A WEEKEND OF FIGHTBACKS

THE POLLOK FLOODLIGHTS SHOWED ALLAN McKENZIE AT HIS BEST

The basis for playing any team game is trust …trust that you can do your role and at the same time trust that the guys next to you in the dressing room can do theirs.

`He’s telling us nothing new there` I can almost hear it said about a premise that doesn’t work in the face of individual errors and more so if the team mates making them don’t learn from their mistakes.

There’s an argument for saying this may seem to be stating the obvious but it was clearly not apparent to a clutch of players wearing Pollok jerseys on Friday night when they snatched defeat from the jaws of a seeming victory, going down 3-2 to Darvel (after being 2-0 ahead) in front of a capacity 874 Newlandsfield crowd, the vast majority of whom were supporting the Southside giants.

What was a glorious floodlit occasion, on a glorious night ,if you don’t count a second half downpour, was marred only by the home side’s anything but glorious underperformance (outwith the opening half hour) as they succumbed to a painful third defeat in a week and their ninth of a season to forget.

It’s not for me to name names (the guilty know who they are) but Lok gaffer Stewart Maxwell must surely have called some of them out during the near thirty minutes his team’s dressing room door remained firmly shut following the final whistle.

A stone-faced Maxi eventually emerged to blast “Disappointing doesn’t come close to describing how I feel about losing tonight given I was of the mind at 2-0 that we were looking likely to go on and win by three or four goals.

“But nobody could have possibly legislated for the mistakes we then made by switching off at key moments to allow Darvel back into the game and it’s just not good enough .

“For half an hour we were electric but the goals we lost were shockers.”

That one time Newlandsfield striker Allan McKenzie, baited mercilessly throughout by home fans , made a telling contribution to Pollok’s downfall with an outstanding `target man` display topped by him notching a brace of goals ,inclusive of Darvel’s match-winning score just two minutes from the end , made his schadenfreude all the more satisfying.

Big Al as the Ayrshire club’s fans like to call him, insisted, “I was only doing my job for the team however everyone likes to do well against their former clubs and I’m no different in that respect.

“Our heads have gone down in recent games after losing a goal however tonight the atmosphere and surroundings spurred us into coming right back into it and I felt we were totally dominant in the second half.

“Our aim now is to keep things going in our remaining eight games and see where it gets us.”

Pollok started the better of the two sides but could have easily fallen a goal behind had goalkeeper Jordan Longmuir not came up with a full length diving save to parry away a netbound Scott Ferguson drive.

The confidence gained from their escape led to a number of attacking sorties and payoff arrived in 20 minutes when an unmitigated Darvel defensive blunder led to the game’s opening goal .

No danger was apparent when a cross from out left carried beyond the visiting goalmouth until striker Stephen McDonald’s greater pace saw him get his body in front of Jordan Allan whose blatant push in the back downed the Lok man and brought whistler Ross Clark pointing to the spot prior to Daz Christie slotting the ball home with considerable aplomb, sending keeper Chris Truesdale left and the ball to the right.

A tails-up Pollok were now attacking with relish and just three minutes later had doubled their lead when the impressive Johnny Lyon surged forward from midfield past a couple of half-hearted challenges before checking inside onto his right foot and dispatching a well struck 18 yard `daisy cutter` past Truesdale at his near post.

Darvel’s response to their predicament was to pull a goal back around the half hour mark when Jamie Glasgow sent over a low driven cross from the right side which found unmarked team mate Scott Ferguson and he guided the ball past Longmuir from almost on the penalty spot.

Having halved their deficit, Darvel proceeded to wipe it out completely just 72 seconds later through a free-flowing move started deep in their own half which was inadvertently aided and abetted by Referee Clark .

He played a good advantage when a flick by McKenzie , despite him being floored by a Scott Rumsby challenge from the back near the halfway line , sent the lively Ferguson scampering down the left flank to deliver a cross into Pollok’s penalty area.

As with the game’s opening score, no obvious goal threat was apparent, as the home team’s Sean Burns took possession but the Lok full back got the ball tangled under his feet and attempted to rectify matters with a back pass to Longmuir which was both lamentably short and perfectly weighted for Mackenzie who had never stopped running forward after getting to his feet from Rumsby’s tackle and was in the right place to sublimely poke the ball past the advancing keeper to make the scoreline read 2-2.

Not surprisingly, Darvel were the ones on the ascendancy when the second half got underway and the intelligence of their movement and sheer quality of their set plays delivery was watchable not least because of the number of goalmouth near things that ensued in front of Longmuir as the title contending Ayrshiremen went for the kill knowing a draw was not a good outcome for them.

A mixture of skill and luck kept his goal intact heading into the closing stages and a share of the spoils looked like being the conclusion until the 88^th minute when Longmuir was forced to come off his line to block a shot by Darvel substitute Jordan Kirkpatrick and could only look on helplessly as the ball rebounded across goal and into the path of Mackenzie and he gleefully hammered the ball home before being swamped by wildly celebrating team mates.

Winning gaffer Mick Kennedy lauded, “His goals were a fitting reward but Allan deserves all the praise going for his overall performance tonight.

“We had decided to set ourselves up differently because of the dynamics of Pollok’s narrow pitch and he was the ideal focal point for us going more direct and playing long.

“No disrespect to the Pollok central defenders but Allan gave them a torrid time of it either from winning headers or just generally holding up the ball to bring others into play and I couldn’t be happier for him”

Asked if he had been concerned at falling 2-0 down inside the opening half hour brought the response .

“I actually thought we started the game well and there was nothing between the teams but giving away a stupid and needless penalty gave Pollok a lift and they they went on to score a good second goal.

“To be 2-0 behind asked questions of us which the guys answered in the best possible fashion with a wonderful display of resilience and character to get us back into the game before half time.

“The second 45 minutes was all about us and I felt we fully deserved to take the three points even though we left it late to get our winning goal.”

DARVEL DESERVED TO WIN SAID MICHAEL KENNEDY

Darvel’s victory kept them in touch with league leaders Beith who remained 7 points clear at the top of the Premier Division after Josh Fowler netted the only goal of the game away to Clydebank while the only other viable title challengers Auchinleck Talbot suffered a damaging blow after a torrential downpour on Saturday caused their Loch Park meeting with Glenafton to be abandoned, leaving Tommy Sloan’s men a massive 17 points adrift of Beith and 10 behind Darvel, albeit from six games fewer played than both their rivals.

Talbot’s idle Saturday allowed Largs Thistle to leapfrog above them into fifth top spot virtue of running out 2-1 Friday night winners over Troon thanks to Scott Adam and Laurie McMaster goals either side of Sam Jamieson’s counter for the home team.

Down in the basement, Kilwinning Rangers slumped to rank bottom spot after having to settle for one point instead of three on Friday when Cumnock veteran Findlay Frye netted from the spot deep into injury time to cancel out a first half penalty conversion by Thomas Collins.

The following day saw the Buffs’ lapse prove to be the extra motivation needed by previous bottom markers Cambuslang Rangers , now one place better off , after recovering from going behind to a Marc McKenzie goal for Hurlford United to earn a 2-1 Somervell Park success on the back of Grant Brennan and Ben Richford efforts .

And up to the `giddy heights` of 12^th place in the standings are Arthurlie ,whose revival under new team boss Colin Reilly continued apace on Saturday through Gary Carrolll(pen) and Lewis Magee second half scores earning a 2-0 triumph over Irvine Meadow whose top scorer Callum Graham had a penalty kick saved by Lie No 1 James Scott .

Elsewhere on Saturday, First Division tabletoppers Kilbirnie Ladeside’s title hopes were dealt a hammer blow by a 3-1 reverse away to Rossvale while challengers Benburb also slipped up by conceding a 90^th minute Ryan McManus equalizer for Rutherglen Glencairn which acted to cancel out Lewis McTaggart’s first half goal for the Bens.

RYAN McMANUS DID THE BENS NO FAVOURS

St Cadocs took full advantage of these falters to go level on points with Kilbirnie after coming back from Paul Brennan putting St Rochs ahead at New Tinto Park to bag three goals in a pulsating final closing thirty minutes through Pedram Ardalani, Liam McLaughlin and Smart Osadolar.

One point further adrift and looking more and more the likely champions when the dust eventually settles are Drumchapel United whose own fightback from 2-0 down at home to Blantyre Vics was even more sensational .

Opening half hour scores by Vics pair Jamie McVey and Andy Gallagher saw the Drum trailing at the halfway stage only for a three goals in seven minutes burst around the hour mark , Martin Grehan , David Templeton and Daniel Finnigan were all on target, that resulted in what may prove to be a crucial 3-2 victory for Adam Stokes and his playing charges.

WEEKEND RESULTS: P.D.M Buildbase Premier Division. Arthurlie 2 Irvine Meadow 0, Troon 1 Largs Thistle 2,Cambuslang Rangers 2 Hurlford Utd 1, Clydebank 0 Beith1, Pollok 2 Darvel 3, Kilwinning Rangers 1 Cumnock1.PDM Buildbase First Division. Rossvale 3 Kilbirnie Ladeside 1, Drumchapel Utd 3 Blantyre Vics 2, Rutherglen Glencairn 1 Benburb 1, St Cadocs 3 St Rochs 1, Whitletts Vics 2 Bonnyton Thistle 2.PDM Buildbase Second Division. St Anthonys 2 Craigmark 3, Ardeer Thistle 3 Yoker Athletic 0, Renfrew 3 Glasgow Perthshire 0, Maryhill 0 Ashfield,, Glasgow University 1 Maybole 3, Greenock 1 Kilsyth Rangers 3.PDM Buildbase Third Division. Lanark Utd 0 Irvine Vics 4, Ardrossan Winton Rovers 2 Bellshill Athletic 0, Vale of Leven 1 Larkhall Thistle 0, Vale of Clyde 5 Royal Albert 0, Port Glasgow 1 Finnart 2. Carluke Rovers 3 Lesmahagow 2.PDM Buildbase Fourth Division. Kilsyth Athletic 1 Threave Rovers 2, Easterhouse 1 BSC Glasgow 1, Eglinton 1 St Peters 5, Thorn Athletic 1 West Park Utd 7.

Regards

Jim O’Donnell