Pupils share points in pulsating match
Campbeltown Pupils roused from being two goals down last Saturday to earn a battling draw against BSC Glasgow.
The game – which was in some doubt due to inclement morning weather, with a Kintyre Park pitch inspection carried out by the referee an hour before kick-off – got under way amid driving rain and strong gusts.
The McFadyens Contractorssponsored Pupils, who opted to play against the chilly westerly wind in the first half, found themselves 2-0 down in almost as many minutes after a pair of sharp finishes were blasted high into the net from close range.
With a two-goal deficit and the wind making playing out difficult, the Pupils would have feared the worst, but they did well to respond within the opening 20 minutes when Scott Souden latched on to a through-ball and prodded the ball underneath the on-rushing BSC goalkeeper and low into the net to make it 2-1.
A massive moment followed just before half-time when Alasdair Ferguson conceded, and then saved a penalty, taken by BSC number nine Callum
McKenzie, diving superbly, low to his left and parrying the ball wide, to allow defender Craig Morris to clear.
While the away marksman failed to double the gap, Souden got his brace into the second half, when he latched on to a long-ball from keeper Ferguson – catching his opposite number in “no man’s land” – allowing Souden to head beyond him into an unguarded net from just inside the box.
With the score at 2-2 and the Pupils pushing for a winner, there was more drama in the home penalty box as another penalty was awarded, with Ferguson being adjudged to have fouled an advancing BSC winger.
This time, however, a different taker found the net, slotting calmly low to Ferguson’s right, to restore the away team’s lead.
Undeterred, the Feathers Inn-sponsored Pupils managed a late rally that would ultimately earn them a draw, their first onfield points in more than 10 matches – after a 3-0 win was awarded due to a no-show from St Peter’s earlier in the month.
The move ended with young full back Lorne Paterson turning the ball home from close range after BSC failed to clear a corner kick.
Having been losing for much of the contest, a draw was perhaps a fair result.
The Pupils will look to build on this resilient performance when they travel to Knightswood FC on Saturday on league duty, with a 2pm kick-off at North Kelvinside.
Unfortunately for the Pupils, defender Ross Souden had to be substituted off with a knee injury early in the second half, and the club sends its best wishes for a speedy recovery.
The players were also driven on by a healthy turnout of supporters in often horrendous weather, and the young band of “ultras” who have supported the team with song and colour across the campaign.
Both teams were received back to the Fiddlers’ Inn after the match.
Campbeltown Pupils’ squad v BSC Glasgow: Alasdair Ferguson, John McCallum, Keith Mitchell (captain), Craig Morris, Ross Souden, Lorne Paterson, Ryan Shields, Kyle Danson, Calum Ellis, Kye Billing, Scott Souden. Substitutes (both used): Robbie McSporran and Leon Murphy.