Pupils share the points after hard-fought battle
Ferguslie Star were astute enough to use everything in their armoury to upset the rhythm of the visitors, as an extremely tight and uncut park welcomed a massively changed Pupils squad to Paisley last Saturday. Nevertheless, with the resilience of the squad now tested to the full, another determined performance saw the Kintyre side leave with a draw, coming from behind in the closing stages to grab a deserved share of the points. The tactics employed by the home side were positive if slightly predictable; 90 minutes of route-one football suiting the physicality of an extremely tall and athletic team. It may not have been pretty, but no-one can blame a club for attempting to play to their obvious strengths. Given the situation, predictably the McFadyen-sponsored Pupils fell behind in the 15th minute to a simple, but extremely effective throw-in from the attacking left. Failing to mark tightly, the home centre-forward was able to roll his marker before gaining enough space to shoot home from just inside the box. At this point the game raged from end to end, and, as the visitors tried to retrieve the deficit, a Martin McCallum run was stopped by an uncompromising challenge in the box. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty kick, the same confidently converted by Gary Grumoli to bring the scores level just before half time. The home side opened the second half with renewed vigour and determination, pushing the Kintyre side back into a deep defensive shell. It became survival of the fittest as Ferguslie launched attack after attack, but team captain Keith Mitchell rallied his troops and the visitors were able to defend stoutly with limitless resolve. This was a committed team performance and the visitors were in no mood to surrender meekly whatever the opposition would throw their way. Having ridden out the worst of the storm, it came as a surprise when Ferguslie scored with a simple tap-in after a cross from the attacking right – a moment of indecision that could have cost the visitors dearly. Minutes later it could have been worse, as Pupils’ young goalkeeper Alasdair Ferguson earned his spurs with two point-blank saves from oneon-one situations with the opposing centre-forward. The game began to turn in the final quarter, with the Pupils’ counter-attacking style yielding dividends as the team poured out of defence. The visitors introduced Cameron Wylie and Andy Cargill to freshen the attack, with the injured Gary Grumoli withdrawn to the bench. In a final flurry, the strength of Martin McCallum proved crucial as he picked up the loose ball and drove towards the box. Free of his marker, he then rounded the stranded goalkeeper and slotted the ball home for a crucial equalising goal. It certainly was a hardfought 90 minutes, but team spirit and determination allowed the visitors to claim a crucial draw at the 11th hour, a single point, enough to keep them top of the league with three games played. Pupils fixtures: Saturday September 22, no fixture; Saturday September 29 v Castlemilk (home) and Saturday October 6 v Kinross (home) in Scottish Cup.