‘Dale cut down Eastwood for season’s first win
A Carradale team of youngsters and veterans in their mid-30s tasted victory, and it was away, for the first time since last season. The East Kintyre side travelled, with the bare minimum of players, last Saturday and after some monumental losses in September returned to form on Glasgow’s Southside. It was the first time ’Dale had taken on Eastwood on the team’s ‘great grass park’. ’Dale put the older guys, Ewan McIlroy and Johnny McCormick, in central defence and it proved a good move to have older hands at the back with the younger players from mid-to-front. Carradale were solid in defence in the first half, leaving goalie Archie McKellar only needing to make one save before the break. Elliot Gemmill had the best chances in the first half but the 0-0 scoreline showed how the teams were evenly matched. It was also the first time this season that ’Dale had not conceded at least one goal in the first half. Carradale made the best possible start in the second half scoring two great goals in four minutes. In the 47th minute a long ball, through man-of-the-match Elliot Gemmill, put pressure on the Eastwood goalie. He miscued to Charlie Lang, on his debut start, and Lang thumped it into the net. Two minutes later DJ picked up a loose ball from 30 yards out and unleashed a powerful, left foot, shot into the corner of the net. The McFadyens Transport-sponsored Kintyre side did well to contain Eastwood for the next 15 minutes. Lang took an injury to his shoulder and in the final quarter the Kintyre players had their backs to the wall, continuing to have problems with the height of many of Eastwood’s players. In the 84th minute, after a corner from the left, ’Dale could not clear the ball and Eastwood scored from four yards out. In the final five or six minutes ’Dale battled in defence to get their first points of the season. Tomorrow Carradale are home in the league against Westerlands GG on the meadows. Kick off 2pm.