9 Feb 2008 - Defeat at Ardeer

Saturday 9^th February 2008                              Stagecoach Ayrshire League

Ardeer Thistle 2 – 1 Ardrossan Winton Rovers

Photos available at www.flickr.com/photos/wintonrovers

Ardeer took the three points in this latest local derby against a ring rusty Rovers playing their first game in 5 weeks.  The game itself saw Ardeer fielding new signing Paddy Flannery whilst the Rovers team had no less than 4 ex Ardeer players in their squad.  A Paul Monan cross in 4 minutes saw the ball come to Graeme Patterson but his shot went past the post as Winton took the game to their hosts.  Ardeer replied on 14 minutes when David Darroch got on the end of a flick but volleyed the ball over.  Billy Gilmour and Kevan Reid combined on the quarter hour mark to force the play onto Winton but the finish wasn’t there.  Stephen McAvoy got on the end of a Monan cross after this let off but the power in the header never troubled Ardeer’s goalie Andy Kennedy. 

Gilmour saw a cross cum shot come off the top of the bar in 27 minutes as the game began to warm up. Ardeer took the lead on 30 minutes when Craig Kippen’s cross was headed home by Ian McEwan from 6 yards out.  Ardeer almost went further ahead when a near post ball was flicked on but O’Neill saved well. 

Winton got on level terms on 36 minutes when a neat pass from John Gallagher saw Stephen McAvoy get free and he sent a low drive past Kennedy from the edge of the box. Three minutes later a free kick from Patterson saw Kennedy pull off a great save to parry the ball out for a corner. 

On 55 minutes the fans saw the creative ability of Flannery when he managed to create acres of space for a shot but the shot didn’t match up as it went wide.  On the hour mark McEwan set up Darroch but the shot was too straight at O’Neill. Monan saw a good shot go wide after this and from the resultant cross Paul Brown saw a volley cleared off the line.  Winton had another chance on 65 minutes when Winton’s new signing from Kilbirnie, Gary Davidson sent a good free kick onto the head of John Gallagher but the ball came off the far post and Ardeer cleared.  Billy Gilmour went on a good run on 79 minutes when he cut in from the left and sent in a good shot that O’Neill was equal to. From this corner the corner was headed straight to Reid who’s shot came off the bar. 

Ardeer did get the decisive goal on 81 minutes when a ball over the top fell to Flannery and he showed the class to fire a good early shot into the far corner of the net.  Winton tried to get a goal back with 5 minutes to go when Easton slid a ball out to Davidson and his cut back fell to Brown but he side footed the ball high and wide.  Darroch had a chance to seal the game when he got one on one with O’Neill but he only managed to hit the ball straight at the Winton keeper. Davidson had a claim for a penalty in the last minute turned down resulting in a booking for the Winton player and the visitor’s misery was completed in stoppage time when Nolan saw red for his second reckless tackle of the game.

Ardeer Thistle

Kennedy, Feeney, Houston, Jordan , Gilmour, Reid, Kippen, McEwan, Flannery, Darroch, Menemy.

Subs Kane, Kelly, Hendry, Alford, Fuzari

Ardrossan Winton Rovers

O’Neill, Paton, Milliken, Brown, Easton, Muir, Patterson, Gallagher, McAvoy, Davidson, Monan

Subs Shanks, Adam, Nolan, Wilson

Ref Brian Martin