Glens grind out the win
No vintage show but deserved three points
R’glen Glencairn ...... 3 Kello Rovers ............. 1
Glencairn solidified their place in the top half of the Super First Division with a 3-1 win over 10-man Kello Rovers.
Glens keeper Jack Baker saved an early penalty but could not keep out a second in the first half which cancelled out Jay McKay’s fifth minute strike.
Rovers’ Declan Hill received his marching orders before substitutes Andy Neil, who bagged his first goal in five years, and Liam Gormley sealed the win for Willie Harvey’s men.
The Glens boss said: “I was pleased with the result but the performance wasn’t the best. I felt the players got their deserved rewards.
“It was a good performance in the second half and it can be harder when they go down to 10 men.
“In the first half we were particularly poor but we started off well when we gave away a penalty and big Jack has made a terrific stop and we’ve gone straight up the park and scored.
“Then we’ve given away another penalty but I’ve no complaints over either of them. After that we just stopped doing what we had in the first 10 minutes. It turned horrible with both teams nullifying each other.
“We had a chat at half-time and told them we were as good as we were at Petershill in the first 10 but as bad as we were at Largs after that.
“In the second half we were on the front foot. Some will say we won because of the red card but we were in control before the sending off.”
Harvey made only one change to the side who beat Petershill, Ryan McArdle returning in place of Del McNab.
After a tentative opening few minutes, the match burst into life in the fourth minute as the visitors were awarded a penalty kick. A cross from the right saw defender Craig McGregor bundle striker Greg Miller from behind, and referee Chris Gentles had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Liam Fleming stepped up to take the effort, but Baker was the home fans’ hero as he dived to his right to parry.
Glencairn’s supporters breathed a sigh of relief and they were soon watching their team go straight up the other end to take the lead. Jay McKay, who signed a two-year contract extension during the week, pounced on a defensive slip and showed great calmness as he stroked the ball past Kello no.1 Ryan Dunsmuir.
To Kello’s credit they knuckled down and were soon right back in the game as they were awarded a second penalty kick in the 13th minute. Kieran Pagan’s run into the box was ended by a late challenge by Rhys Donaldson, and Martin Shaw stepped up to equalise by sending Baker the wrong way.
Gary Smith then drilled two shots off target and Kerr was cautioned for a challenge on Ally Smith, injuring himself in the process.
Due to the knock, Kerr did not reappear for the second half and was replaced by Neil in defence.
A chance for the Glens arrived in the 49th minute as Stewart Hall was denied at close range by Dunsmuir .
Rovers’ were dealt a huge blow in the 55th minute as they were reduced to 10 men. Declan Hill had been booked earlier for kicking the ball away, and he came to regret that as he was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Tony Fraser.
The breakthrough arrived at the mid point of the second half. McArdle’s corner was flicked on to the unmarked Andy Neil at the back post, and he looped a precise header back across goal and into the far corner of the net.
Three minutes later The Glens gave themselves some breathing space as another sub made his impact. McArdle cut in from the left and crossed onto the head of Gormley, who had replaced Smith, and the striker produced an emphatic finish across Dunsmuir.
Kello had rarely looked like scoring in the second half, but they went close in the 78th minute as sub Daniel Jardine fired a shot half a yard over the crossbar.