Home comfort as Pupils win

Campbeltown Pupils enjoyed a long-awaited home win and a clean sheet in the West of Scotland Football League Division Four after a determined performance against Renfrewshire side Glenvale.

The fans who turned out in good numbers got to see a rare three points for the Pupils this season, with the home side having not won a match since the opening day of the campaign at home to Eglinton FC.

Trepidation would have preceded this match given the visitors’ comfortable 6-0 win over the seriously depleted Pupils in their reverse fixture in February.

Lorne Paterson’s goal, though, ensured no-one would be making April Fools of the McFadyen-sponsored Pupils on Saturday.

With the venue’s pitch still soft after March rain, the first half proved an attritional affair, with neither side forcing the opposing keepers into making saves of note.

The visitors’ stand-in goalkeeper for the day did have to be alert, though, to turn a Ryan Deans effort around the post at the last moment, just as his left-footed effort on the turn looked to be trickling into the net. Encouraged by a bright start to the second half, the Pupils scored what would turn out to be the game’s only goal midway through the second half through Paterson.

Ryan Deans’ corner was flicked on from eight yards out by Liam Renton into the goalmouth, where teenage defender Paterson reacted quickest to backheel a neat cross-legged finish into the Glenvale net.

The two teams played captivating end-to-end stuff for the next 25 minutes as the match lurched towards full-time.

The four minutes of injury time added by the match referee could certainly have been comfier for the Pupils, had Calum Ellis put away the penalty he won after being scythed down in the box following a probing run from just inside the Glenvale half into their penalty area, but the young forward shot too close at Glenvale’s stand-in keeper with his low effort.

But the Feathers Inn sponsored Pupils managed the closing stages well, fending off Glenvale and forcing them into efforts from the edge of the area, with successive crossed balls being repelled.

The Pupils will need to bring this same resilience and mettle again tomorrow (Saturday) when they welcome Easterhouse AFA, with the reverse game a 1-1 draw last August. Kick off at Kintyre Park is 2pm.

For more information see @Pupils AFC on Twitter or Campbeltown Football on Facebook.