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Whitletts Vics : Match Report

WHITLETTS VICTORIA 2 - DALRY THISTLE 0

Last Season’s Ayrshire District League Champions Dalry Thistle’s impressive 17 match unbeaten league run was brought to an end by an impressive Whitletts Vics side at Dam Park.

Without injured duo Blair Anderson and Sean Ewart, the suspended Isaac Kerr and the holidaymaking Jordan Mullen, Vics Assistant Manager Mark Ferris had to re-shuffle his entire back line and with Raymond Buchanan leading by example, the makeshift defence comfortably dealt with what the visitors could throw at them with youngsters Paul Millar and Darren McIntyre turning in impressive performances to keep Ian Cashmore & Co. at bay.

From the kick off Whitletts went on the ascendancy and in only three minutes they took the lead. Some great work by Graeme Barbour to win the ball in midfield and set up Jordan Boyd who curled his shot from the edge of the box past Marc Fisher.

Louis Kerr then went close with a free kick and from another free kick by Kerr, Fisher mispunched his clearance and it needed the intervention of Stuart Hannah to prevent Vics capitalising as the home side dominated the early play.

It took Dalry until midway into the half to register an attempt on goal and Cashmore wasn’t far away with a header from a Dylan Stevenson cross that flew just over.

Still Vics were having the better of the play and only a double save from Fisher prevented The Jags from going two down as Adam Forsyth looked to capitalise on a short pass back but the Dalry keeper saved his effort before recovering to deny Thomas Donovan’s follow up effort.  From the resulting corner Graeme Barbour curled his shot just over the bar.

Dalry’s best move of the first period came in the 35th minute with some fine play down the left ending with Kyle Cumming’s shot on the turn held by Martin Fraser as the visitors start to get a grip on the game and Cashmore had a couple of efforts on goal, one saved by Fraser the other just over the bar but it was Vics who went in at the break holding that one goal advantage.

The second have as played in a similar vein with Whitletts going close early on as a netbound back post Buchanan header came back off a Thistle defender.

Forsyth then beat the offside trap to race clear but overhit the ball and the chance was lost with Donovan in the clear awaiting a tap in but in the 53rd minute Vics did increase their lead. And what a goal it was too! As the Thistle defence clearance a cross ball into the box, Barbour controlled the ball on his chest 25 yards out and sent a right foot volley high over Fisher into the net. It was a stunning strike and just reward for Barbour’s own performance in the middle of the park.

Dalry had a great chance to get back into the match just after the hour but Cumming miskicked with the goal at his mercy but in the main it was still Whitletts who had the better of the play.

Boyd almost scored a third as his header from a Colligan free kick flashed inches wide and Ross George fired over an empty goal from 30 yards after Fisher had raced from his line to deny Forsyth as the striker raced clear.

The Jags continued to press forward when they could but couldn’t really manage to trouble Fraser’s goal with a Hannah volley that was held by the Vics keeper their only serious shot on target.

To compound the visitors woes, with five minutes remaining former Ayr striker Cashmore was shown a red cad by Liam Butler for something the striker said to the match official as Whitletts comfortably saw the game out to claim a deserved three points.

Whitletts Victoria
1. Fraser 2. Colligan (Milligan 88) 3 Ogston 4. McIntyre 5. Millar 6. Buchanan 7. L.Kerr (George 41) 8. Boyd 9. Forsyth 10. Barbour 11. Donovan
Subs (unused) 15. Condon 16. Dempsey

Dalry Thistle
1. Fisher 2. Latta 3. K.Lochhead 4. Kirkwood 5. McGowan 6. Hannah 7. Cumming (Parrott 83) 8. Stuart (Gardiner 68) 9. Cashmore 10. Oliver (Turner 70) 11. Stevenson
Subs (not used) 12. Browning 17. B.Lochhead

Referee: Liam Butler