| FinestCarMats.co.uk | SOUTH CHALLENGE CUP | 1st Round |
|---|---|---|
| Glenvale | 2 (1) | Kennedy, McKenzie |
| Glenafton Athletic | 2 (0) | Mullen, Kerr |
| Sat 16 Aug 2025 | KO 2:00 pm | Ferguslie Sports Centre, Paisley |
The Glens travelled to Paisley to face 3rd Division Glenvale at Ferguslie Sports Centre, Paisley in the 1st Round of the South Region Challenge Cup. Both sides met each other in the 1st Round of the West of Scotland Cup at Loch Park back in Season 2022/23 and it was the Premier Division that edge the tie 2-1 against the then 4th Division side with Glens current manager Paul Paton scoring what proved to be the winner.
Glenafton made two changes to the eleven that started against St. Cadoc’s on Wednesday night with Ollie Rowe (unavailable) and Cammy Ross making way for Kevin Daniel and Lewis Currie.
Glenvale kicked off and Glenafton won a free-kick in the opening minute. Callum Wilson floated the ball to the right-hand side corner of the six-yard box where Lewis Currie won the aerial battle sending the ball back across the goalmouth for the incoming Shuggy Kerr to get a touch only for keeper Lee Kilbride to clutch the ball cleanly.
Two minutes later Lee Duncanson burst down the right and a few yards from the bye-line floated a great cross into the box which sailed inches over the head of the leaping Ryan Whitehorn to drop for Michael Mullen, on the outskirts of the six yard box, to hook the ball towards the back post only for Kilbride to pull off an acrobatic save to stop the ball on the line and his team-mate Johnny McKay to pounce on the loose ball and hoof the ball out for a shy.
Glenvale enjoyed a brief break up to the edge of the visitors’ box only to be robbed off the ball which fell for Mullen deep on the left to set off on a run that took him to 5 yards short of the ‘D’ from where he slipped the ball to Kerr on the overlap on the right who then cut inside to blast a diagonal shot from 20 yards that beat Kilbride diving at full stretch only to whizz inches wide of the post.
Back came the hosts with a break down the left that saw Gordon Meredith challenge for the ball in the box only to be outnumbered by keeper David Markey diving as feet with Craig McCracken for company.
At the other end Callum Wilson weaved his way down the left and gave Nicky Donnelly the slip at the edge of the box to drive towards the near post only to be tripped by Whitehorn a few yards from the six-yard box. Arms from both sides went up in the air, before the referee pointed to the spot. Up stepped Michael Mullen to blast home the penalty kick beyond the reach of an outstretched leg of goalie. Glenvale 0 Glenafton 1, 12 minutes.
Play then raged back and forth for a time as the home side began to enjoy more possession in the visitors’ half and they were rewarded after striker Connor McKenzie burst into the left- hand side of the box before McCracken and Kelvin Daniel blocked his way at the expense of a corner. McKay curled the kick deep into the packed goalmouth and Daniel’s attempt to clear the ball from six-yard saw the ball rebound deeper into the goalmouth where the quick-thinking Darren Kennedy with his back to goal hooked the ball over his head, as well as those of a clutch of defenders and the keeper on the line, and into the net. Glenvale 1 Glenafton 1, 12 minutes.
Play fell into the same pattern as that before the equaliser peppered with some meaty challenges but without either keeper being severely tested.
1331 However, the home side broke the deadlock on 34 minutes. Kerr chased a long clearance into Glenvale’s half only to be adjudged to be offside. Keeper Kilbride launched the free-kick high and long up the left where McKenzie beat Daniel to the ball sending a high looping header into the Glens box only for McCracken to beat Robert Sloan to the ball heading it back towards the touchline. The alert McKenzie got between Lee Duncanson and Daniel to win the ball and drive to the bye-line, with the latter giving chase, and as McKenzie turned back to cut inside into the box Daniel caught him and the striker tumbled to the ground, just inside the box. Connor McKenzie picked up the ball and marched to the penalty spot planting the ball on top of it, awaiting the referee’s whistle before blasting a low angled shot into the right-hand corner of the net as Markey dived in the opposite direction. Glenvale 2, Glenafton 1, 34 minutes.
Glenvale continued to press and O’Connor won a header in the Glens half to send it bouncing into the right-hand side of the Glens box for Sloan to chase down only for Daniel to outsprint the winger and knock the ball out for a corner kick, which Markey clutched cleanly in a busy six-yard box.
Soon after the home side won another corner-kick after O’Connor’s shot from the edge of the box defected wide for a corner kick on the left. McKay looked to float the corner in the box only for Ross Stevenson to sprint from the near post towards the corner flag to play a short one-two with McKay who then clipped a low ball into the box which bounced up and despite his efforts Whitehorn could not get it under control under pressure from McCracken and headed the ball wide.
On 44 minutes Craig McCracken had to hobble of the park and was replaced by Blair Anderson. Markey launched a ball down the right where a Kerr header sent the ball down the right touchline for Mullen to chase only for Craig Reilly to intervene and slip the ball up the line for McKay but he was quickly robbed off the ball by Duncanson to burst down the right and pirouette past one defender before side stepping another to float a ball into the six-yard box where Stevenson took no chances and headed it wide of the back post for a corner. Lindsay floated a high ball in the heart of the box where Kerr leapt high to meet it full on sending the ball well over the bar.
The half-time whistle blew soon after and both teams marched off, the home side well worthy of their lead.
HT Glenvale 2 Glenafton 1
Glenafton made a change at the break with defender Kelvin Daniel making way for attacking midfielder Cammy Ross who quickly won a corner-kick on the right after picking up a good pass from Anderson. The kick was followed by a scramble in a busy six yard box where after the ball bobbling about Mullen got a touch that set up Currie for a stab at goal which appeared to be deflected off a defender wide of the post, since the keeper tried to prevent it; but goal kick was the outcome.
Soon after Glenvale floated a free kick into the goalmouth which was cleared to the outskirts of the box and the ball snapped up by Ross to burst up through the middle and slot a pass to Mullen breaking into the left-hand side of the box only for the back-tracking tireless McKay to intervene and his tea-ates clear the loose ball.
On 48 minutes Ross switched the ball from wide on the right high into the far side of the box where Mullen trapped the ball before turning to leather a low diagonal shot beyond the reach of an outstretched leg of one defender and through the legs of another before bouncing up on the six yard line which although the keeper was already diving to his left he somehow managed to readjust and claw the ball away with his right hand, sending the across the face of the open goal before it was hoofed out the park for a throw-in.
On 55 minutes Duncanson gathered the ball on the left touchline and played a slick one-two with David Craig before launching a long ball upfield from the half-way line for Kerr to chase down and drive to the corner flag only for his cross to be deflected wide for a corner kick. Lindsay floated the kick into the packed goalmouth and it was Shuggy Kerr from within a pocket of three defenders to bullet a downward header from six-yards out and beyond the reach of the keeper on his line. Glenvale 2 Glenafton 2, 55 minutes.
The visitors piled on the pressure with waves of attack but with no end product. On 62 minutes Lindsay intercepted a clearance on the left and well inside the Glenvale half and picked out Wilson who in turn rolled a square ball for Anderson breaking forward at a pace to take a touch before cracking a thunderous shot from 28 yards that deflected off the raised thigh of Reilly and dipped into the side net out for corner, which was headed clear. The Glens continued to press and Glenvale continued to soak up the pressure.
On 70 minutes Glenafton were forced to make another substitution after Lewis Currie sustained a bad injury and was replaced with Callum McFadyen.
Anderson picked up a pass in the middle of the Glenvale half and quickly slotted the ball to Duncanson wide on the right who cut inside and skipped a defender before playing a one-two with Kerr and blasting a ball from the 18 yard line only for it to swerve wide of the right post.
David Craig pushed forward down the left before laying the ball off to Mullen who quickly cut inside to drill a low angled shot from 22 yards into the side netting albeit the diving Kilbride appeared to have it covered.
Back came Glens through Ross on the right to clip the ball upfield for Wilson to chase down and hold off two defenders before curling the ball into the goalmouth where the leaping keeper pushed it away high into the air only for it to fall for Kerr on the 18 yard line, who trapped it on his chest before blasting a ball that deflect off the back of Reilly.
On 75 minutes Glenvale made a triple substitution.
Meanwhile Glens continued to push for the winner. Lindsay curled a corner kick from the left in the heart of the box where the leaping Kerr won the aerial battle only for his header to flash high and wide of the target. Soon after Ross and Wilson combined down the right concluding with Ross’s shot from inside the box deflected out for a corner which was headed clear to the edge of the ‘D’ and met by Lindsay only for his shot to fly over the bar.
McFadyen gathered the ball on the outskirts of the box and picked out Ross on the right to burst into the box to drive a low shot that drifted wide of the back post. Soon after, McFadyen gathered a pass from Wilson, took a couple of touches before thumping a shot from 25 yards that took a slight deflection off a defender while the keeper saw the ball late and could only look on as it sneaked inches wide of the post.
Lindsay’s corner from the right, into a packed goalmouth initiated quite a stramash before the ball eventually escaped from the box and the danger was over, for now.
Into 5 minutes added time and Lindsay’s corner kick from the left saw keeper Kilbride come well off his line to palm the ball away with both hands and then stayed off his line in an attempt to gather it, only for another stramash to ensue, which saw Glenvale substitute Jamie Sidebotham and Glenafton captain Kerr colliding on the outskirts of the six-yard box, initiating appeals for a foul or a penalty, depending on your point of view. Anway the referee settled for a goal-kick as the ball ended up over the bye-line.
FT Glenvale 2 Glenafton 2
And so on and on and on …. to a remarkable penalty shoot-out.
Phase 1: 5 penalties apiece for both sides
- Pen01: Vale 01 | McKenzie scored 1-0
- Pen02: Afton 01 | Duncanson saved 1-0
- Pen03: Vale 02 | Sidebotham saved 1-0
- Pen04: Afton 02 | Wilson scored 1-1
- Pen05: Vale 03 | Kennedy scored 2-1
- Pen06: Afton 03 | Kerr scored 2-2
- Pen07: Vale 04 | Reilly scored 3-2
- Pen08: Afton 04 | Mullen scored 3-3
- Pen09: Vale 05 | Whitehorn score 4-3
- Pen10: Afton 05 | Lindsay scored 4-4 / had to score to keep Glens in competition.
Phase 2: Knock-out
- Pen11: Vale 06 | Taylor saved / Markey adjudged off his line
- Pen11: Vale 06 | re-take, Taylor scored 5-4
- Pen12: Afton 06 | Anderson scored 5-5 / had to score to keep Glens in competition
- Pen13: Vale 07 | McGiffen scored 6-5
- Pen14: Afton 07 | Willet scored 6-6 /had to score to keep Glens in competition
- Pen15: Vale 08 | Catto scored 7-6
- Pen16: Afton 08 | Ross scored 7-7 /had to score to keep Glens in competition
- Pen17: Vale 09 | Jardine scored 8-7
- Pen18: Afton 09 | Craig scored 8-8 / had to score to keep Glens in competition
- Pen19: Vale10 | Kilbride (keeper) scored 9-8
- Pen20: Afton 10 | McFadyen scored 9-9 / had to score to keep Glens in competition
- Pen21: Vale 11 | Stevenson scored 10-9
- Pen22: Afton 11 | Markey (keeper) scored 10-10 /had to score to keep Glens in competition
All 22 players (i.e. players on field at full-time) had taken kicks and the kicks would now follow the same sequence
- Pen23: Vale12 | McKenzie scored 11-10
- Pen24: Afton12 | Duncanson scored 11-11/had to score to keep Glens in competition
- Pen25: Vale13 | Sidebotham saved 11-11
- Pen26: Afton13 | Wilson scored 11-12 / scored to end sudden death and put Glens through
A tense penalty shoot-out with 8 Glenafton players having to score to keep in them competition as Glenvale kept their noses in from until the 25th penalty kick.
Penalty18. David Craig steps up to keep the Glens in the cup
Penalty 20: Callum McFadyen steps up to keep the Glens in the cup
Penalty22: David Markey steps up to keep the Glens in the cup
Penalty24: Lee Duncanson puts his early miss behind him to keep Glens in the cup
Penalty25: David Markey saves from Jamie Sidebotham for the second time to give Glens the advantage
Penalty26: Callum Wilson slams home the winning penalty.
Handshakes
| GLENAFTON ATHLETIC |
|---|
| 1. David Markey 2. Kelvin Daniel (14. Cammy Ross) 3. Jared Willet 4. Craig McCracken (15. Blair Anderson) 5. Lewis Currie (12. Callum McFadyen) 6. Ross Lindsay 7. Lee Duncanson 8. David Craig 9. Hugh Kerr (captain) 10. Michael Mullen 11. Callum Wilson. Subs Not Used: James Hart (gk), Robbie McDougall. |
| GLENVALE |
|---|
| 1. Lee Kilbride 2. Darren Kennedy 3. Lewis Brown 4. Ryan Whitehorn 5. Craig Reilly (captain) 6. Ross Stevenson 7. Johnny McKay 8. Gordon Meredith 9. Connor McKenzie 10. Nicky Donnelly 11. Robert Sloan Subs: 12. David Taylor 15. Mark Jardine 16. Jack McGiffen 17. Jame McKay 18. Jamie Sidebotham 19. Chris Catto |
| Match Photos |
| Glenvale vs. Glenafton Athletic |
Glenafton Athletic 