Dark day for Arthurlie after playoff defeat to Irvine Meadow
Craig Ritchie
You have to hark back 35 years to the last time an Arthurlie side suffered relegation.
But for followers of the Barrhead club, the dark days of the 80s have returned to Dunterlie following their playoff defeat to Irvine Meadow. Arthurlie are down. It has been a long time coming, but you will struggle to find a fan of the once-proud side that believes they didn’t deserve the drop.
For years they have teetered on the brink. But each and every season they had somehow saved their skin – until now.
Any other year, Arthurlie would have gone straight down having finished bottom of the league but reconstruction handed them one last hurrah against an Irvine Meadow side littered with past ‘Lie aces.
But as the referee’s full- time whistle put Billy Ogilvie’s side out of their misery, it brought the curtain down on a disastrous campaign, painful from pretty much start to finish in a year that mustered just two victories throughout.
Two managers, one win apiece, tells its own story.
Chris Mackie tried and failed to rejuvenate the squad.
Some may say his signings cost the club dearly before a ball was even kicked in anger.
Billy Ogilvie’s attempts to turn their fortunes around have also proven to be a disappointment, as he too managed to bag just one league win over the course of a six month spell in charge of the side.
Heading into the second leg of the play- off Arthurlie knew they would have to be at their best to turn around the 2-1 deficit from the first game in Ayrshire.
But there was only ever going to be one winner on the night and it was sad to see an Arthurlie side give up their top league status so easily.
Three minutes in and Irvine Meadow showed their intention with Jared Willet testing Grant Hay who touched the effort past for a corner that was sent in to the head of Ryan Begley who powered it past a helpless Hay.
Arthurlie’s first effort didn’t come till 23 minutes when Marc McKenzie and Hal Bohme combined with the latter testing Shaun Newman in the visitors goal.
Whatever they tried Arthurlie just couldn’t create anything or get into the game and they went in at the break a goal down on the night and 3-1 behind on aggregate.
A couple of early corners in the second half came to nothing and it was Meadow who went further ahead on 57 minutes when a free kick into the box from Daniel McKay saw the Arthurlie defence ball watching and Graham Boyd needed no second invitation as he lashed it home to put the tie beyond doubt.
There will be lots of soul searching done over the short summer break as Arthurlie look to regroup and get themselves back in the top flight at the first opportunity.
Arthurlie: Hay, Bohme, S Burns, Storrie, MacNeil, MacAleenan, Girvan, Newlands, Marks, McKenzie, Roulston.
Subs: Scanlon, Blakey, Urquart and McCrohan.