United storm Castle with two late goals
Frustration and bad defending cost Doune dear
Gartcosh Utd .............. 4 Doune Castle ............. 2 On a day of abject frustration, defensive errors cost Doune dearly and presented the points to Gartcosh.
The Castle had clawed back a twogoal deficit to draw level, only to lose two careless goals in the last four minutes - and a loss which undid all their good play and saw their hopes of landing the Caledonian Premier League title for a third year in a row take a huge dent.
Doune had a penalty claim turned down in the early minutes and shortly after, hesitancy in the Castle defence allowed a Gartcosh forward to make it 1-0.
With Doune dominating, Gartcosh stunned them by snatching another goal against the run of play.
The visitors dithered defensively and needlessly conceded a corner.
The ball fell to an unmarked forward who stabbed the ball under the advancing Malcolm Scott from five yards to make it 2-0.
As half-time beckoned, Doune hauled themselves back into the game.
Chris Ogilvie latched on to a loose ball just inside the box and curled a pinpoint cross to the back post where Graham McClymont was on hand to nod home from close range to make it 2-1.
Doune continued to press throughout the second half and finally equalised after 78 minutes, courtesy of a rare error from Gartcosh keeper Wilson. Seconds after entering the fray from the bench, Andy Innes chased down the keeper as he advanced to the edge of his area to clear.
Innes blocked his attempted clearance, gathered the loose ball and slid it home from 14 yards to make it 2-2. But in the last minute, Gartcosh snatched a goal out of nothing to edge into a vital 3-2 lead.
And in added time, the homesters took full advantage of a Doune side now forced to push everyone forward in pursuit of an equaliser as they broke at speed down the Castle right and netted the goal the killed the game at 4-2.
Doune Castle: Scott, Macaloney (Currie), D Innes, McClymont, Duncanson, Statter, McGowan (A Innes), Ogilvie, Graham (McLachlan), McClure, More. Substitutes: Burns, B Morrison