Kinnoull can't escape relegation zone

Apr 5 2011

KINNOULL were at home to Armadale Thistle and this Tulloch Park clash was billed as a six pointer as both sides are battling the threat of
being relegated.

Kinnoull unfortunately took a further step down this road as they lost to the Lothian side who left for home with those crucial points after winning by the only goal of the game.

Kinnoull have only themselves to blame for the loss of those points as they had the lions share of the chances, especially in the first half which they pretty much dominated, but their finishing wasn’t on par with their leading up play and it proved to be the major factor in this very painful defeat.

The first of those chances came after eight minutes when Sean Fleming broke down the left wing and laid on a pass to Calum McKinlay which sent him racing towards the Thistle goal, he in turn played the ball to Gary Fraser but the strikers shot from just inside the penalty box went inches past the post.

Kinnoull continued on the attack and a few minutes later another move saw the ball played out to Chris Webster who cut along the left byline.

He tried to squeeze the ball in at the foot of the post but the keeper was on the spot to grab the ball before it crossed the line.

They continued on the attack and forced two corners in quick succession and while they caused confusion in the Thistles goalmouth they didn’t produce goals.

Thistle, who had a few forays into the Kinnoull half, got their first real chance in 18 minutes when a through ball caught out the Kinnoull defence and Craig Chilton was left in a one-on-one situation with keeper Duncan Bruce but he didn’t connect and his half hit shot trundled past the post.

Midway through the half Kinnoull were awarded a free kick on the edge of their opponents penalty box but the chance was wasted as the ball was deflected off the defensive wall and was cleared.

In the following eight minutes both sides passed up glorious chances. The first of those fell to the Lothians side when Mark Duigan failed to clear a through ball and it left Thistle striker Robbie Feeney with a clear run in on goal and much to Kinnoull’s relief he blasted the ball over the bar.

At the other end Sean Fleming hit a cross into Gary Fraser and while it was behind the striker he did well to get his head to the ball only to see this difficult chance go over the bar.

The Thistle almost grabbed the lead in the final minute of the half when Craig Chilton hit a volley from the edge of the penalty box which was right on target but was well saved by Duncan Bruce.

Four minutes into the second half Armadale scored the goal that won them the points. They had won a corner on the right which was hit to the back post where it was met by Scott Mauchline, his half hit shot was scrambled clear but it landed at the feet of Craig Chilton who was about eight yards from the goal and he made no mistake as he lashed the ball past keeper Duncan Bruce into the back of the net.

The rest of the half was pretty evenly contested as the play swung from end to end and both teams had chances. In the final minutes of the game just about every Kinnoull player was in or around their opponents penalty box as they strived to get the equaliser and both Calum McKinlay and Gary Fraser came close and the 1–0 scoreline in Armadales favour remained intact.

Bankfoot kept their unbeaten league run going extending it to 10 games when they came home with a point from their away game against Rosyth and this keeps them in contention in the championship race.

The first half of this game was pretty evenly contested with much of it played in and around the midfield.

Bankies managed to break the deadlock in 32 minutes when they won a corner which was taken by Gavin Mackie.

His kick eluded everybody and arrived at Steven Moon who was around 20 yards from the goal. Steven got the ball under control and saw the keeper off his line and proceeded to curl a shot into the top corner of the net for an excellent goal.

Five minutes into the second half Bankies came within a whisker of adding to their score. Bally Whytock, with an attempt that was almost a carbon copy of his team mates goal except it was a further 15 yards away, caught the keeper out as he was off his line, unfortunately Bally’s effort hit the bar and came down and there wasn’t a Bankies player on hand to knock it over the goal line and the ball was cleared.

Rosyth strived hard after this let off to get back into the game but their attacks were rebuffed by resolute defending backed up by excellent saves from keeper Mike Whyte.

As the minutes ticked away it looked as if Bankies would leave for home with the three points but with just five minutes remaining a through ball was picked up by Stuart Ritchie he ran on to beat Mike Whyte from 12 yards to square the game.

Jeanfield Swifts who are also contenders in the title race were at home to Lochore Welfare and they kept their chances alive with a 3–1 victory although they left it late to clinch the three points.

Swifts started off in a sprightly fashion but in the 10th minute they surprisingly went a goal behind when a ball into their goalmouth wasn’t cleared and was snapped up by Chris Vaughan who cracked the ball past Swifts trialist keeper from 10 yards and that proved to be the only goal of the half.

Whatever was said to Swifts players at the break it certainly had its effect as they sailed into the attack from the restart and after 10 minutes they had squared the game. A cross from Jamie Reilly was met by John Anderson on the edge of the Lochore penalty box from where he hit a right foot shot into the top corner of the net for a really excellent goal.

The game was in its 85th minute when Swifts went ahead and again it was from another great cross from Jamie Reilly which was hit home by Steve McManus.

This goal seemed to cause a bit of controversy in the Lochore ranks and their manager, who was about to come on as a sub, fell foul of the referee and was red carded before he could get involved in the playing side and the player he was to replace stayed on. Another Lochore player who also had words with the referee was red carded and took no further part in the game and the Fifers finished with 10 men.

In the final minute Kevin Fowler ran on to a through ball from Steve McManus and from 25 yards he lobbed the keeper to score goal number three for Swifts.

Luncarty had the league leaders Oakley as their visitors and they were in top form as they went on to crash 10 goals into the back of the Bleachers net without a reply.

Coupar Angus’ new manager Alan Robson was in charge for the first time in their home game against East Craigie and although they lost 4–0 to the Dundee side.

Blairgowrie were at home to Arbroath Vics and got off to a promising start when they took the lead after eight minutes. A cross from Gary Axworthy was met by Stephen Findlay who beat the keeper from inside the penalty box.

The Vics got back on level terms with a goal from Ryan Owbridge in 31 minutes and that’s how the score stood at the break. They then went on to score twice in the second half, without any reply from Blair, to win 3–1. Scott Pearson from the penalty spot in 75 minutes and Ryan Owbridge, with his second goal of the game in 83 minutes, were their scorers.

The night matches kick off tomorrow with two games. Bankfoot are at home to Jeanfield Swifts and  Luncarty play host to Newburgh.
Both games kick off at 6.30pm.

The Bankies/Swifts clash is a crucial game for both as they each require the points to sustain their respective challenges in the title race.
The Luncarty/Newburgh game is a bottom of the table clash.