Big County pair find scoring form

Sep 16 2008 by Our Correspondent, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

KINNOULL and Coupar Angus were the only Big County teams to emerge victorious on Saturday.

Kinnoull were at home to Fauldhouse in the Premier League and the first half of this game was highly entertaining and keenly contested despite the fact that it ended goalless.

Ten minutes into the second half the Lothian side took the lead with an excellent goal from their striker Ian Smith.

But their joy was short lived as Kinnoull got back on level terms a minute later.

Jon Kelly laid the ball off to Steve McManus who hit a great strike from all of 22 yards and the ball simply flew into the top corner of the Fauldhouse net.

Kinnoull became the more aggressive side and they took the lead with a great pass from Martin Maher to Jamie McKenzie, out on the left wing, saw Jamie cut in and he fired the ball past the keeper from 15 yards for what was another good goal.

Kinnoull continued on the attack and in the space of the next three minutes they were awarded two penalties.

Martin Maher took the first one and belted it into the corner of the net giving the keeper simply no chance of making a save and it was 3-1 Kinnoull.

Jamie McKenzie took the second spot kick but didn’t make a good job of it and it was saved by the keeper.

In between those penalties Fauldhouse full back Gary Cunningham was yellow carded for dissent – this was his second caution and he was sent off.

Coupar Angus were away to Downfield and their performance in the first half was lack lustre to say the least and when the interval arrived they were 2-0 behind.

Scott Tovey and Barry Gray were the scorers for the Spiders.

The second half saw a revitalised Coupar team who took control of the game and went on to win 4-2.

Their first goal was a bit of a freak as an attempted clearance by the Downfield goalkeeper rebounded off one of his defenders and landed in the back of the net.

Coupar got back on level terms in 67 minutes when Richard Wheeler picked up a knock on from Stephen Williamson and slotted the ball into the corner of the net from 12 yards.

Coupar then went on to take the lead in 75 minutes with an excellent goal from Duncan Cocker.

Duncan warded off a couple of challenges and then fired the ball past the keeper from just inside the penalty box to put his side 3-2 ahead.

In another Coupar attack persistence paid off for Richard wheeler and it caused an opponent to lose the ball to him and he promptly dispatched it into the back of the Downfield net from about 15 yards.

This was Richard’s second goal which made it 4-2 for Coupar and gave them their first league win of the season which was thoroughly deserved.

In the Central League, Luncarty, Bankfoot, Scone Thistle and Jeanfield Swifts finished the day without anything to show for their efforts.

Luncarty after suffering a couple of hefty defeats took on Kirkcaldy YM at Brownlands Park.

The Bleachers were carrying high hopes that they would clock up their first league win at the YM’s expense. Unfortunately it didn’t happen as the YM went on to win the game 1-0.

Ian Lally was the scorer of this crucial goal in 64 minutes.

The Bleachers had they taken the chances they created certainly could have finished winners but they didn’t and they remain pointless and without a win.

Bankfoot are another side who must rue the chances they missed in their game against Lochgelly Albert at Coronation Park.

The Bankies prospects looked really bright when they took the lead after only four minutes.

A corner taken by Gavin Mackie was only partially cleared and was picked up by Gary Campbell and he thumped it into the corner of the net from 12 yards.

This early goal certainly inspired the Bankies and they had the Lochgelly side penned in their own half for much of the time.

Alan Brown should have increased their lead when he was left in a one to one situation with the keeper but he blasted the ball over the bar from no more than 10 yards.

John Mitchell shook off the attentions of two opponents and let go a vicious drive from close on 20 yards but it too went over the bar.

Scott McCabe and Alan Brown had good chances but they failed to convert them into goals and the Bankies were punished for this catalogue of failures when in one of their rare raids on the Bankies goal the Fifers grabbed the equaliser in 43 minutes.

Andy Harron met with a cross from George Fields and headed the ball into the back of the net at the far post.

The Fifers were much more in the game as an attacking force in the second half although the Bankies could have restored their lead as Alan Stewart and Alan Brown both failed to put away good chances.

In 67 minutes the Bankies received a hammer blow from which they never recovered when Colin Jeffrey put the Fifers ahead in 67 minutes.

The Bankies huffed and puffed after this but the scoreline remained the same at 2-1 in Lochgelly’s favour and they left for home with the points.

Jeanfield Swifts, at home to Rosyth, had a very disappointing day as they lost 4-1 to the Fifers in what had been described as the match of the day as far as the Central League was concerned.

The first chance of the game came Rosyth’s way when Charlie Scarborough was left with the ball at his feet a few yards from the Swifts’ goal but he hit the ball past the post.

Three minutes later there was no such luck for Swifts when a second chance came Rosyth’s way.

A cross in from their left wing seemed to be safely in Andy Mackie’s grasp but the keeper let it slip and Clark Kay pounced on the loose ball and knocked it into the back of the net from the edge of the six yard box to make it 1-0 and that’s how the score stood at the interval.

Eight minutes into the second half had and Rosyth had surged into a 3-0 lead courtesy of a quick-fire double from their striker Alan McDonagh.

Swifts reduced the leeway in 70 minutes when Mark Caldow cottoned on to a pass from Tony Holt to rifle the ball past the keeper from the edge of the penalty box to make it 3-1.

Swifts had their best spell after this but it didn’t produce any more goals for them.

Rosyth completed the scoring in 87 minutes with a 35 yard lob from Ross Morrison which dipped over Andy Mackie who was off his goal line and landed in the back of the net to give Rosyth a 4-1 win and it was no more than they deserved.

Scone Thistle were at home to high flying St Andrews and Thistle made the early running in this game but they fell a goal behind when Paul Farquharson scored for the Saints with a 25-yard free-kick.

Scone got back on level terms a couple of minutes later when Scott McManus scored with a lob from 18 yards.

Darren Gray almost put Thistle ahead on the half hour mark when he hit the post with a well struck shot.

St Andrews restored their lead in stoppage time with a goal from Davie Evans. A minute later they were reduced to 10 men when Graham Mahen was red carded after a verbal confrontation with the referee.

Saints striker Gary Sutherland went on to increase his sides lead with goals in the 47th and 59th minute.

Alan Cameron came close to reducing the leeway for Thistle with a great header but it came back off the bar which was a piece of cruel luck and it was made even more so as Ricky Patrick went on to increase the Saints lead a couple of minutes later.

Davie Evans with his second goal of the game made it 6-1 for the Saints in 73 minutes.

Scott McManus laid off a great pass to Dave Routledge and it left Dave with the easy task of knocking the ball over the goal line from short range to make it 6-2 in 82 minutes to complete the scoring.

St Andrews were reduced to nine men when Scott Findlay got a red card in 89 minutes.

Blairgowrie were away to Musselburgh and while they lost by 4-1 Blair turned in a very stuffy performance.

Blair were pretty much on the defensive in the first half and they went in at the interval trailing 1-0.

The second half was a different story as Blair came much more into the game and they got back on level terms with a goal from Mark Brash in 62 minutes.

Musselburgh restored their lead with a controversial goal in 74 minutes and a minute later Darren Neave was sent off after incurring a second caution for complaining to the referee about allowing this goal to stand.

Musselburgh went on to make it 4-1 with two late goals.