Ferguslie Star fall to four-goal Pupils
Ferguslie Star 0 Campbeltown Pupils 4
A MATCH played in brutal weather conditions with heavy rain falling for the duration, the McFadyens-sponsored Campbeltown Pupils AFC found their early season form to completely outplay the home side and secure three valuable points to maintain a top five place as the season enters its final stages.
With five games to go – three away and two at home – anything is still possible, even an outside, if somewhat remote, chance of promotion.
To have any chance of resurrecting an eleventh-hour challenge, the Pupils would need to secure at least 12 points from the 15 on offer – a big ask in a league that has proved competitive from day one.
With the wind at their backs, the Pupils laid siege to the home side’s goal, winning a number of free kicks which were expertly taken by Martin McCallum.
Nevertheless, the home keeper was in fine form and he produced a number of crucial saves to keep the tie goalless in the opening exchanges.
Not to be denied, a corner kick from the right was cleared back into the path of the incoming McCallum, and he composed himself before curling the ball just inside the far post to open the scoring in the 12th minute.
An energetic Liam Renton made it two in the 22nd minute, with Martin McCallum claiming an assist with a perfectly weighted in-swinging corner.
Renton showed his awareness with a darting run to the near post,
cleverly using the pace of the ball to head past a despairing last line of defence.
Number three duly arrived just before the interval, this time on the break as Ferguslie tried to find a way back into the match.
Ryan Deans stepped in with a strong challenge in midfield, then, having powered forward, he executed a wonderful reverse pass to Gary Grumoli, who stepped inside before curling the ball home for an excellent third goal.
The visitors looked very comfortable throughout the match, winning the 50-50 challenges and using the ball to its maximum with accurate possession.
A solid back four of McCallum, Robertson, Allan and Wylie had their best match of the season, ably abetted by Keith Mitchell in his
new role of ‘sweeper’.
The luxury of a fourth goal arrived just before the hour, this time a deflected effort from Fraser Wylie that was clawed from beneath the bar by the home goalkeeper, only to see Sary Rahma following up to drive the ball home.
Eventually the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line in the first instance and Wylie was credited with the goal.
It was a perfect day for the visitors despite the weather, with Scott Souden, Donald McCallum and Cameron Wylie all coming close to extending the visitors’ lead in the closing quarter of the match.
Campbeltown Pupils will be at home this Saturday March 17 in a Jimmy Marshall Cup tie against Rosehill.
The match is scheduled for Kintyre Park with a 2pm kick-off.