Match report : Whitletts v Tarbolton
WHITLETTS VICTORIA 6 - TARBOLTON AMATEURS 1
Vics started brightly in this pre-season match against the Ayrshire Amateur Premier Division newboys and took the lead in only three minutes when Tony Balfour ran onto a pass from Neil McGinn and chipped the ball over keeper Michael Mullen into the top corner.
Raymond Buchanan almost added a second moments later but his close range header drifted over but it didn’t take long for the second to arrive. With 13 minutes on the clock Dominic Boyle picked the ball up at the edge of the area and side stepped two challenges inside the box before rolling the ball past Mullen at his near post.
Balfour almost snatched his second in the 18th minute but a challenge from Donald Ferguson forced the ball inches wide. Although Vics were dominating, Tarbolton continued to play neat football in the middle of the park but couldn’t find a way past the home rearguard while the visitors defence struggled to cope with the pace of the Vics attack. It was the homeside who continued to look the more likely and McGinn should have done better with a shot across the face of the goal while a close range snapshot from Balfour struck Mullen.
The third goal arrived in the 35th minute when Michael O’Connor picked the ball up at the edge of the area and curled a low shot into the bottom left hand corner.
Early in the second half the amateurs were dealt a further blow when they lost the services of their keeper Michael Mullen through injury and he was replaced in goal by central defender Donald Ferguson and the big defenders first task was to pick the ball out of the net as Michael O’Connor headed home from a corner kick.
Both sides made a number of substitutions and to their credit Tarbolton never gave up the chase and they got their reward in the 58th minute. Matthew Imrie broke into the box and although Fraser Stewart got a hand to his shot, Liam O’Donnell was on hand to knock the rebound into the empty net.
That gave the amateurs a boost and Imrie should have added a second when clear in the box he beat Stewart only for his shot to come back off the post.
However Vics soon regained the initiative and Neil McGinn netted Vics’ fifth in the 65th minute when he drove home from the edge of the box.
Stand in keeper Ferguson pulled off a couple of very good saves before Whitletts completed the scoring in the 76th minute when a poor clearance found its’ way to James Davidson who beat Ferguson with a chip from 35 yards
Whitletts Victoria
1. Stewart 2. Simpson 3. Lawrie 4. Rodgers 5. Buchanan 6. Cameron 7. Kerr 8. Boyle 9. O’Connor 10. McGinn 11. Balfour
Tarbolton Amateurs
1.Mullen 2. Armstrong 3. Richardson 4. Ferguson 5. McDonald 6. Aitken 7. Morrison 8. Nimmo
9. O’Donnell 10. McFall 11. Wilson
Referee: Drew Kirkland
Vics started brightly in this pre-season match against the Ayrshire Amateur Premier Division newboys and took the lead in only three minutes when Tony Balfour ran onto a pass from Neil McGinn and chipped the ball over keeper Michael Mullen into the top corner.
Raymond Buchanan almost added a second moments later but his close range header drifted over but it didn’t take long for the second to arrive. With 13 minutes on the clock Dominic Boyle picked the ball up at the edge of the area and side stepped two challenges inside the box before rolling the ball past Mullen at his near post.
Balfour almost snatched his second in the 18th minute but a challenge from Donald Ferguson forced the ball inches wide. Although Vics were dominating, Tarbolton continued to play neat football in the middle of the park but couldn’t find a way past the home rearguard while the visitors defence struggled to cope with the pace of the Vics attack. It was the homeside who continued to look the more likely and McGinn should have done better with a shot across the face of the goal while a close range snapshot from Balfour struck Mullen.
The third goal arrived in the 35th minute when Michael O’Connor picked the ball up at the edge of the area and curled a low shot into the bottom left hand corner.
Early in the second half the amateurs were dealt a further blow when they lost the services of their keeper Michael Mullen through injury and he was replaced in goal by central defender Donald Ferguson and the big defenders first task was to pick the ball out of the net as Michael O’Connor headed home from a corner kick.
Both sides made a number of substitutions and to their credit Tarbolton never gave up the chase and they got their reward in the 58th minute. Matthew Imrie broke into the box and although Fraser Stewart got a hand to his shot, Liam O’Donnell was on hand to knock the rebound into the empty net.
That gave the amateurs a boost and Imrie should have added a second when clear in the box he beat Stewart only for his shot to come back off the post.
However Vics soon regained the initiative and Neil McGinn netted Vics’ fifth in the 65th minute when he drove home from the edge of the box.
Stand in keeper Ferguson pulled off a couple of very good saves before Whitletts completed the scoring in the 76th minute when a poor clearance found its’ way to James Davidson who beat Ferguson with a chip from 35 yards
Whitletts Victoria
1. Stewart 2. Simpson 3. Lawrie 4. Rodgers 5. Buchanan 6. Cameron 7. Kerr 8. Boyle 9. O’Connor 10. McGinn 11. Balfour
Tarbolton Amateurs
1.Mullen 2. Armstrong 3. Richardson 4. Ferguson 5. McDonald 6. Aitken 7. Morrison 8. Nimmo
9. O’Donnell 10. McFall 11. Wilson
Referee: Drew Kirkland