City rivals Pollok and Petershill have served up some footballing classics down through the years, but their weekend head to head will never go down as one of the more memorable contests.
Hard for the 90 minutes to receive more mind-blowing acclaim when indifferent best describes the home team’s 2-0 winning performance against a Peasy side that never at any point looked like adding to their one victory (a 4-0 Scottish Junior Cup triumph over Nairn St Ninians back in August) gleaned from 14 outings prior to Saturday.
Stand-in visiting gaffer Ian Currie, who reckons he has waited a bit longer than a couple of decades for the opportunity to again lead a side out onto the atmospheric Newlandsfield stage (760 fans were in attendance),will be in no rush to repeat the experience, going by his after match summations.
He said, “There’s no denying the best team won and I’m not going to stand here and pretend otherwise.
“Pollok had better shape, better fitness and moved the ball quicker and also with greater effect particularly in terms of getting 5 and 6 players at a time into the forward areas when they were attacking.
“The tight playing surface here has always lent itself to that style of play but by and large our defence coped admirably though crucially we didn’t put any pressure on Pollok from an attacking sense which you simply have to do to get a result coming here.
“But let’s face it, we are a Petershill team in the midst of a major rebuild which leaves us way short of the required levels right now however if we can just get a few bodies in the door and at the same time have all our big guns like Jordan Shelvey fit and ready then I’ll have no fears about coming to places like Newlandsfield .!”
The opening exchanges had been something close to attritional for the most part as Pollok mounted wave after wave of attacking ventures only to be thwarted by last ditch defending or Peasy goalkeeper Stevie McNeil, playing out of his skin , to foil scoring efforts from Stephen Docherty, Daz Christie and Stewart McCann.
Nearing half time saw the deadlock finally broken after Johnny Lyon slipped a pass into the path of ex-Peasy hitman Docherty and he lashed an unstoppable shot high into the roof of the net to leave McNeil without an earthly.
DOCHERTY DID HIS OLD TEAM NO FAVOURS
Petershill were still taking more backward steps than forward ones when second half proceedings got underway and ten minutes in , their deficit was doubled when Dean Bates was adjudged to have pushed Lok centreback David Brownlie inside the penalty area ,bringing whistler Ross Birrell to award a penalty kick for Fraser Mullen to confidently net, sending McNeil diving the wrong way in the process.
There ended the scoring as such but not the near things as McCann had two attempts saved by McNeil while at the other end Petershill substitute was denied his first goal for the Springburn club by a full length Josh Lumsden diving save.
Big Currie remarked, “ To say the goals we lost were avoidable is stating the painfully obvious.
“The first is a shocker because the boy Docherty is allowed time and room to turn and get away his shot while the penalty kick decision is soft in the extreme but the Referee has been keen to give it.
“What’s galling is the push by young Dean receives the ultimate punishment yet a later elbow by a Pollok player that splits Jordan Scott’s mouth is only deemed worthy of a foul in our favour.”
Pollok’s first win in the league since September, might have promoted them up to second place in the Premier Division standings and a mere three points adrift of frontrunners Darvel, but it was not eye-catching enough for interim boss Budgie McGhie, tasked with looking after team affairs following Murdie McKinnon’s “resignation” last week.
“ A 2-0 result was in no way a reflection on the overall performance because the scoreline could and would have been far more convincing had our finishing been better “ he insisted afterwards.
“ That said , it’s been a tough week for the guys with all that’s been going on and today was all about getting back to winning ways as getting them up for the Ayr United game would have been difficult had we lost to Petershill.
“Today’s game was something of a test of character, passed with flying colours I daresay which also sent out the clear message that this group of players are a whole lot better than recent results have indicated.”
In the only other Premier contest to go-ahead, an unplayable pitch caused Rob Roy v Hurlford Utd to be postponed , Arthurlie moved all of four places up the table following a hard fought 2-1 victory away to Beith .
Dale Simeon’s opener for the Barrhead men had been cancelled out by a Josh Fowler equalizer for the Mighty whose going down to ten men with the red card dismissal of Blair Rossiter was duly punished by a late Aaron Healey score for Craig Palmer’s men.
At First Division level, Kilbirnie Ladeside passed up the chance to join Gartcairn atop the pecking order after succumbing to a 3-1 defeat at home to Cumbernauld United for whom Kieran Bobekri, Dale Fulton and Aaron O’Hare were on the mark with Ross McKenzie notching for the Blasties.
St Rochs climbed to seventh thanks to Ryan Bennett and Ross McDonald counters sealing a 2-0 win over Bonnyton Thistle while a right ding dong of an affair between Thorniewood United and Benburb went the way of the Bens , 4-3 ,helped by Declan McDonald bagging a hat trick.
Pick of the South Challenge Cup encounters was Third Division Vale of Clyde’s 2-1 comeback success against a three leagues higher Irvine Meadow side that led 1-0 through a Connor Boyd goal at half time only to concede an own goal by Calum Gow prior to Tiger Lawson snatching an injury time winner for the Tin Pail.
Reigning Cup holders Auchinleck Talbot had Keir Samson, Ross Taylor and Mark Shankland on target in a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Neilston while Clydebank racked up an impressive 4-0 victory over Largs Thistle through Matt Niven , Ciaran Mulcahy, Nikky Little and Connor Higgins.
Vale of Clyde’s heroics have brought the reward of another Tollcross tie after being pitted against either Luncarty or Thornton Hibs in the last 32 draw which has also set Auchinleck to face Broxburn Athletic and Clydebank with a trip to Maybole.
The remaining ties are
Tranent v Linlithgow Rose
Spartans v Dunipace,
Caledonian Braves v Bo’ness Utd,
Rossvale v East Kilbride F.C..
Glenafton v Drumchapel Utd,
Cumnock v Troon,
Fauldhouse Utd v Sauchie,
Gartcairn v Bo’ness Utd,
Newton Stewart v Stirling University,
Newtongrange Star v Shotts Bon Accord/Dundonald Bluebell,
Lochar Thistle v Maryhill,
Threave Rovers/Lesmahagow/Whitletts Vics v St Cadocs,
Kilwinning Rangers v Lothian Thistle/Kello Rovers.
A footnote to the Pollok v Petershill derby was the buzz of speculation on the terracings surrounding the identity of the new Pollok manager which if reports are true will be announced by Wednesday of this week .
Various people “in the know” had various takes on the next hotseat incumbent and varied also were the supposed number of applications received , 21, 24 and 43 among the figures stated and it was noticeable that current Darvel manager Mick Kennedy was the name most mentioned as a “certainty” even though Pollok’s officials say they haven’t yet begun the process of sifting through the would-be team bosses???.
WEEKEND RESULTS: P.D.M Buildbase Premier Division. Pollok 2 Petershill 0, Arthurlie 2 Beith 1.PDM Buildbase First Division. Thorniewood Utd 3 Benburb 4, Bonnyton Thistle 0 St Rochs 2, Kilbirnie Ladside 1 Cumbernauld Utd 3. PDM Buildbase Second Division. Ardeer Thistle 1 Glasgow Perthshire 2, Forth Wanderers 1 Greenock 0, St Anthonys 2 Muirkirk 1. PDM Buildbase Third Division. Girvan 0 Ardrossan Winton Rovers 3, Finnart 3 Carluke Rovers, Lugar Boswell Thistle 4 Lanark Utd 6, East Kilbride Thistle 2 Newmains Utd 2, Larkhall Thistle 4 Vale of Leven 1, Bellshill Athletic 5 Port Glasgow 3, Saltcoats Vics 2 Irvine Vics 2. PDM Buildbase Fourth Division. West Park Utd 2 Easterhouse F.A 0, St Peters 1 Thorn Athletic 1,Kilsyth Athletic 3 Campbelltown Pupils 2, South Challenge Cup.Rossvale 4 Johnstone Burgh 1, Maryhill 2 Ashfield 1,Maybole 5 Glenrothes 0, The Spartans 9 Glasgow University 0 ,Renfrew 2 Cumnock 3, Glasgow Utd 0 Sauchie 6, Glenafton 1 Kinnoul 0, Kilwinning Rangers 3 Musselburgh Athletic 2, Cambuslang Rangers 0 Newton Stewart 1, Troon 6 St Cuthberts Wanderers 0,Vale of Clyde 2 Irvine Meadow 1, Auchinleck Talbot 3 Neilston 0, Clydebank 4 Largs Thistle 0, Caledonian Braves 4 Rutherglen Glencairn 1, Edinburgh South 0 St Cadocs 5, Gartcairn 3 Dunbar Utd 1, Yoker Athletic 0 Drumchapel Utd 2,
Regards
Jim O’Donnell
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