POLLOK GET THE JOB DONE…JUST.

GARY’S PERSISTENCE MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

Often there are matches played towards the end of a season with effectively nothing riding on them which can turn out to be breathtaking affairs… alas Pollok’s 1-0 victory over Cambuslang Rangers on Saturday was decidedly not one of them.

An instantly forgettable game of football must have felt like the longest 90 minutes of their lives for those watching on from the Newlandsfield terracings and more so if you were making up the home support seeing as this was the Glasgow club’s final home game of the season.

The black and white scarf wearers were crying out to be entertained and to be fair a territorially dominant Pollok did hold the upper hand throughout yet only once did they manage to breach the Wee Gers’ defences.

That telling moment arrived just short of ten minutes into the second half after Lok speedster Gary McCann chased after a ball played forward down the right side that had looked a lost cause until the winger, from almost on the byeline ,managed to hook his foot around the said ball and deliver over a hanging cross that Lok’s opposite flanker Sean Burns met bang in front of the posts and his powerful header left visiting goalkeeper Andy Wilson helpless.

An outstanding text book goal and then some yet it’s no exaggeration to say there were precious few instances of a similar quality , particularly in the first half even though Cambuslang were thankful for the impressive Wilson coming to their aid in thwarting goal attempts from Stuart McCann, David Brownlie and Adam Forde.

Add to the mix a glaring Brownlie headed miss after centreback partner Scott Rumsby had nodded a Fraser Mullen free kick onto him and you will get the one-way traffic gist to proceedings.

The Burns breakthrough was followed by Stuart McCann wastefully glancing a cross wide when it actually looked easier to score and Wilson again coming up trumps to deny Pollok substitute Chris Duff however the closing 20 minutes saw Cambuslang, through Robbie Leighton and Grant Brennan ,throw caution to the winds and pose more of an attacking threat even if Lok keeper Josh Lumsden remained untroubled and without a save to make of any note .

Wee Gers team boss Paul McColl appeared afterwards to say,” I thought we played well enough despite looking blunt in the forward areas but you have to remember young Nikky Fraser is still finding his feet following a year-long injury absence .

“Despite everything he put in a great shift and along with Brennan and Leighton caused Pollok a few anxious moments and I think a draw might have been a fairer result for them and the other guys but it just wasn’t to be.

“We came here today to face a decent Pollok side knowing most people expected us to be pumped 3 or 4-0 but instead we were still in with a real shout of taking something from the game right up until the Referee decided to blow the final whistle

“ I’m disappointed with the result but absolutely delighted with the effort shown by the guys.”

Winning gaffer Stewart Maxwell felt his side’s failings in front of goal were the root cause behind the narrow scoreline.

He said , “ The game had an end of season feel about it right from the word go nevertheless we still created a number of clear cut chances which would have allowed us to put the game to bed early doors if only we’d taken them .

“ Paul and his players were always going to be fired up by the prospect of coming to play in front of a big crowd at Newlandsfield and they dug in to make things difficult for us , so hats off to our guys for getting the job done and picking up the three points on offer .”

Pollok’s triumph ensures they retain third top spot in the Premier Division standings but with only one league game left to play (Largs Thistle at Barrfields) there is no likelihood whatsoever ,of them overhauling second placed Darvel ,six points better off despite suffering a shock 2-1weekend defeat against a Rob Roy side that led 2-0 at Guys Meadow through Robbie Young and Finlay Anderson goals before a second half Ian McShane score halved the Ayrshiremen’s deficit.

Darvel’s demise will be all the more sorely felt in light of league leaders Beith’s 16 game unbeaten run coming to a stunningly unexpected end from going down 4-0 at home to Troon for whom Kyle Gilroy bagged a hat trick to go along with a Jamie Gallagher penalty kick conversion.

A point behind Pollok in fourth place are Auchinleck Talbot (from five games fewer played) after Ross Smith and Gareth Armstrong were on the mark in a 2-0 defeat of relegation battling Arthurlie whose survival hopes were afforded a significant boost by basement rivals Petershill and Kilwinning Rangers succumbing to weekend reverses.

Dylan O’Kane and Leon Murphy (pen) did the damage as Glenafton ran out 2-0 winners over the Peasy through in Springburn while a Friday night encounter saw Kilwinning endure a confidence sapping 7-0 reverse at home to a rampant Clydebank whose 23 year old hitman Connor Higgins weighed in with a hat trick to go along with counters from Ciaran Mulcahy, Alan Kelly(2) ,and Hamish McKinlay.

In other top flight contests , Finlay Frye and Jamie Dolan netted in Cumnock’s 2-1 victory over Irvine Meadow while Largs Thistle recovered from falling 1-0 behind to a Liam Miller goal for Hurlford United to score four times through David Ramsay, Stuart Faulds, Jamie Martin and Will Sewell.

FINDLAY CANNOT STOP SCORING

And there’s no let-up to the ever changing face of the P.D.M. Buildbase First Division title race where St Cadocs are back atop the table thanks to a hard fought 2-1 success over rivals Drumchapel United combining with the previous joint frontrunners Gartcairn and Benburb playing out a 1-1 stalemate at the M.T.C.Park .

Kilbirnie Ladeside’s third defeat in four games, Johnstone Burgh bested them 2-1 at Valefield, looks to have almost certainly ended their hopes of finishing as champions but it remains anyone’s guess as to whether St Cadocs, Gartcairn, Benburb or even the Drum , currently back in fifth place, will be planning coronation celebrations of their own .

Matters are nowhere near as tight to call in the Second Division where leading lights Renfrew’s 3-1 victory away to third in the table Maybole keeps Jimmy Quigley’s side on course to be crowned kingpins while Vale of Clyde are ominously closing in on the Third Division trappings of success after extending their unbeaten run to 11 matches with a 4-2 Fullarton Park victory over Lugar Boswell..

WEEKEND RESULTS: P.D.M.Buildbase Premier Division. Kilwinning Rangers 0 Clydebank 7, Auchinleck Talbot 2 Arthurlie 0, Beith 0 Troon 4, Largs Thistle 4 Hurlford Utd 1, Petershill 0 Glenafton 2, Pollok 0 Cambuslang Rangers 1, Rob Roy 2 Darvel 1, Cumnock 2 Irvine Meadow 1.PDM Buildbase First Division. Gartcairn 1 Benburb 1, Thorniewood Utd 2 Rossvale 1, Blantyre Vics 2 Cumbernauld Utd 0, St Rochs 4 Rutherglen Glencairn 1, Drumchapel Utd 1 St Cadocs 2, Shotts Bon Accord 1 Bonnyton Thistle 1, Neilston 1 Whitletts Vics 1, Kilbirnie Ladeside 1 Johnstone Burgh 2.PDM Buildbase Second Division. Glasgow Utd 1 Greenock 1, Kilsyth Rangers 0 Wishaw 1, Yoker Athletic 1 Ashfield 3, Glasgow University 1 St Anthonys 0, Maryhill 0 Forth Wanderers 1, Glasgow Perthshire 2 Craigmark 3, Maybole 1 Renfrew 3. PDM Buildbase Third Division. Port Glasgow 1 Saltcoats Vics 2, Lanark Utd 3 Newmains Utd 0, Carluke Rovers 1 Bellshill Athletic 3, Kello Rovers 2 Lesmahagow 2, Vale of Leven 3 Finnart 2, Dalry Thistle 0 Irvine Vics 0, Larkhall Thistle 2 Girvan 0, East Kilbride Thistle 3 Royal Albert 2, Vale of Clyde 4 Lugar Boswell 2.PDM Buildbase Fourth Division BSC Glasgow 2 Rossvale Academy 1.

Regards

Jim O’Donnell