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Whitletts Vics : Match Report

KELLO ROVERS 1 - WHITLETTS VICTORIA 1

After a six week enforced break due to the weather, manager Neil Duffy finally got to see his side in action on the heavy Nithside Park pitch at Kirkconnel. And the Vics boss will be relatively pleased with some of the football his players played in the game, particularly in the first half before the conditions and lack of match practice took their toll.
 
In the end, although both side will be able to point to missed opportunities, a point apiece was probably a fair outcome for the game in which both sides can take a lot of credit for serving up an entertaining ninety minutes.
 
It was Vics who made a positive start to the match with the players keen to impress the new manager but with just 8 minutes on the clock it was the home side who snatched the lead courtesy of an unfortunate own goal from Jordan Mullen who in an attempt to clear a cross ball swept the ball past the helpless Ally McInnes.
 
Vics responded well however and Mullen almost made amends in the 14th minute when he rose at the back post to meet a Sean Ewart corner only for his header to strike his defensive partner Raymond Buchanan on the line to deny him an equaliser!

Lee McCrea made his debut following his loan signing from Ardrossan and almost made a dream debut with a left foot volley from just inside the area that skimmed the bar as the Kello defence failed to clear their lines from another Vics corner.

Kello’s Steven Hyslop then went close as he fired inches wide from a corner but it was Whitletts who were trying to play a high tempo passing game with most of the game being played in the home sides half of the pitch.

Buchanan headed a James Davidson corner over the bar as Vics’ searched for the equaliser and it finally came six minutes before the break with a sublime piece of football. McCrea played the ball into the area for Chris Black to run onto and round the advancing keeper before cutting the ball back from the byeline for Sean Ewart to roll the ball into the empty net.
 
It was no more that Vics deserved and moments later they almost took the lead when Tony Balfour got on the end of a McCrea cross only for his volley to fire inches wide of the target.
 
Both sides were forced into an early change on the second half following a clash of heads which resulted in Vics debutant Lee Anderson nursing a sore head with 5 stiches in his head wound following a trip to A&E at Ayr Hospital.

The second half was a more even affair with Kello pressing forward far more than they did in the first with the introduction of Robert Hampson meaning Vics’ keeper McInnes was certainly the busier of the two No1’s.
 
A superb move carved open the visitors defence with Hampson poking the ball narrowly past the post while in the 64th minute, the same player saw his curling effort from the edge of the box drift inches over.
 
Whitletts created a number of half chances in and around the box with Steven McCarrison firing wide while a superb Liam Anderson cross into the box found no takers.
 
Inside the final ten minutes Kello’s Ross Ballantyne fired just over while right on the 90 minutes the home side came close to snatching all three points with a Martin Shaw shot that was parried into the air by McInnes and the Vics keeper recovered to push the loose ball onto the top of the crossbar.
 
An entertaining 90 minutes in difficult conditions but now at least the new manager will have a better idea of what his players can achieve
 
Kello Rovers
1. Dunsmuir 2. Weir 3. Kilpatrick 4. Bennie 5. Hyslop 6. Irving 7. Hill (Hampson 52) 8. Shaw 9. Fleming 10. Smith (Ballantyne 81) 11. Pagan (Johnson 60)
 
Whitletts Victoria
1. McInnes 2. Lee Anderson (Hercus 52) 3. Longair (Liam Anderson 76) 4. Mullen 5. Buchanan 6. Sloan 7. McCrea 8. Black 9. Balfour 10. Davidson (McCarrison 64) 11. Ewart
Subs (not used) 12. McFall 14. Kerr

Referee: Drew Kirkland