Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
The Gartcairn Cup dream continues
Airdrie side secure replay with hard-fought draw
Gartcairn boss David Greig believes that Carluke Rovers will fancy their chances of securing a place in the Junior Cup last eight after a draw at MTC Park.
The two sides will meet again on Saturday - for the third fixture in a row in the league and cup - as Greig’s team aim to reach the next round for the first time in their history.
The home side settled quickly and created early chances from dangerous crosses into the Carluke box, but were struggling to make the breakthrough due to some strong defending.
After 17 minutes Cairn did take the lead when a deep cross from the right wing met the head of striker Ryan O’Donnell - who rose above Carluke veteran Mark Haddow to head the ball across goal and into the top corner.
The game was turned on it’s head as Ian Watt equalised for Rovers as he carried the ball forward and unleashed a spectacular shot which curled into the top corner.
Things went from bad to worse for the MTC Park men as John Henderson was shown a straight red card after an awkward challenge on Mark Haddow.
It gave the visitors the numerical lead going into the second half, and they made it count just after the hour mark as some neat passing play gave John Renwick the chance to unleash another brilliant shot from 30 yards out, which the Cairn defence could only watch as it sailed into the net.
The home team rescued a draw as Jordan Love won his side the penalty, and then stepped up to slot the ball home.
It remained a stalemate but there was still time for the referee to show another red card after 80 minutes, as Carluke’s goalscorer Renwick was given his marching orders for a rash challenge in the middle of the park.
Cairn boss Greig remains positive about his sides chances, and admits everything from this point is a bonus as they
“For us, it’s a free game,” he told the Advertiser. “At the start of the competition nobody would have said we would have got this far, so we have got to take everything as it comes.
“They are a team we have seen a lot of now, so the boys know what to expect.
“Now Carluke take us back to the John Cumming Stadium they will fancy their chances, but we will go there and know we can give them a game.”
Greig admits he was disappointed with the red card, but felt the players worked well despite being at a disadvantage for most of the game.
“The boys can be proud of what they did with ten men, it’s never easy to come back when you are a man down.
“They can take a lot of positives from playing with ten men for 60 minutes.”
After over 200 fans watched the first game, the club have organised a supporters bus travelling from Airdrie to back the team.
Greig hopes to see some more of the phenomenal support that has been behind the team so far in the competition, with the prospect of facing Junior giants such as Auchinleck Talbot and Bonyrigg Rose in the next round.
He continued: “The support so far has been phenomenal, even when we have had difficult games up at Hermes in Aberdeen.
“It’s really helped the boys, so it’d be great to see that keep going.”
•The bus will leave the Fourways Bar at 1pm ahead of the game at the John Cumming Stadium in Carluke. If you wish to book a seat contact the club at robert@gartcairn.com or 07818002241.