GREENVERSITY RENEWABLES	WOSFL Premier Division	Match 30
Glenafton Athletic	4 (1)	Maley, Mullen, Kerr, Willet
Pollok	0 (0)
Sat 10 May 2025	KO 2:00 pm	Loch Park, New Cumnock

Glenafton made three changes to the eleven that started against St. Cadoc’s last Saturday with Kyle Fraser, Ryan McCubbin and Cammy Ross (suspended) making way for Sam McKee, Evan Maley and Chris Erskine (returning from injury).

In the Pollok dug-out was goalkeeper coach Billy Peacock who of course a member of the Glens Scottish Junior Cup, Premier League and Evening Times League Champions Cup treble in Season 2016/17.

Glenafton were accompanied by the Glenafton 2014s as they marched on to Loch Park bathed in glorious sunshine in the last game of the season for the New Cumnock side while Pollok have two remaining fixtures. 

Pollok kicked off and were soon on the front foot in terms of territorial possession. On 7 minutes a shot was deflected inches wide of the post for a corner kick. Jamie Bain floated the kick from the left to the back post for Calum Gow only for Ollie Rowe to block the ball allowing keeper David Markey to rush from his line to smother the ball.

The Glens defence was kept busy with Lyall Holding leaping high on the six-yard line to head clear Sean O’Donnell’s attempt to pick out the inrushing Stephen Docherty. Markey was kept busy having to race the far corner of the penalty box and soon after cleanly clutch a high ball to the near post.

On 15 minutes former Lok midfielder Ross Lindsay robbed the ball from Bain to progress to the centre circle and release Chris Erskine up the right which concluded with Glens winning a corner. Lindsay curled the kick to the far side of the six-yard where former Pollok striker Shuggy Kerr outjumped Scot Forrester only his header to fly high over the bar.

Back came Lok and Chris O’Kane, from the left and some 25 yards out, bulleted a header high towards the near post for striker Adam Forde and although Markey won the aerial battle, he could only finger-tip the ball, pushing it across the face of goal and then beating Forde to collect the loose ball.

Forrester launched a free-kick high into the Glens box and it was Forde’s header that flew across the goalmouth only beyond the reach of Forrester who chased it down and from close to the corner whipped it back into the six-yard box for Forde only for Holding to intercept sending a high looping header to the edge of the ‘D’ where Rowe cleared after a couple of attempts.

Midway through the half O’Kane burst down the left touchline and squared the ball into the box for the Docherty to blast a shot of goal only for it to crash of Rowe sending him to the ground triggering three Lok players to raise their arms to claim for a penalty, but the referee in close proximity played on. Andrew Gaffney chased down the ball and clipped it back into the box for Forde only for Holding to intercept and head it back to Markey.

At the other end Glens won a free kick on the right with players from both sides stretched along the 18-yard line. Lindsay whipped the ball deep into the box with Rowe first to break ranks and flash a header from 8 yards out beyond the reach of the diving keeper Ryan Truesdale and inches wide of the post.

Time for a water-break as the sun continued to beat down on Loch Park some 40 miles nearer the equator than the sooth-side of Glesca.

The water-break worked wonders on the home side as the Glens beginning with Willet’s throw-in from deep on the left and followed with a dozen or so passes involving most of the team that saw the ball ‘recycled’ as they say – up the left, across the park, back down the right, across the park for Willet to roll up the left wing for David Craig to square inside to Mullen and although O’Kane stabbed the ball from his toe it fell for Lindsay who fed Evan Maley, in space in the centre-circle in the Pollok half, from where the midfielder pushed forward to the outskirts of the ‘D’ and cracked a shot beyond the diving keeper, at full stretch some five yards off his line. Glens 1 Pollok 0, 27 minutes.

 Despite the heat the tempo of the game picked up as play now raged back and forth with defences very much on top. Maley turned provider and clipped a ball up the right for Kerr to chase and break into the right hand side of the box and with two defenders on tail he opted to drill a low diagonal shot that Truesdale smothered on his six-yard line. At the other end Forde burst into the left hand of the box with Rowe in pursuit, only for Markey to race of his line block the striker’s shot at the expense of a corner. Bain’s kick was headed high into the air at the near post by Erskine and cleared on its descent by Maley.

On 43 minutes Willet, on the left and deep in Pollok’s half, took a short throw to Erskine who took a sore one, before Willet picked up the loose ball and slipped it to Kerr to drive to corner of the box and few steps later with a wall of Lok players in his way he rolled the ball back to Mullen on the 18 yard line to curl a thunderous shot round a clutch of players and beyond the keeper who could only watch as the ball smashed off the crossbar and in danger of taking out the oystercatcher that had been circling the ground for most of the game. Meanwhile Chris Erskine required treatment from physio Laura Pagan, in what was her final match with the Glens.

HT Glens 1 Pollok 0

Glens brought on Jordan Allan for the injured Chris Erskine.

The home side kicked off and two minutes later Kerr and Mullen combined to evade a band of defenders on the outskirts of Lok’s box before Mullen edged his way into the ‘D’ and lobbed a shot beyond the reach of the keeper on the six-yard line only for this bar to deny him a goal as well.

Glens dominated possession in the Pollok half without testing the keeper while the visitors enjoyed occasional breaks upfield, in particular Doherty down the left.

On the hour mark Allan, from tight on the left, clipped the ball forward to Kerr who in turn rolled the ball into the box for Craig to chase and with Calum Gow on his heels, the young midfielder drilled a low angled shot that keeper Truesdale did well to get down at the corner of the six-yard box and push it wide to his left and cleared by Forrester as Mullen threatened.  The home side continued to press and Willet’s lob from the edge of the box flew high over the bar.

Pollok countered down the right moving with neat short passes before chipping the ball forward for Forde on the outskirts of the box only for Allan to intercept and head the ball down for Lindsay to gather and square the ball to Sam McKee on his right, still deep in the Glens half. From here McKee set off on a wonderful run, drifting out to the right wing where a double shuffle saw off the chasing Docherty who surrendered on the half-way line before the midfielder cut inside to drive to the edge of the box where he threaded a perfectly weighted ball between Lee Duncanson and O’Kane to match the run of Michael Mullen darting between Gow and Kyle Faulds before drilling a low angled shot from 8 yards past the advancing keeper; a fitting finish to McKee’s brilliant assist. Glens 2 Pollok 0, 64 minutes

Pollok mustered a couple of attacks including one up the left that backfired after Maley forced substitute Liam Lapsley to roll the ball back to Duncanson only for McKee to divert it into the path of Kerr on the half-way line and gather the one-two before slotting it forward for Craig who skipped past the back-tracking Lapsley before stroking a glorious long ball into the right hand side of the box for Kerr to burst in from the wing and beat Duncanson to the ball just short of the by-line and after a quick turn lashed the ball from the corner of the six yard box into the far side of the net. Glens 3 Pollok 0, 72 minutes.

The celebrations had the striker showing his boxing moves that will be on show on the forthcoming ‘Loch Park Rumble’ charity event.

On 78 minutes Glens made a double substitution with Lyall Holding and Evan Maley making way for Dean Currie and Ryan McCubbin.

Soon after Kerr gathered the ball on the outskirts of the box and set himself up for a shot from the left-hand corner of the box only for the keeper to get a touch sending the ball inches wide of the back post, and the corner-kick that followed was cleared.

On 82 minutes the home side made another double substitution with Kyle Fraser and Ryan Walker replacing Ross Lindsay and Sam McKee.

Pollok enjoyed a spell of possession in and around the Glens box and Walker’s challenge on Faulds earned a free kick on the outskirts of the box. Forde curled the ball taking a nick of the head of the leaping Currie forcing Markey to claw the ball away from under the bar and then race to catch the loose ball as Lapsley threatened; much to delight of the young Markey fan club behind the goals!

 Glens countered in lethal fashions as Mullen burst into the left hand side of the box only for his cut-back from the goal-line for the inrushing Craig to be intercepted by Gow before the alert Jared Willet pounced to drill the loose ball from the corner of the six yard through a ruck of players and into the net. Glens 4 Pollok 0, 87 minutes.

Credit to Pollok they pushed forward in numbers in search of a consolation winning a corner kick that was eventually scrambled clear.

Into added time and Mullen and Kerr combined in a busy box, playing a couple of one-twos that latter of which saw Kerr’s shot from inside the six-yard box bravely blocked on the line by Forrester.

FT Glens 4 Pollok 0

So, the Glens season drew to a conclusion with their largest league win of 2024/25.

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. David Markey 2. Lyall Holding (15. Dean Currie) 5. Ollie Rowe (captain) 3. Jared Willet; 4. Sam McKee (14. Kyle Fraser) 6. Evan Maley (17. Ryan McCubbin) 8. Ross Lindsay (12. Ryan Walker) 7. David Craig; 11. Chris Erskine (16. Jordan Allan) 9. Hugh Kerr 10. Michael Mullen.

POLLOK
1. Ryan Truesdale 2. Lee Duncanson 4. Scott Forrester 5. Calum Gow (captian) 6. Kyle Faulds 7. Sean O’Donnell 9. Adam Forder 10. Stephen Doherty 16. Christopher O’Kane 22. Andrew Gaffney 23. Jamie Bain Subs: 8. Marco Vata 14. Liam Lapsley 15. Josh Tran 17. Jay Nelson 19. Declan Black 21. Ben Fry

Match Photos

Glenafton Athletic v Pollok