by the visitors and following some patient buildup play by Veitch who gave McCubbin the slip before driving forward at speed into the ‘D’ where he appeared to lose control of the ball and caught Lindsay a sore one the shin as the Glens player cleared the danger. Another stramash followed and soon after a ‘staff member’ from each of the dug-outs was shown a red card for verbal altercations and gesticulations!

Back came Troon and Wharton’s throw-in from deep on the left was headed clear across the goalmouth by Rowe and pounced on by Maley to hoof it upfield where Morrison gathered the ball before driving forward only to lose control and catch McCubbin on the ankle both players falling to the ground and the free-kick given to Troon!

Both sides were going at it to snatch a late winner. On 83 minutes Kerr gathered the ball in his own half and burst up the middle, with Mullen breaking to the right, but as he crossed the half-way line Wharton cynically took the feet from him in full expectation of a yellow card.

Semple launched a long ball upfield to the outskirts of the Troon box for Kerr but with Sherrie climbing all over him the ball was lost and seconds later Smith fired it back through the middle for the striker to chase, only to be beaten to the ball by the outrushing Semple. However, the referee brought play back adjudging that Rowe had impeded Fulton on the left, inside the Troon half. Veitch curled the free-kick into the packed box where Wharton won the aerial battle only for his high looping header to drop over the bar.

Back came Troon and Fulton’s determination saw him win the ball on the left just inside the Glens’ half and break forward before cutting inside and clipping the ball between the back-tracking Rowe and McCubbin, however he appeared to overhit it and Rowe seemed to get an outstretched leg to the ball before Fulton tumbled to the ground, and then tripped McCubbin as he collected the loose ball. However, the referee deemed otherwise and awarded a free-kick to Troon before brandishing a second yellow-card and sending the Glens centre-back off, with a minute of the regulation 90 remaining.

Glens made a change with Michael Mullen making way for Lewis Currie.

Up stepped Callan Veitch and from 22 yards curled the free kick over the Glens wall to sneak in at Semple’s far post, Troon 2-1 up on 90 minutes.

Glens brought on Dylan O’Kane for Cammy Ross but try as they might the Glenafton struggled to find another opening …..until the 95^th minute.

Troon had pegged the Glens back deep in their own half from where Lyall Holding collected a pass tight on the right touchline only to be quickly closed down by Grant Brennan, however the youngster turned him brilliantly to create space and square the ball to Pettigrew who pushed forward before picking out Allan on the left. The debutant took a few steps forward and from 10 yards inside the Glens’ half he spotted the raised arm of Kerr trotting tentatively towards the Troon box with Smith a few yards in front of him, before launching the ball high into the box where ‘Kerr & Smith’, now together, more less on the penalty spot, and although they leapt in unison there was only one winner as Shuggy Kerr guided his header over the head of Burgess, rooted three yards from his goal-line, into the back of the net.

The celebrations on and off the park were joyous as the ten men fought back for a precious and well-deserved point.

Glens 2 Troon 2

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. Ally Semple 2. Lyall Holding 4. Craig Pettigrew (Captain) 5. Ollie Rowe 7. Cammy Ross  (12. Lewis Currie) 11.Evan Maley  6. Ryan McCubbin 8. Ross Lindsay 3. Jordan Allan 9. Hugh Kerr 10. Michael Mullen (15. Dylan O.Kane)  Subs Not Used: 14. Ryan Walker 16. Mason McDougall 21. Keon Thurston

TROON
1. Dale Burgess 3. Sam McCloskey (6. Jack Sherrie) 5. Logan Smith 8. Leyton Dunlop 10. Kyle Gilroy ( 20. Lenon McDonnell) 12. Callan Veitch 14. Dean Fulton 15. Mark Morrison (captain) 16. Bryan Wharton 17. Dario Viviani (18. Grant Brennan) 19. Jaime Gallagher Subs Not Used. 4.Aldin El-Zubadi 7. Rhy Oyegbesan 11. Keiran Logan 21. Rohan Harkins

Match Photos

Glenafton Athletic v Troon