JUNIOR STARS
It was more like a rugby score than a football one and got a bottom tier junior team a shout-out from Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday.
But Lesmahagow talisman Jonny McStay admits none of the four who notched hat-tricks in last weekend’s 18- 0 annihilation of Ardeer wanted to take the match ball home.
A spate of call-offs meant Thistle started the League Two top v bottom clash with just 10 men – including boss Blair Gilmour and his No.2 Richard Hay who were on the pitch.
With Rab Irving’s side leading 11- 0 at the break that number was reduced to nine after one player failed to reappear for the second half.
By the time the final whistle went McStay, Jason Thomson and Paul Woodlock all had four goals while Scott Schoneville boasted a treble.
McStay, 27, son of Raith Rovers legend Jock, said: “It was a shame. It wasn’t that they were bad football players it was the fact they were down to the bare bones. Up at Ardeer it took us until the 94th minute to get a winner against them.
“They ended up finishing with nine men but the nine never gave up.
“It is not something to gloat about. It was just a team that was down to the bare bones and a very surreal afternoon.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a game like it but it wasn’t enjoyable.
“It was def initely my least enjoyable hat-trick. Three players scored four, one of the others got a hat-trick, but nobody was wanting the match ball. I was sitting about eight o’clock at night and someone sent me a video – Jeff Stelling had given us a mention on Sky Sports News. It was good to get that.”
Ardeer bounced back with a 2-1 win against Saltcoats Vics yesterday – then cheekily tweeted the Soccer Saturday team asking for a more positive mention.
Lesmahagow were out of action due to the weather but despite that huge win last week it still didn’t mean a let-off in training for McStay & Co.
He added: “No, Rab doesn’t go easy on you on a Monday night, it’s not his style.
“He’s got a favourite – minute runs, so you’ve basically just got to sprint for a minute and he gives you five of them.” Now in his third stint at the club, McStay’s ambitions aren’t confined to climbing out of the fourth tier. He said: “We just want to get Lesmahagow back up to where they should be. Last season was a disaster and when I spoke to Rab before I’d signed he told me, ‘ I am going to spend my summer turning it around.’ “The target would be promotion.”