NO.1 FOR JUNIORS
APOINT away from home against one of your fellow title challengers should be sufficient to satisfy any Super Premier Division manager.
But Glenafton boss Craig McEwan was disappointed with his side’s 1-1 draw against Beith on Saturday.
Visiting supporters arrived at a sun-drenched Bellsdale Park looking for a response from their team suffering only their second league loss of the season last weekend – a 4-1 defeat to Largs Thistle.
And they must have been encouraged by a competitive Glens storming out of the blocks and dominating the early exchanges.
Beith stopper Mark McLaughlin picked up the day’s first yellow card for felling Joe Andrew in 20 minutes.
And that was an indication of the pressure being exerted – and only two minutes later Glens got their noses in front with the game’s opening goal.
It was definitely one for the purists as a crisp passing move from deep in their own half saw Darren McGill put through on goal and he unselfishly squared the ball for teammate Chris Dallas to sweep home a low shot.
The New Cumnock outfit were continuing to look the likelier, not least because Beith’s forward pairing of Thomas Collins and Darren Christie were making little headway against a towering Glens backline superbly marshalled by Craig Menzies.
Yet before half-time the scores could and should have been levelled as Mighty midfielder David McGowan blasted a quick-fire volley high and header over and wide of target from right wing crosses to the back post.
Glens gaffer McEwan said: “There were a lot of positives to be taken from our first 45 minutes, not least the manner of our goal.
“We made a point of praising the players and urged them to get on the ball, but we also warned that Beith would throw everything at them looking to get back on level terms and that’s exactly how things panned out.
“Quite simply, they just didn’t let us play and their pressing high up the pitch forced us to sit ever deeper throughout the second half.
“The pressure was unrelenting and I said to Pottsy that I couldn’t see us holding out, but it looked like we were going to escape with a clean sheet right up until Beith equalised with just two minutes left to play.
“I’m deeply disappointed to concede a goal so late – even if it was a screamer.
“However, I cannot deny Be- ith deserved something from the game on the overall balance of play.”
An indication of things to come was Glens goalkeeper Brian McGarrity making a couple of diving saves as the second period got underway and a number of goalmouth scrambles also ensued as he and his team-mates fought to keep their goal intact.
Beith’s wastefulness in front of goal brought about the introduction of attacking subs Ross McPherson, Joe Bradley and Cammy Elliot, but the breakthrough still never arrived despite a plethora of near things.
BUT with time running out, midfielder Jamie Wilson chased a lost cause paid dividends as he won a shy and then threw the ball to Bradley some 22 yards out and his well-struck volley beat McGarrity all ends up to level.
Beith gaffer Johnny Millar admitted: “Glenafton were bet- ter than us in the first half but there was only one team in it once we changed our shape and pushed more people forward in the second half.
“It’s yet another draw – frustratingly our eighth in 15 league games – and follows the same old pattern whereby we have created enough openings to win the game but haven’t converted our chances.
“The result is a godsend for Auchinleck and now we need teams to peg them back if we’re t to come with a late charge.”
It was another case of hono ours even in the only other topflight contest taking place, the basement clash of Kilwinning Rangers and Hurlford United at Abbey Park, where the home side twice led through Ben Lewis and Carlo Monti strikes only to be pegged back by goals from Stewart Kean and Dean A Agnew in a 2-2 stalemate.
In-form Petershill reinforced t their Super First Division title ambitions with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Cumbernauld United thanks to goals from Stephen McGladrigan, Jason Hardie and Stuart McCann, with Willie Patterson’s side moving to third in the table – just two points behind Kilsyth Rangers and Shettleston.
Greg Maitland’s brace along with a Ryan Hynes strike helped Yoker Athletic run out 3-1 winners at home to Irvine Meadow while finishing on the wrong end of the same scoreline dealt a damaging blow to Girvan’s promotion hopes away to Rutherglen Glencairn, who had Fraser Team and Jamie Hamilton (2) on target.
Their sixth win in seven outings lifted the Glens into the promotion reckoning ahead of Clydebank after their faint hopes were ended by a 3-0 reverse to drop-threatened Maryhill, whose chalking up of a third league win in 13 lifted the Lochburn Park outfit off bottom spot in the table.
Their triumph was all the more remarkable as Maryhill added their two further scores from Colin Preston and Justin Begg in the 57 minutes played with only 10 men following the dismissal of David Mathews.