Glens start year with clean sheet
LARGS THISTLE ............................... 0 GLENCAIRN ..................................... 0
Glencairn started 2020 by doing something they haven’t done this season – keeping a clean sheet in a league match.
Willie Harvey surprised everyone by opting for a change of shape, the team lining up in a 5-3-2 formation to try to stop leaking goals like they have been doing of late.
It’s fair to say that the opening quarter of the match was memorable only for being instantly forgettable.
Thistle’s first attempt on goal came in the 23rd minute as a corner from the left picked out Ross Love at the near post, but he didn’t make a clean connection and sliced the ball high and wide.
The half hour mark saw a glorious chance for Glencairn to take the lead.
Leyden won possession and clipped a pass over the defence, leaving Gary Smith one-onone with Thistle keeper Jamie McGowan, but he tamely lobbed the ball straight into McGowan’s arms.
The talk on the terraces at the interval was that the change of shape had certainly benefitted Glencairn, with Thistle restricted to efforts from distance and McLellan barely tested, which had been a change from the ramshackle defending of the previous few weeks.
Largs had a big chance just on the hour mark as the referee awarded a very soft free kick against Kerr, but it was too close to goal for Black to get the ball up and over the wall and back down again and it rose harmlessly over the bar.
Harkins had the Thistle fans excited in the 67th minute as his hook shot from 20 yards flew narrowly wide of the far post, but McLellan had his angles well covered had it been on target.
Callum McRobbie had a chance to score in the 77th minute as the ball broke into his path 12 yards out, but he snatched at the chance and sliced the ball high and wide.
Largs threatened in the 90th minute as O’Neill broke free on the right edge of the penalty area and tried to square for Adam, but McGregor’s excellent anticipation saw him get a foot in to knock the ball away from goal and Lachlan tidied up by clearing upfield.
The Glens almost snatched the points in the second minute of added time as Dale Simeon’s diving header looped up and clipped the back edge of the crossbar as it dropped over.
Line-up
Team :- McLellan, Lachlan, Miller, Donaldson, Stevie Kerr, McGregor, Leyden, McGuire, Smith (McRobbie), Simeon, Mitchell (Cochrane). (Subs not used - Gormley, Dawson, Hay (gk).