No.1 FOR JUNIORS Experienced heads win out as Gers go to Town on Shettleston
KILSYTH Rangers proved yet again that experience counts for everything in football with their 4-0 hammering of Shettleston on Saturday.
The stark contrast between the teams as they lined up for this Super First Division top-ofthe-table clash was powerful with league leaders Town appearing full of hope and exhibiting plenty of desire.
Second-placed Kilsyth had less of a spring in their step yet looked as if they were totally focused on taking care of both the occasion and their opponents.
And by the time the final whistle blew their league positions had been reversed.
It had the makings of a classic but the imposing core of seasoned campaigners in the visiting ranks ensured Kilsyth had the outcome in an iron grip from first whistle to last.
Goalkeeper Andy Carlin had one save of note to make in the entire 90 minutes thanks in no small part to a rock-solid rearguard in front of him.
Mark Tyrrell and player/ assistant manager Kevin McBride oozed quality and authority in snuffing out the home side’s attacking threat, blunted before kick off by injury ruling out top marksman Ricky McIntosh.
And Shettleston’s shortcomings at one end were mirrored at the other where pluck, spirit and the manful efforts of Ross Dickson were all that could be mustered to match the movement, strength and quality of Kilsyth’s attacking duo Paul McBride and Ian Diack.
The younger of the McBride brothers was a particular threat throughout, but was disappointed to only score two of his side’s four goals.
Speaking afterwards, the 29-year-old said: “It is always a great feeling to score goals, but I have missed a couple of real snips today that would have given me a third hat-trick in successive games which would have been a first for me.
“I’m not a glory hunter and would gladly settle for blanks against my name as long as Kilsyth win and it’s only fair to point out the service from the other guys around me makes the job of scoring easy.”
His first goal was Kilsyth’s second in a punishing five-minute spell sparked by Tyrrell being left criminally unmarked inside Shettleston’s penalty area to head home a Nicky Prentice corner kick on the half-hour mark.
That score was then doubled when a Kevin McBride freekick broke into his younger sibling’s path and rifled a low shot into the far corner of the net.
His second arrived in the 71st minute when Shettleston failed to deal with a long ball upfield and McBride pounced to leave Whyte helpless with a well-struck 15-yard shot.
The striker was also involved in Kilsyth’s fourth when another goalmouth scramble saw him cut the ball across goal for the unfortunate Bob Campbell to divert into his own net.
Delighted boss Keith Hogg said: “Paul has been in sensational scoring form all season and I was always confident of him finding the net today.
“He and big Diars teamed up to great effect, yet I believe we won the game today because of our defence giving nothing away to Shettleston who became dispirited as a result and were a beaten team long before the final whistle.
“I still think they will feature in the promotion race because John Fallon will know what it takes to get them back on course.”
THE Shettleston co-boss slammed the goals conceded by his side in saying: “You simply cannot afford to ship goals from two set-pieces flung into our penalty box and a route one kick from their goalkeeper.
“And even McBride and Diack would have struggled to score for us today as we created nothing in the forward areas and the guys ended up playing backs-to–wall football for most of the match.
“Our performance today is all the more puzzling after we were so good to beat Renfrew last weekend.”
Girvan moved into third place in the Super First standings after Scott Dinwoodie(2) Jack McDowall and Robert Patterson were on target in a 4-0 defeat of Irvine Vics, whose near neighbours Irvine Meadow boosted their promotion hopes and dented Clydebank’s in the process with a dramatic 1-0 Holm Park victory earned by a 90th-minute Ben Carson penalty kick.
Petershill stay in the hunt after overcoming Yoker Athletic 3-0 through Jason Hardie, Ian Gold and Chris Hall scores and Rutherglen Glencairn are just off the pace in seventh place after Ryan McCardle and Stewart Hall netted in a 2-1 triumph over Blantyre Vics.
Maryhill’s Scottish Junior Cup run was ended by a 4-2 defeat by Linlithgow Rose, but not before the Central First Division outfit gave the East Region giants (for whom Tommy Coyne bagged a hat-trick) a fright by clawing back a 2-0 half-time through Joe Beckley and Justin Begg.