Blair on full tilt

May 19 2009

BLAIRGOWRIE are certainly pulling out all the stops in their fight against the threat of being relegated from the Premier League. They were at home to Arniston Rangers on Saturday.

The Rangers have an excellent defensive record. Their goals against column is one of the lowest in the league table but they were swept aside by Blair in this league encounter and were whacked to the tune of 6–2.

Blair’s sixth goal was scored by their skipper Mark Brash and this was his 100th goal for the club.

The Rangers got off to a bright start when a well taken goal by Wayne McIntosh gave them the lead after two minutes. Blair shook off this setback and by the 32nd minute they had raced into a 4–1 lead. Those goals were shared between Ryan Menzies and Jamie Duncan.

Ryan was first to get his name on the score sheet when he met with a cross from Paul Ireland and he dispatched the ball into the right hand corner of the Rangers’ net for the equaliser in the 15th minute.

Blair took the lead four minutes later again Paul Ireland was the provider of the cross and this time it was met by Jamie Duncan who smacked it past keeper Stuart Hall.

Ryan Menzies made it 3–1 on the half hour mark. Ryan took a free kick from all of 30 yards and it rebounded off the inside far post and landed in the back of the net. A couple of minutes later it was Jamie Duncan’s turn. Jamie picked up a pass from Gordon Pirie and he ran on to beat the keeper from 12 yards to make it 4–1 and that’s how the score stood at the break.

Blair sailed into the attack from the restart and in 50 minutes they increased their lead to 5–1. A corner from Ryan Menzies was headed down into the path of John Farquharson and he slammed the ball past the keeper from the edge of the six yard box.

At the hour stage in the game a poor clearance from a Rangers defender was met by Mark Brash and for the 100th time in his career at Davie Park. Mark got his name on the score sheet when he slammed the ball into the back of the net from just inside the penalty box and Blair were now 6–1 ahead.

The game finished 6–2 as Chris Howatt scored a second goal for the Rangers in 80 minutes.

The early play in the Bankfoot–Hill o Beath Maloco Cup tie at Coronation Park was confined to the midfield. In 14 minutes Bankies John Mitchell broke up the right wing and beat two opponents and as he cut in he was just about to pull the trigger from about 15 yards but he was thwarted as a sliding tackle from a defender relieved him of the ball.

In 28 minutes Bankies came close to taking the lead. A corner from the right which was taken by Gavin Mackie was met by Alan Stewart. His powerful header that looked netbound however came crashing back off the bar.

The ball was met by his team mate Scott McCabe who looked set to score as he was left with the goal at his mercy from about 10 yards.

Scott didn’t connect properly and his not to strong shot was kicked off the goal line by a defender.

This was a really fortuitous let off for the Haws as three minutes later they were awarded what was a rather soft penalty.

A Bankfoot player was adjudged to have pushed an opponent in a melee in which a host of players were jostling each other in an attempt to get the ball. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the award were it didn’t deter Steven Bathgate from cracking home the spot kick to put the Haws ahead.

There was more grief over the next four minutes for the Bankies as the Haws stormed into a 3–0 lead with two further goals from Andy Roberts. The Bankies strived hard to at least reduce the leeway but when the interval arrived the Haws three goal lead was still intact.

The second half had only been in operation for six minutes and the Bankies found themselves 5–0 down to their super league opponents. The first of those goals came in 49 minutes when a through ball saw Steven Bathgate run through virtually unchallenged. Keeper Alan Duncan came racing out to the edge of the penalty box to try and thwart him but Bathgate coolly lobbed him form all of 25 yards and the ball sailed into the back of the empty net.

Two minutes later the Haws’ Andy Lawson met with the ball while he was at least 30 yards from the Bankies goal and he cracked an un-saveable shot past keeper Allan Duncan into the back of the net.

Bankies had a spell on the attack after those goals and a first time volley from Alan Stewart came rattling back off the Haws goalpost when it looked like being a homer.

A few minutes later Kenny Hynd failed to connect with a cross into the Haws goalmouth and then a further effort from Alan Stewart was saved by the keeper. The Haws completed the scoring with goal number six. Fraser Beveridge was the scorer. This 6–0 scoreline was a bit harsh on the Bankies. Jeanfield Swifts and Scone Thistle met at the Riverside Stadium in what was the final game of the season for both.

Swifts who had a trialist playing in a midfield forward role and he not only turned in an excellent all round performance but he capped it with a hat trick.

The first of his three goals came in the 15th minute when a long clearance from the Swifts defence deceived the Thistle defence and it found the trialist in the clear, with the Thistle appealing for an offside decision. The referee didn’t see it that way and the player certainly didn’t let it affect him as he promptly cracked the ball past keeper David Winton from the edge of the penalty box to put Swifts 1–0 ahead.

Four minutes later the same player made it 2–0 when he snapped up a misused clearance from Thistle keeper David Winton and promptly cracked the ball into the back of the net.

Swifts made it 3–0 on the stroke of half time when Mark Durnan headed home a cross from Mike Waring. Thistle were much more prominent in the second half. They came back with a goal in the third minute of the second half.

Dave Routledge was the scorer with a header from a corner. A Swifts defender claimed that he had cleared the ball before it had crossed the goal line but the referee ruled it to be a goal.

Swifts clinched the points when the trialist completed his hat trick with a well taken goal from just inside the penalty box to make it 4–1 and that’s how the game ended.

Luncarty also completed their season with an away game against Thornton Hibs. Luncarty played well although they lost 2–1.

SATURDAY’S results: Maloco Cup quarter final – Bankfoot 0, Hill o’ Beath 6.

Bukta Teamwear.com Leagues: Premier League – Blairgowrie 6, Arniston Rangers 2.

Central League – Jeanfield Swifts 4, Scone Thistle 1; Thornton Hibs 2, Luncarty 1.

FIXTURES: Tomorrow (Wednesday): Central League – Steelend Vics v Bankfoot. Kick-off 7.15pm.