JUNIOR FOOTBALL – PA TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29

Nov 29 2011 Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

HEAVY rain played havoc with Saturday’s fixtures – half were called off as pitches failed to pass inspections.

However, Tulloch Park and the Riverside Stadium were given the all clear, which allowed Kinnoull’s Scottish Cup third round tie against Crossgates and the Jeanfield Swifts versus Bankfoot league game – which had been switched the day before from Coronation Park – to go ahead.

The Blairgowrie against Pollok Scottish tie at Davie Park didn’t require an inspection.

Kinnoull fielded a new look central defence against Crossgates when they teamed up new signings Neil Gardiner and Gordon Brown.

Neil was signed from Jeanfield Swifts on Thursday and this is his second stint at Tulloch Park, while Gordon was signed a couple of weeks ago but had been nursing an injury.

He was given the all clear and manager Gavin Price elected to give him his debut.

Considering neither of them have had much match practice nor played together they performed well.

The very strong wind that prevailed throughout all the games made life difficult for the players, especially when it came to trying to pinpoint team mates when crossing the ball however it was the same for all concerned.

There was a first minute incident at the Kinnoull end when a defender made a pass from inside the penalty box to keeper Duncan Bruce.

In trying to clear the danger the ball spun off the keepers boot up into the air, he grabbed it and the referee gave the Primrose an indirect free kick on the edge of the six yard box which was cleared.

Kinnoull after that early scare had the Primrose on the defensive and forced a couple of corners in quick succession which were cleared.

Then in the 15th minute a great move between David Carr and Lee Deans left Deans with an really good chance.

His shot was right on target but was brilliantly saved by keeper Wotherspoon.

In less than a minute the Primrose from almost going behind came very close to taking the lead.

They swept up the park from the keeper’s clearance and Dale Allen fired a well struck shot goalwards from the edge of the penalty box which brought out an equally brilliant save from Duncan Bruce that thwarted the Primrose from going ahead.

The keeper touched the ball on to the bar and it dropped down and was cleared and now it was Kinnoull’s turn in this less than two minutes of hectic end to end play to come close to breaking the deadlock.

Chris Webster was brought down just outside the penalty box, Daryl Smith took the resultant free kick and hit it over the defensive wall but straight at the keeper who had no difficulty in dealing with it.

Kinnoull virtually dominated play after this and they had a number of very good chances but failed to turn them into goals.

They were denied by two further top class saves from keeper Wotherspoon and twice they hit the woodwork.

This coupled to the fact that their failure to stick the ball in the back of the net was the main reason for the half finishing goalless.

The Primrose almost broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half when David Clark picked up the ball out on the right from where he cut in and unleashed a cracking shot from the edge of the penalty box and it looked a homer but Duncan Bruce somehow got his finger tips to it and managed to push it over the bar for a corner which was cleared.

This proved to be a most fortuitous save for Kinnoull as three minutes later they took the lead with the goal that was to take them into the next round of the cup.

The ball was played out to David Carr on the left he skinned his marker and then laid the ball off to full back Sean Fleming who was up with his attack.

He took it to near the edge of the penalty box from where he crossed it to Chris Webster whose bullet header from the edge of the six yard box bounced off the goal line and into the top corner of the net.

There were chances at both ends after this but the 1–0 scoreline remained intact.

The Primrose didn’t do their chances any good as they had three players sent off in the final 15 minutes of the game.

Calum Easton who had come on as a sub was first to go after picking up a second caution, six minutes later he was followed into the pavilion by Danny Fitzgerald who got a straight red card and seconds later Greg Robertson accompanied him after he received a second yellow card.

Blairgowrie continued their cup shocks by holding their high profile opponents Pollok to a draw at Davie Park and with a bit of luck they could have made it to round four.

Blair came close to taking the lead in the second minute of the game when a cracking shot from Matt Henderson was well saved by the keeper.

Midway through the half Pollok’s Kevin Bradley shot over the bar from the edge of he penalty box.

In the final five minutes of the half Gary Axworthy and David Salisbury had chances, Axworthy with only the keeper to beat saw his shot go inches over the bar, while Salisbury shot past the post.

Blairgowrie took the lead on the hour mark when they were awarded a free kick out on the right which was taken by Gary Axworthy and he crossed it to the far post where it was met by James Hay who beat the keeper with a strong header.

Blair’s joy was however short lived as two minutes later Graeme McLaren got his team back on level terms when he met with a cross at the near post and headed it into the back of the net.

The scoring rate continued when Blair regained their lead after just four minutes later.

They were awarded a free kick which was taken by keeper Gordon O’Brien who hit the ball into the Pollok penalty box, it was partially cleared by a defender but it was met by Matt Henderson who crashed it past the keeper from all of 20 yards for a great goal.

Unfortunately for Blair it didn’t prove to be the winner as 10 minutes later a ball was played into their penalty box and was pounced on by Pollok’s Kevin Bradley who cracked it past Gordon O’Brien to make it 2-2 and that’s how the game ended.

The Jeanfield Swifts/Bankfoot derby clash was the only Central League game to be played on Saturday and it was the Swifts who finished with the points.

They are now second top of the table just below their City rivals Kinnoull who top the table.

Swifts had a chance to go ahead after five minutes when Steve McManus down the right but his shot across the goal just shaved the far post.

Bankies came close to taking the lead in 15 minutes when David Fyfe carried the ball from just inside the Swifts half into their penalty box and as he was about to pull the trigger he lost the ball to a defender and the chance was gone.

Four minutes after this near setback Swifts broke the deadlock when a clearance from their defence was picked up by Mark Gordon, he played the ball through to Robbie Holden who was on the edge of the Bankies penalty box, the striker took a couple of steps forward before hitting a left foot shot into the corner of the net to make it 1–0.

Midway through the half Robbie Holden after a mazy run was brought down in the penalty box but Swifts strong shouts for a penalty were ignored.

They continued on the attack and a couple of minutes later they came very close to increasing their lead when John Anderson fired in a shot from the edge of the Bankies penalty box which brought out a great save from keeper David Rice.

He again thwarted Anderson just on the stroke of half time when the striker hit a volley that looked to be bound for the back of the net but Rice with another super save that saw him dive and turn the ball out for a corner.

Swifts went 2–0 ahead in 63 minutes when Robbie Holden had cut into the Bankies penalty box between two defenders when he was brought down and Tony Holt fired home the resultant spot kick.

Five minutes later Swifts’ Steve McManus ran with the ball from the half way line leaving a bevy of defenders in his wake into the Bankies penalty box where keeper Rice dived at his feet and brought him down the ball broke to Jamie Reid who looked set to score but he fired the ball into the side net.

Bankies, in the 81st minute in one of their sporadic raids on the Swifts goal, were awarded a penalty.

Sean Fergus, who had come on as a sub, was brought down by a Swifts defender and Danny Dobbie did the needful with the resultant spot kick to make it 2–1.

The game was in its final minute when Robbie Holden made sure of the points for Swifts with goal number three.

FIXTURES for Saturday:

Emirates Scottish Cup third round replay – Pollok v Blairgowrie.

League games – Kinnoull v Dundonald Bluebell; Jeanfield Swifts v Crossgates P; Thornton H v Bankfoot; Rosyth v Luncarty; Co Angus v Brechin Vics.

SATURDAY’S results: Emirates Scottish Cup – Kinnoull 1, Crossgates Primrose 0; Blairgowrie 2, Pollok 2.

McBookies.com Leagues: Central League – Jeanfield Swifts 3, Bankfoot Athletic 1.

Matches Off – Dundonald Bluebell v Luncarty; Lochgelly Albert v Newburgh; Coupar Angus v Lochee Harp.