West of Scotland League and Cup football didn’t fare well in the face of the Arctic Blast at the weekend as the freezing conditions put paid to no less than 33 scheduled matches.
Of the four games to get the thumbs up after early morning inspections, Premier Division big guns Cumnock must have wished they hadn’t after tumbling out of the League Cup, beaten 3-2 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw at home to two leagues lower down Craigmark whose goalkeeper Dylan Caddis saved three spot kicks in the shoot-out..
A Jamie McKenna double along with Johnny Gallagher and Jay Lunney counters helped Port Glasgow run out 4-2 victory winners in their Third Division clash with Newmains United for whom Mark McQuade and Michael Verrechia were on target while the only Second Division encounter saw Glasgow University inflict a resounding 5-0 defeat on Ardeer Thistle whose cause was not helped by the second half dismissals of Jack Taylor and Andy McGregor.
An every bit as emphatic victory, even if the scoreline suggests otherwise, was chalked up by Rutherglen Glencairn in posting a 3-1 victory away to Renfrew which secures a last 16 League Cup place for Willie Harvey’s troops.
The team boss felt the comfort zone earned by his players through a 3-0 half time lead could and should have been widened after the interval.
He said afterwards , “ It appears like we took our foot of the gas but truth is we created a lot more chances second half and might have scored 5 or 6 if the guys had been a bit more clinical and if the woodwork had not come to Renfrew’s rescue on at least a couple of occasions.
“That’s not in any way meant to sound critical of our twin strikers Jack McIlveen and Ryan McManus whose pairing posed a constant threat and I’ll bet the Renfrew defenders will be glad to see the back of them.
“Jack’s disappointed in there at not getting his name on the scoresheet however his all-round play was terrific and helped no end in making the space that Ryan thrives on to great effect.
“His well taken double today means their partnership has notched up 22 or 23 in total up to now this season however there’s a lot more goals in them…that much I’m sure.”
RYAN McMANUS HELPED HIMSELF TO A BRACE
A stark contrast in playing styles was apparent right from the off in this New Western Park contest, Renfrew opting for a more direct approach while the visitors favored a detailed passing build -up that was to derive an early reward after 8 minutes when a surging McIlveen run took out two defenders and saw him unselfishly square the ball for McManus to slot home a low shot from around eight yards range.
Fuelled by this early breakthrough ,Glencairn continued on the ascendancy and several near things ensued , the best of them a curling Harry Mitchell free kick, which required Frew goalkeeper Kyle Pirie’s full length diving save to avert a certain score however he could do little to prevent the visitors doubling their lead just after the 20th minute mark.
A probing Martin McBride pass split the Renfrew defence asunder to set up a foot race between McManus and towering stopper Ryan Rutherford, won by the striker whose finishing prowess was apparent to all and sundry as he stroked a low shot beyond the advancing Pirie for 2-0.
Hopes of the home team reaching the halfway stage without any further damage were then dashed just a couple of minutes shy of the break after Glens full back Neil Schoneville’s rampaging run upfield saw him play a clever one-two with McIlveen prior to unleashing a powerful drive that Pirie touched with an outstretched hand but couldn’t prevent finding the corner of his net.
A few choice words from Frew gaffer Jim Quigley during half time undoubtedly acted to stiffen his side’s resistance however Glencairn were still holding the upper hand territorially and another goal almost arrived, firstly when a McManus lob shot struck the crossbar and bounced over before a McIlveen strike rebounded off an upright.
Those of the spectators in attendance thinking the clock was running down to what looked an inevitable 3-0 conclusion had a surprise in store in the 89th minute when a rare Renfrew sortie upfield saw substitute Dom Lavelle put a better complexion on the scoreline with a searing 22 yard shot that beat Glens No 1 Matt McGinley all ends up.
At the final whistle, Frew boss Quigley did not agree with one suggesting his Second Division league leaders had found facing First Division opponents as too much of a step up in class.
Refreshingly he held up his hands in admitting, “ We won last weekend against St Cadocs who are topping the First Division and I’d have been confident of giving Glencairn a tougher time of it if I’d put out the same team today .
“But I made the decision to give game time to a number of our fringe players and on hindsight my making 6 changes in key positions was too many so I’m to blame if fingers are being pointed.
“ That said, guys whom I expected to grab this opportunity to stake a claim for the jerseys weren’t at it out there and overall ours was a flat performance other than the opening 10 minutes,
Quigg added , “It’s not easy to find positives but getting game time for Sean Stirling after a long injury absence is one of them particularly as we see him having an influence on our title charge.”
Meanwhile, another game to beat the big freeze was a hastily arranged friendly affair between Pollok and Drumchapel United which had a 6-1 conclusion in favour of the Premier Division outfit thanks to goals from Stuart McCann(3), Shaun Fraser, Kamil Krol and Stephen Docherty.
WEEKEND RESULTS: PDM Buildbase Second Division. Glasgow University 5 Ardeer Thistle 0, PDM Buildbase Third Division. Port Glasgow 4 Newmains Utd 2. West of Scotland Football League Cup. Renfrew 1 Rutherglen Glencairn 3, Cumnock 1 Craigmark 1(Craigmark win 3-2 pens).
Regards
Jim O’Donnell
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