Glenafton Athletic

Glens made three changes to the starting eleven with Arron Miller coming in for the injured Jamie McKernon while James Martin and Ryan Nisbet made way for Mark Gilmour and Sam McKee .

Darvel kicked off with a strong wind at their back and soon forced a series of corner kicks all taken by Darren Miller. One from the left was pushed away from under the bar by keeper Davie Markey while another from the left was headed clear by Mark Gilmour at the near post across the face of goal and out for a corner on the right.  Miller lasered a lethal daisy-cutter that whizzed past a defender and attacker at the near post and although Markey got down low the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line to put the home side ahead on 8 minutes.

Afton managed to push forward against the Januar wind that was blawin cauld but Creag Litle broke down one attack and Daryll Meggatt headed clear another.

Darvel were quickly back on the front foot winning another corner that was cleared then yet another after Markey got down to push a low angled shot from Ian McShane round the back post; the keeper then cleanly clutching Meggat’s header from the corner.

The visitors enjoyed another decent spell of possession with breaks down each flank only for the cut backs into the box by Hugh Kerr on the left and then Ollie Rowe on the right to be readily mopped up. Sam McKee then broke through the middle and released Gilmour down the left to whip a ball into the six-yard box for Kerr only for Meggat to intervene and clear.

Back came Darvel winning another couple of corner kicks that came to nothing. On 24 minutes Alan McKenzie broke into the right-hand side of the box and picked out Andrew Stirling in the six yard box to divert the ball goalward only for Markey to get an outstretched leg to the ball and send it high into air and fall for Ross Caldwell to send it back to the far post for David Galt to tap it home but from an offside position.

With the strong wind subsiding for a time play then flowed from end to end with Meggat and Little double-teaming to block McKee’s low shot from inside the box while at the other end Markey pulled off a great save from Galt’s close-range shot.

On 31 minutes Glenafton drew level after McKee put Little under pressure and his short pass to Meggat in the box was intercepted by Ollie Rowe who the rode the tackle from the centre-back to sweep the ball from 15 yards out beyond keeper Chris Truesdale on the six-yard line and into the gaping net.

The home side responded well and Millar’s free kick deep into the box was headed clear by Craig Pettigrew and then headed the second bite at the cherry out for a corner which concluded with Meggat’s header looping over the bar. Second’s later the Darvel captain was wrestling the ball from Kerr in the Darvel box.

Arron Millar recovered the ball for the Glens switching play to the right where Sean Bennie and Ross Fisher combined to win a corner which bobbled about the six-yard box before Darren Millar cleared. Glens continued to press through Bennie bursting down the right and clipping the ball into six-yard box where Kerr was squeezed out in a sandwich between Meggat and Ryan Thomson.

Darvel countered by attacking in numbers down the right only for Alan Cairns and Leon Murphy to combine and nick the ball from Miller for Murphy to launch a long ball down the right for McKee to show Little a clean pair of heels and sprint into the box before drilling a low angled shot that Truesdale’s outstretched leg at the corner of the six-yard box deflected the ball inches wide of the far post.

The corner was scrambled clear but the ball was quickly recovered by the Glens to return down the right to win a throw, which Bennie lobbed high into the box for Rowe to head goalward, only for Truesdale to gather comfortably.

The keeper launched a long ball upfield where MacKenzie appeared to barge Pettigrew as they challenged for the ball but instead the home side were awarded a free-kick. Millar then blasted a rocket shot forcing Markey to pull off another great save tipping the ball past the post at full stretch for a corner. Millar then whipped the ball into a packed six-yard box which was eventually pushed away from the base of the back post by Markey who then blocked Mackenzie’s attempt from a tight angle sending the ball high into the air which was then gathered by Millar still lurking at the corner flag.  From there he sent the ball back to the far post from where Little headed it back into the heart of the six-yard box for Jordan Allan to coolly kill the ball before swivelling to hook it into the net. Darvel back in front on 42 minutes.

Soon after Glens won a free kick and Miller floated the ball into the ‘D’ for Pettigrew only for his header to drop safely into the hands of Truesdale. Back came Darvel to win yet another corner from which Glens countered with McKee chasing down Pettigrew’s long ball to head for the box where McShane’s challenge ended the first half action.

HT Darvel 2 Glens 1

The early encounters after the break produced half-chances at either end. The home side were first to threaten through Galt’s low shot from the edge of the box that slipped inches wide of the post while at the other end Murphy nicked the ball from Meggat but the alert Truesdale rushed from his line to clear. Back came Darvel throug Allan from wide on the left who whipped a great ball to the back post for the incoming Caldwell only for his volley to be deflected over the bar by Cairns before Gilmour headed clear the corner that followed. Glens responded with Murphy’s shot from the edge of the box that Truesdale held cleanly.

Pettigrew fell awkwardly in the Glens box and was off the field as Glens defended back-to-back corners. He returned soon but quickly pulled up forcing Glens to make a change on 57 minutes with midfielder James Martin coming on and Rowe dropping back to the centre of defence.

Darvel pressed for a spell and added to their corner count from one of which Thomson’s header was saved well by Markey. Glens rallied with Martin and Gilmour combining down the left to set up Murphy to whip the ball high into the goalmouth that Truesdale plucked from under the bar.

On 65 minutes Darvel made a double substitution with Galt and Mackenize making way for Scott Ferguson and Henry Monaghan, the latter soon in the thick of it with a coupler of shots from distance, one whizzing well wide of the far post that other held by Markey at the near post.

McKee released Gilmour down the left to clip the ball into the box for Kerr only for Little to intercept and head clear. Glens then made a double substitution on 75 minutes with forwards Ryan Nisbet and Jordan Ryan coming in for Fisher and McKee.

Aaron Miller pushed forward to slip the ball to Kerr who was quickly surrounded by no fewer than six Darvel players and the ball for McShane to clip back to the keeper who cleared as Miller closed in. Soon after Ryan came within inches of connecting with Murphy’s free kick floated to the far post. Play then went back on forth for a time with defences coming out on top and neither keeper tested.

On 83 minutes Darvel made their final substitution with Jordan Kirkpatrick coming on for the departing Millar.

Allan made good progress down the left before clipping the ball into the box where it was met sweetly by the instep of Ferguson only to be foiled by a strong hand from Markey and the corner kick came to nothing.

Glens pressed for a late equaliser but could not get the better of a well marshalled Darvel defence that were happy to run the clock down or when the opportunity presented itself set up a counter-attack inevitably leading to another corner-kick or two.

FT Darvel 2 Glens 1