Thorn put end to lockdown blues with win
EAST KILBRIDE YM - 1 THORN ATHLETIC - 2
Alan Deans, Muir McCluskey, David Edwards and Kyle Richford were all missing for a variety of reasons.
However, Thorn started brightly and Wilson’s low drive beat the keeper after just six minutes to put them in front.
But that sparked a reaction from the home side who were controlling the match for long spells but without creating too much by the way of clear chances.
And EKYM drew level not long before the interval after the visitors conceded a sloppy goal.
It was poor timing for Thorn and gave East Kilbride a real buzz going in at halftime.
It looked like they would take the lead in the second half when they were awarded a penalty for handball in the box.
However, new Thorn keeper Ward had other ideas as he got down well to save the first kick and then followed it up with another hand to thwart attempts to net the rebound.
That was a wake up call for Thorn and they delivered a sucker punch to the home side when Blair fired home with 15 minutes to go.
It duly delivered the three points and boss McEwan was overjoyed with the result.
He said: “Credit to EKYM, they played well and we were not at our best. We’ve only managed three pre-season friendlies and that may be a factor.
“However, the boys know what it takes to stay in matches, even when they are not going your way, and we stuck at it and got our rewards.
“We were unhappy with the penalty award but credit to Ryan as he produced the save and that ended up being a turning point.”
This weekend Thorn play host to East Renfrewshire opposition when Eaglesham visit.
They thumped Giffnock North 5-0 in their opener and McEwan in anticipating another testing encounter.
He added: “That result will have raised a few eyebrows so we will need to be on our guard.”