FinestCarMats.co.uk	SOUTH CHALLENGE CUP	2nd Round
Glenafton Athletic	5 (5)	Maley, Mullen 2, Duncanson, Lindsay
Yoker Athletic	0 (0)
Sat 13 Aug 2025	KO 2:00 pm	Loch Park, New Cumnock

Glenafton made five changes to the side that faced Auchinleck Talbot last Saturday with Kevin McAllister (trialist), Blair Anderson (injured), Ollie Rowe (injured), Cammy Ross and Callum Wilson (both unavailable) making way for David Markey, Craig McCracken, Kelvin Daniel, Ross Lindsay and Chris Erskine. With the bench rather sparse manager Paul Paton was named as a substitute.

Yoker Athletic currently sit mid-table of the 3^rd Division a point above Glenvale our 1^st round opponents. 

Yoker kicked off and found themselves a goal down on 2 minutes. Ross Lindsay won the ball in the Yoker half and slipped it to Michael Mullen to progress to the outskirts of the ‘D’ but with his way to goal blocked he clipped the ball back to Evan Maley to gather and drive forward before cracking a dipping shot from 30 yards that bounced under keeper John Lynn at full stretch, two yards off his line and into the net. Glens 1 Yoker 0, 2 minutes

The home side dominated possession and a shot from Chris Erskine sailed over the bar while another from Mullen swerved well wide of target before Glens doubled their lead. Lindsay from deep in his own half picked out Mullen in the Yoker half of the centre circle who then quickly slotted a diagonal pass down the right for Lee Duncanson to break forward and clip the ball into the box for the inrushing Hugh Kerr and Erskine only for Mark McKillop to intercept and send the ball to the outskirts of the box where Michael Mullen pounced and skipped inside of Kyle Bunch before drilling a low shot from 17 yards between the centre-backs McKillop and Kerian Love and between the keeper and the post. Glens 2 Yoker 0, 12 minutes.

Glens continued to dominate with Erskine gathering a pass from Lindsay deep in the Yoker half before threading a perfectly weighted ball into the box for Mullen to chase down, bursting between two defenders at the edge of the ‘D’, and although his attempt from 12 yards out to chip the advancing keeper deflected off the sliding tackle of Love the ball still appeared to be net-bound only for Lynn to pull off a great save – on his haunches on the six-yard line, he managed to stretch his arm upright and finger-tip the ball to the side which Aidan Maclagan hooked clear out of the box.

However! Jared Willet gathered the loose ball and quickly picked out Kerr at the edge of the box who guided the ball down the left for the overlapping Craig to whip a glorious ball to the back post for the inrushing Lee Duncanson to leap head and shoulders above Paul O’Brien and bullet a powerful downward header that Lynn could only push high into the roof of the net. Glens 3 Yoker 0, 15 minutes.

Glens continued to press and a Lindsay free-kick into a packed box saw Duncanson’s header soar over the bar soon after Erskine’s shot from 15 yards whizzed wide of the target.

At the other end the Taylor Fadian gathered the keeper’s goal kick in the centre circle and clipped the ball to Rui Carbolla on the left who pushed forward to the corner of the penalty box and with defenders now congregating he fired a dipping shot that bounced off the top of bar. 

Back came the home side with Willet and Erskine on the left playing three consecutive one-two’s which saw the former drive to the near post only for his attempt to cut the ball back to Kerr to be blocked at the expense of a corner. Lindsay floated the kick into a packed six-yard box and although Craig McCracken won the aerial battle his header sent the ball glancing wide of the post. Soon after keeper Lynn got down low to hold Mullen’s shot from the ‘D’.

Kerr was sandwiched between two defenders on the outskirts of the ‘D’ and although both Mullen and Lindsay lined up to take the free-kick it was Ross Lindsay that curled the ball wide of the leaping wall into the left-hand corner of the net with the keeper rooted on his line. Glens 4 Yoker 0, 36 minutes.

The home side added a fifth after a Mullen shot from 14 yards was deflected wide for a corner on the right. Lindsay curled the ball into a packed box only to be headed outto the 18-yard line by Keir McNair where it took a bounce before Maley cracked a shot that was blocked by the arm of the leaping McKillop. Up stepped Michael Mullen to slam home the spot kick. Glens 5 Yoker 0, 42 minutes

Just before the break, Erskine intercepted a poor clearance to fire a low shot from 20 yards only for Lynn to get down low and push the ball wide of the post. The corner kick led to another corner which was cleared.

HT Glens 5 Yoker 0

Glens made a change at the break with Craig McCracken making way for Lewis Currie.

The second half would conjure up the football adage of ‘A game of two halves’ not in the sense that Yoker clawed back a five-goal deficit, indeed the half would prove to be goal-less, but in the sense the visitors matched the home side in terms of possession and the few chances that were on show.

The visitors were first to threaten after Bunch floated a free-kick from the right into the box which was eventually cleared at the third attempt by the home defence.

On 58 minutes Glens made a double substitution with Callum McFadyen replacing the injured David Craig and Robbie McDougall replacing Evan Daley.

Yoker then mounted a slick box-to-box attack beginning with the keeper dropping the ball at the feet of Love in his six-yard box to the slip the ball to Carballo on the left who then played a quick one-two with McNair to progress to the centre-circle before squaring it to substitute Luke Gallagher. He, smartly back-heel the ball into the path of O’Brien who threaded a 25 yard pass upfield for Carballo to gather on the 18 yard line and hold off McFadyen and Willet before turning to leather a shot that whizzed over the bar.

At the other end Duncanson, tight on the right, clipped the ball inside to Erskine who played a dummy to let it run on to McFadyen who in turn laid it off to Lindsay who quickly picked out Mullen to skip past Bunch before blasting a shot from 25 yards that flew high over the bar.

Soon after, Erskine picked up a pass to drive to the right hand corner of the box where he slipped it to Duncanson on the right touchline to loft the ball high into the far side of the six- yard box where Kerr and McDougall lurked, only for keeper Lynch to leap and pluck the ball out the air.

Midway through the half Glens made another change with captain Hugh Kerr making way for player-manager Paul Paton.

Willet and Mullen combined to set up the latter to break into the left-hand side of the box and drill a low shot that the keeper blocked with his feet before his team mates mopped up the danger.

Play raged back and forth and with defences on top there were few chances on show.

On 72 minutes Bunch gathered the ball on the left just inside in his own half before playing a neat one-two with Carballo and clipping the ball up the wing for Ben Smith to cut inside and curl a ball deep into the box for the inrushing Ben Lavety but the substitute just failed to connect.

Back came Glens and Paton gathered the ball deep in his own half and picked out Mullen in the Yoker half of the centre-circle. From here he clipped the ball upfield for Erskine to chase and although he gathered it on the 18-yard line and held off the challenge of McNair before rolling the ball into the path of McDougall to drill a low shot from 12 yards only for Lynn to come off his line and dive to smother the ball.

On 87 minutes Paton threaded a ball from the half-way line to the edge of the box for McDougall to chase down and beat substitute Callum Robinson to the ball but with his way to goal blocked he was forced to roll it back to Duncanson who quickly squared the ball to Mullen on the ‘D’ only for his shot to fly over the bar.

In the closing minute Glens won a free kick on the left which Mullen curled over the wall lined up on the 18-yard line only for the keeper to cleanly clutch it, and secure a second half clean sheet.

FT Glens 5 Yoker 0

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC
1. David Markey 2. Lee Duncanson 3. Jared Willet 4. Craig McCracken (16. Lewis Currie) 5. Kelvin Daniel 6. Evan Maley (14. Robbie McDougall) 7. David Craig (12. Callum McFadyen) 8. Ross Lindsay 9. Hugh Kerr (captain) (15. Paul Paton) 10. Michael Mullen 11. Chris Erskine Subs: James Hart (gk)

YOKER ATHLETIC
1. John Lynn 2. Aidan Maclagan 3. Paul O’Brien 4. Mark McKillop 5. Kieran Love 6. Matthew Burke 7. Ben Smith 8. Kyle Bunch 9. Keir McNair 10. Taylor Fadian 11. Rui Carballo Subs. 12. Luke Gallagher 14. Ben Scott 15. Ciaran Smith 16. Callum Robinson 17. Ben Lavety 18. Ayden Fox 25. Lucas Ross

Match Photos

Glenafton Athletic vs. Yoker Athletic