JOE HAS MANY CHANGES TO MAKE
At the risk of being accused of overkill, one has to think Rutherglen Glencairn may have come to a dead end rather than a crossroads.
Everyone and their granny knew changes were inevitable after team boss Willie Harvey, 13 years at the helm, let it be known he was planning to step down from his post even before the 1-0 defeat by Cumnock in last season’s Scottish Junior Cup Final .
More of the same or even better was promised when Joe Pryce ,his loyal and knowledgeable lieutenant throughout that 13 year tenure ,stepped seamlessly into the breach to be aided and abetted by No 2 Billy Ogilvie and goalkeeping coach Stevie Hutchison .
However the evidence of Saturday’s 2-2 draw with St Anthonys shows the post-Harvey transformation has been drastic and far more excessive than even the most diehard of Glens supporters could ever have imagined.
A quirk of coincidence had seen the pre-season friendly joust arrive bang on 50 days after the Cumnock reverse yet one would have been understandably forgiven for thinking a number of years had since elapsed when taking a cursory glance over the teams..
Three players in all, goalkeeper Scott Law, defender Dom McLaughlin and midfielder Sean McGure (best player afield) were all that remained from their Broadwood Stadium starting line-up along with showpiece finale substitutes , Ryan McManus and Roan Fitzpatrick.
Away to pastures new are Harry Mitchell and Jack McIlvee (Gartcairn) Scott Schoneville( Auchinleck Talbot) and Michael Lone (???) while its claimed Anton McDowall, Matt McGinley, Tam Miller, Martin McBride and Mick O’Byre have all hung up the boots.
The inevitable outcome of this exodus is a massive rebuild job for Pryce & Co which will test theirendurance not least because one cannot escape the feeling it won’t be completed anytime soon despite Joe’s insistence to the contrary.
He spoke at the final whistle to say ,” So many changes in such a short space of time has left us behind the cue ball and needing to bring in a raft of young players but there are definite signs of us progressing bit by bit..
“Mistakes are always going to be made when knitting a team together and one cost us the opening goal in the first minute while another led to us conceding near the final whistle but otherwise I felt we controlled the game against a decent St Anthonys side.
“ And players have still to come back from holiday to make us even better so we’ll keep working with the guys and see where it gets us.”
The visiting Ants came roaring out of the Hamish B. Allan Stadium blocks and almost got their noses in front when a forward pass saw Jack MacMurray outstrip the Glens defence only for his hurried parting shot to be blocked by advancing goalkeeper James Scott.
How the boyish faced striker must have wished for the same composure demonstrated in St Anthonys very next attacking venture as Rui Carballo controlled a pass inside the area before curling a shot beyond Scott for a 1-0 lead.
The hold-up play of Glens front man Dylan Collins was a feature as Glencairn attempted to play their way back into the game however they were creating little in the way of goalscoring chances against an Ants backline where Kieran McNair was dominant and half time was reached with the Ants deservedly in front.
One of the home side’s half time replacements, Dylan Hendry was to the fore on the restart, firstly when firing a close range effort straight at Ants keeper Bailey McGuire before he ran onto a long Scott Law kick out only to blast his shot against the Ants No 1 when a goal looked on the cards.
The Ru’Glonians ` dominance in midfield ,where Sean McGuire was proving the best player afield , eventually told in 56 minutes, albeit fortuitously , after Jay McKay wriggled his way into space down the left flank to send over a curling cross which found the far corner of the net while a flatfooted McGuire looked on helplessly.
The suitably buoyed Glens continued on top however all their efforts were coming to nothing in the face of some solid Ants defensive work until a somewhat controversial break in their favour with just under ten minutes remaining.
Roan Fitzpatrick played in a ball from wide right which marksman McManus appeared to control with his hand before dispatching a powerful shot beyond McGuire to spark celebrations among his team mates and an angry dugout outburst (albeit understandable) from St Anthonys manager Danny Taylor which led to him being sent inside by whistler Barry Cook .
His ire had calmed somewhat by the final whistle , helped no end by his side conjuring up a last minute equalizer when the skilful Carballo was played into acres of space in a left side channel and he took the ball wide of a sprawling Law prior to stroking the ball into an unguarded net for 2-2.
Danny admitted , “ The players deserved no less today for keeping going after one or two breaks went against them and I’m happy with how they are coming on.
“That said, we’re still work in progress after being forced to readjust to the loss of a couple of our more experienced heads during the close season “
Meanwhile , a new manager is also in situ (John Doyle ) at Scottish Junior Cup kingpins Cumnock however dressing room changes have been kept to minimum as emphasized by Cup Final goal hero Findlay Frye being among the marksmen in a 7-0 blitzing of Glenrothes along with Andy McLaughlin , Under 20 prospects Ben Anderson Skilling and Callum Bain as well as newcomers (Robbie Buchanan(2) and Jambo McKernon.
FINDLAY ON THE MARK AGAIN
Elsewhere, Largs Thistle ‘s impressive pre-season form continued as Stuart Davidson’s side made it six wins out of six by sending Kilbirnie Ladeside packing 3-0 down at Barrfields .
Striking ace Will Sewell netted for the third game in succession, notching a double to go along with a David Ramsay score as Theesel emphatically put their rivals to the sword.
Yet another clash of long standing foes took place at Meadow Park Ayrshire where Irvine Meadow lifted the Egllinton Cup silverware with a 4-2 penalty kick shoot-out win over Kilwinning Rangers following on from a 2-2 regulation time draw.
Mark Lamont helped himself to both Buffs goals, his second late into the second half cancelling out Medda’s 2-1 half time lead through Euan Bair and Jack McDowall strikes.
Among the considerably more comfortable winners were Darvel ,for whom Leon Murphy, Craig Moore, Danny O’Halloran and Graham Wilson were on target in a 4-0 defeat of Threave Rovers , Gartcairn in beating Dalbeattie Star by the same scoreline, while Michael Mullen’s hat trick made him the star of the show as Hurlford United crushed Ashfield 6-0 ,PaulMcKenzie, Ross Love and Jack Whittaker adding to Mullen’s treble.
Clydebank recovered from going behind 1-0 to a Scott Struthers goal for Jeanfield Swifts to run out 3-1 victors ,Lee Gallagher, Trialist and Larry McMahon getting their names on the Bankies’scoresheet while Glenafton squeezed out a 1-0 success away to Whitletts Vics thanks to Scott McLean bagging the only goal of the game and the trio of Robbie Halliday, Ally Taylor and Cruden Thomas counted for Benburb in a 3-0 triumph over a young St Mirren side .
Blantyre Vics overcoming St Cadocs 2-1 was arguably the day’s biggest upset followed closely by West Park United’s 3-2 victory over Glasgow Perthshire while more than a few eyebrows were raised by Johnstone Burgh (they’ve been leaking goals like a sieve) keeping a clean sheet away to Premier Division reigning champions Beith in the Nikky Docherty testimonial match.
Ben Dailly, Connor Hughes and Brian McQueen were on the mark as St Rochs 3-0 ahead at half time , overcame the handicap of Kieran Daw’s red carding to get the better of Greenock 3-2 however the opportunity to demonstrate their ten men qualities were denied both Shotts Bon Accord and Vale of Clyde at Hannah Park where their “friendly” was abandoned just 22 minutes in.
The home side were leading 1-0 through a Ben Richford goal when a midfield clash between two of the more experienced campaigners afield Stephen McDevitt (Vale) and Paul McGeough (Shotts) is alleged to have turned nasty leading to both players getting their marching orders.
A bit of argy-bargy is reputed to have then broken out as the errant McDevitt headed for the dressing rooms bringing his Vale team mates to leave the field and enter the fray(as peacemakers) at which point the Match Referee formally called a halt to proceedings.
Matters were much more gentile and in the spirit of the game at Brig O’Lea where a Michael Howie brace of goals and a Trialist counter enabled Neilston to come out on top over Dunipace by a 3-1 score while doubles were also chalked up by Josh McVittie and Stephen Adam in Port Glasgow’s 5-3 defeat of WoSFL newcomers Giffnock S.C..
WEEKEND FRIENDLY RESULTS: Friendly Matches: Troon 1 Ayr Utd X1 1,Arthurlie 3 Inverkeithing Swifts2, Hurlford Utd 6 Ashfield 0, Clydebank 3 Jeanfield Swifts1, Giffnock S.C.3 Port Glasgow 5, Irvine Meadow 2 Kilwinning Rangers 2(Meadow win 4-2 pens), Neilston 3 Dunipace 1, Whitletts Vics 0 Glenafton 1, Beith 0 Johnstone Burgh 0, Rutherglen Glencairn 2 St Anthonys 2, Dundee Utd X1 1 Pollok 1 (Pollok win on pens) , Vale of Leven 2 Yoker Athletic 2, Glenrothes 0 Cumnock 7, Benburb 3 St Mirren X1 0,Gartcairn 4 Dalbeattie Star 0, Darvel 4 Threave Rovers 0, Blantyre Vics 2 St Cadocs 1, St Rochs 3 Greenock 2, Craigroyston 2 Muirkirk 1, Ardeer Thistle 1 Lugar Boswell 2, Carluke Rovers 3 Bonnyton Thistle 3, Largs Thistle 3 Kilbirnie Ladeside 0, West Park Utd 3 Glasgow Perthshire 2, Newmains Utd 1 Forth Wanderers 2,Musselburgh Athletic 3 Renfrew 0,
Regards
Jim O’Donnell
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