Match Report : Whitletts Vics v Ardrossan
WHITLETTS VICTORIA 2 - ARDROSSAN WINTON ROVERS 2
Two of the sides with genuine promotion aspirations from the Ayrshire District League went head to head at Dam Park and produced a cracking 90 minutes of football that was a real credit to the world of Junior Football.
In a thrilling match, there were numerous chances created at both ends and both sides could have scored many more had they taken their chances.
It was the visitors who were first to show in front of goal when a long ball down the left caught out Simpson and Lee McCrae ran in unchallenged only to see his shot crash back off Fraser Stewart’s right hand post.
Vics first chance came in the 5th minute when Neil McGinn set up Dom Boyle and Winton keeper Michael Wardrope was happy to parry the ball round the post.
The home side settled and began to take a grip on the game and Wardrope again was forced to parry a long range Boyle effort.
Winton’s strikeforce of Joe Young and Jarred Willet carried a serious threat upfront and in the 18th minute Young raced clear and was only denied by a last ditch Martin Lawrie challenge and the follow up shot from Willet was saved by Stewart.
The breakthrough for Whitletts came in the 22nd minute. Tony Balfour picked the ball up out wide on the left and turned inside the full back before running to the edge of the six yard box before prodding the ball past Wardrope.
McGinn should have added a second moments later as he was set up by Balfour and turned George Bonner but this time Wardrope was equal to his strike. Vics were dominating now and Craig Rodgers should have increased their advantage when he got on the end of Balfour’s corner but couldn’t keep his effort down from just six yards.
A second goal was on the cards and it came in the 28th minute from a well worked free kick. Lawrie played in Boyle down the right and from his low cross Michael O’Connor tapped the ball home from six yards.
Minutes later Boyle put O’Connor through on Wardrope but the big keeper got a hand to his chipped effort to keep it out and moments later the Winton No1 had to get down sharply to his near post to keep out an angled Boyle drive from the edge of the box.
Winton kept trying to get forward at every opportunity and almost pulled one back when from Willet’s flick, Vics skipper Graham Longair cleared the danger off Richard Hay just as the Winton midfielder seemed set to score. The visitors enjoyed a wee spell of pressure , pinning Vics back but it was the Ayr side who almost grabbed a third two minutes before the break when from an O’Connor header, an attempted clearance from Callum Walsh looked to have beaten his own keeper but Wardrope stuck out a foot to clear the ball off the line.
Ardrossan started the second half strongly but it was again Vics who almost added to their advantage in the 49th minute when from a corner kick a powerful Raymond Buchanan header brought a great diving save out of Wardrope at full stretch.
Ardrossan almost reduced the leeway in the 57th minute when Young’s header was almost turned into his own net by Boyle but Stewart blocked on the line and a superb blocking tackle by Buchanan set up a Vics counter attack that ended with Neil McGinn turning inside a defender but Wardrope again thwarted Vics.
Despite Vics two goal lead the game was very open with chances being created at both ends. The next goal was going to be important and Vics should have scored when O’Connor was in the clear but could only head McGinn’s cross straight at Wardrope. Then at the other end Hay should have scored for the visitors but somehow managed to put the ball over from six yards with the goal at his mercy.
It wasn’t long before the goal came and it came for Winton in the 63rd minute when Joe Young raced clear and his angled drive beat Stewart at his near post. Almost immediately Winton went in search of the equaliser and only a block from Longair gave Stewart the chance to clear a Jared Willet shot but the striker wasn’t to be denied and in the 67th minute he got the equaliser when his low strike from 22 yards beat Stewart at his left post.
The ascendancy was clearly with the visitors but both sides saw red in the 70th minute when Hay reacted angrily to an O’Connor challenge and referee David Ingram saw fit to send both players for an early bath.
The red cards ruined the flow of the game but not the excitement as Vics skipper Graham Longair fired over from a corner that Winton struggled to clear. At the other end Winton had claims for a penalty waved aside by the referee after a Lee Holland challenge on Willet as the striker bore in on goal.
With time running out, it was anyone’s game and Balfour almost snatched victory for Whitletts in the 86th minute as he raced clear and his low drive from outside the box beat Wardrope but agonisingly slipped inches past the post.
But Winton had their chance too after Bonner’s drive inside the box was blocked by Buchanan after Stewart had parried a Paul Walker shot.
In the end a draw was a fair result, although both sides had their chances to claim all three points. But this was a superb advert for the junior game and if this is the standard of football on show, it is going to be a most enjoyable season watching these two sides.
Whitletts Victoria
1. Stewart 2. Simpson 3. Lawrie 4. Holland 5. Buchanan 6. Longair 7. Boyle (Allan 76) 8. Rodgers (Cameron 70) 9. O’Connor 10. McGinn 11. Balfour
Subs (not used) 12. Cameron 14. Patterson 15. Allan 16. Kerr 21. Callaghan
Ardrossan Winton Rovers
1. Wardrope 2. Walsh 3. Houston (Murray 70) 4. Wilson 5. Bonner 6. Hay 7. Walker 8. Shanks (Glancy 76) 9. Young (Fulton 81)10. Willet 11. McCrae
Subs (not used) 12. Murray 13. Pollock 14. Glancy 15. Fulton 16. Sim
Referee: David Ingram
Two of the sides with genuine promotion aspirations from the Ayrshire District League went head to head at Dam Park and produced a cracking 90 minutes of football that was a real credit to the world of Junior Football.
In a thrilling match, there were numerous chances created at both ends and both sides could have scored many more had they taken their chances.
It was the visitors who were first to show in front of goal when a long ball down the left caught out Simpson and Lee McCrae ran in unchallenged only to see his shot crash back off Fraser Stewart’s right hand post.
Vics first chance came in the 5th minute when Neil McGinn set up Dom Boyle and Winton keeper Michael Wardrope was happy to parry the ball round the post.
The home side settled and began to take a grip on the game and Wardrope again was forced to parry a long range Boyle effort.
Winton’s strikeforce of Joe Young and Jarred Willet carried a serious threat upfront and in the 18th minute Young raced clear and was only denied by a last ditch Martin Lawrie challenge and the follow up shot from Willet was saved by Stewart.
The breakthrough for Whitletts came in the 22nd minute. Tony Balfour picked the ball up out wide on the left and turned inside the full back before running to the edge of the six yard box before prodding the ball past Wardrope.
McGinn should have added a second moments later as he was set up by Balfour and turned George Bonner but this time Wardrope was equal to his strike. Vics were dominating now and Craig Rodgers should have increased their advantage when he got on the end of Balfour’s corner but couldn’t keep his effort down from just six yards.
A second goal was on the cards and it came in the 28th minute from a well worked free kick. Lawrie played in Boyle down the right and from his low cross Michael O’Connor tapped the ball home from six yards.
Minutes later Boyle put O’Connor through on Wardrope but the big keeper got a hand to his chipped effort to keep it out and moments later the Winton No1 had to get down sharply to his near post to keep out an angled Boyle drive from the edge of the box.
Winton kept trying to get forward at every opportunity and almost pulled one back when from Willet’s flick, Vics skipper Graham Longair cleared the danger off Richard Hay just as the Winton midfielder seemed set to score. The visitors enjoyed a wee spell of pressure , pinning Vics back but it was the Ayr side who almost grabbed a third two minutes before the break when from an O’Connor header, an attempted clearance from Callum Walsh looked to have beaten his own keeper but Wardrope stuck out a foot to clear the ball off the line.
Ardrossan started the second half strongly but it was again Vics who almost added to their advantage in the 49th minute when from a corner kick a powerful Raymond Buchanan header brought a great diving save out of Wardrope at full stretch.
Ardrossan almost reduced the leeway in the 57th minute when Young’s header was almost turned into his own net by Boyle but Stewart blocked on the line and a superb blocking tackle by Buchanan set up a Vics counter attack that ended with Neil McGinn turning inside a defender but Wardrope again thwarted Vics.
Despite Vics two goal lead the game was very open with chances being created at both ends. The next goal was going to be important and Vics should have scored when O’Connor was in the clear but could only head McGinn’s cross straight at Wardrope. Then at the other end Hay should have scored for the visitors but somehow managed to put the ball over from six yards with the goal at his mercy.
It wasn’t long before the goal came and it came for Winton in the 63rd minute when Joe Young raced clear and his angled drive beat Stewart at his near post. Almost immediately Winton went in search of the equaliser and only a block from Longair gave Stewart the chance to clear a Jared Willet shot but the striker wasn’t to be denied and in the 67th minute he got the equaliser when his low strike from 22 yards beat Stewart at his left post.
The ascendancy was clearly with the visitors but both sides saw red in the 70th minute when Hay reacted angrily to an O’Connor challenge and referee David Ingram saw fit to send both players for an early bath.
The red cards ruined the flow of the game but not the excitement as Vics skipper Graham Longair fired over from a corner that Winton struggled to clear. At the other end Winton had claims for a penalty waved aside by the referee after a Lee Holland challenge on Willet as the striker bore in on goal.
With time running out, it was anyone’s game and Balfour almost snatched victory for Whitletts in the 86th minute as he raced clear and his low drive from outside the box beat Wardrope but agonisingly slipped inches past the post.
But Winton had their chance too after Bonner’s drive inside the box was blocked by Buchanan after Stewart had parried a Paul Walker shot.
In the end a draw was a fair result, although both sides had their chances to claim all three points. But this was a superb advert for the junior game and if this is the standard of football on show, it is going to be a most enjoyable season watching these two sides.
Whitletts Victoria
1. Stewart 2. Simpson 3. Lawrie 4. Holland 5. Buchanan 6. Longair 7. Boyle (Allan 76) 8. Rodgers (Cameron 70) 9. O’Connor 10. McGinn 11. Balfour
Subs (not used) 12. Cameron 14. Patterson 15. Allan 16. Kerr 21. Callaghan
Ardrossan Winton Rovers
1. Wardrope 2. Walsh 3. Houston (Murray 70) 4. Wilson 5. Bonner 6. Hay 7. Walker 8. Shanks (Glancy 76) 9. Young (Fulton 81)10. Willet 11. McCrae
Subs (not used) 12. Murray 13. Pollock 14. Glancy 15. Fulton 16. Sim
Referee: David Ingram