KILLEARN ON BRINK OF KEEPING TITLE

Jul 30 2007 Stirling Observer

KILLEARN5

KIPPEN1

THE major surprise at Killearn was the difficulty the champions had in the first half in subduing lowly Kippen. Allan More and David Cameron both scored in the first 10 minutes of the game and at that point it looked as if another big score was on the cards.

The young Kippen side had other ideas and got their reward on the half-hour mark when Matthew Lygate thundered in a 25-yard shot and at half-time Kippen were still only 2-1 behind.

The Killearn players controlled the second half from start to finish. After five minutes Allan More made it 3-1 and further scores from Andy McColl and David Cameron settled the issue.

Killearn now need only a single point from their matches with Balfron, Aberfoyle, Deanston and Gartocharn to retain the title.

BALFRON ROVERS9

BUCHLYVIE UNITED 2

THIS postponed match was rescheduled for last week and Balfron's win takes them to third place behind Killearn and Blanefield.

Gary Buchanan scored after 11 minutes when he was on the spot to net after Buchlyvie keeper Heggerty could only parry David Reid’s fierce shot. Balfron pressed without scoring until 10 minutes before half-time, when Jamie Mann got the overdue second goal.

Buchlyvie pulled one back right away when Paul Ritchie ran through a spread defence who asked in vain for offside. Gary Buchanan gave Balfron a 3-1 lead before the break when Jamie Mann played the ball to him and he spun and netted as neat a goal as you would want to see.

Nine minutes into the second half Craig Reid raced forward and cracked in a peach of a shot which rattled off a back stanchion and beat the keeper again on its way out.

Two minutes later Gary Buchanan completed his fifth hat-trick of the season and was immediately substituted. Jamie Mann’s strength was enough to see him in for his second goal in 67 minutes and three minutes later sub David Haggerty showed similar persistence to get though to score. To show that it sometimes comes easy he repeated the performance three minutes later.

Buchlyvie staged something of a comeback and in the 80th minute Johnny Simpson rose high at the back post to head in from a corner for their second goal. Straight from the kick-off Kevan Boyd pushed forward and kept fighting for the ball until he got his shot in. His first effort was partially blocked but he carried on to roll the ball into the empty net to make the final score 9-2.

BALFRON ROVERS4

GARGUNNOCK2

FOR the second time in a week Gargunnock found themselves a goal down inside the first half-minute. Having suffered at home to Killearn last week they made the same start at Balfron on Saturday. Gary Buchanan was the scorer, rising to head in Dougie Pender's cross.

Eight minutes later Nicky Anderson finished off a Gargunnock attack with the equaliser. From the restart Balfron moved upfield and Gary Buchanan again netted but referee Brookes judged it to be offside. There was no dubiety about Bucky's next scoring effort three minutes later when Ricky Davidson cut the ball back to him and he swept it into the net to restore Balfron's lead.

For the rest of the first half it was end-to-end but at the interval the score was still 2-1 for Balfron.

Balfron were quite definitely on top in the second half but the goals were a long time in coming. Craig Reid had three good scoring efforts blocked and Gary Buchanan and Paul Ainsworth were unlucky in front of the Gargunnock goal.

In 69 minutes Balfron went 3-1 up when Ewan Sneddon rose to back-head a goal off David Reid's free kick. With quarter of an hour left David Reid ran through the Gargunnock defence for the fourth goal. Five minutes from the end John Lamond headed in Gargunnock's second goal from a free kick but they were well beaten by then.

DRYMEN UNITED3

DEANSTON1

THIS was the usual hard-fought match between two well-matched sides, with Drymen the better team on this occasion.

The home side went ahead early on when David Cowan's free kick was headed strongly into the Deanston net. That was to be the only goal of a closely contested first half.

Midway through the second half Gregor Nicholson added Drymen's second from David Torrance's pass. Deanston came back quickly and David McAlpine opened their account.

They looked bound to equalise soon after when Drymen keeper Kevin Morgan brought down a Deanston attacker as he raced through on goal. He was immediately red carded and Chic McGuinness Manby took over in the Drymen goal and got off to a great start by saving the penalty.

Before the end the numbers were level when Deanston's Willie Stewart was sent off for a rash tackle and Drymen soon made sure of the points when David Cowan capped a good day with a great left-foot shot which made the result 3-1 to Drymen.

THORNHILL2

FINTRY3

FINTRY stormed back from their midweek trouncing at Killearn to turn in a great display against Thornhill.

Sometime goalie Dougie Adams showed his outfield abilities with two first-half goals for Fintry. David Leslie joined him on the score sheet to give the home side a surprise but not undeserved 3-0 lead at the interval.

Not surprisingly the Thornhill players got down to it in the second half and Bobby Poole in the Fintry goal was given a chance to shine. There was nothing he could do about Thornhill's two goals but he and defender Ewan Hyslop paved the way for the shock result of the day and perhaps of the season.

FINTRY0

BALFRON ROVERS6

THERE never appeared to be any likelihood of Fintry providing another shock result in their rescheduled match against Balfron on Tuesday. The game, which was switched to Donaldson Park, was dominated by the Rovers from start to finish and Gary Wilson in the Balfron goal was only called on to make a difficult save late in the game.

Paul Ainsworth opened the scoring after only four minutes when he supplied a neat finish to an attack on the right involving Logan McGregor, Richard Davidson and David Reid. Ainsworth also featured in the next goal in 17 minutes when he headed on Richard Davidson's free kick for Stuart Grant to score. Five minutes later Ainsworth's corner was headed powerfully into the Fintry net by Gary Buchanan who then made it 4-0 before half-time with another header, this time from Stuart Grant's cross.

Some of the sparkle went out of Balfron's play in the second half although they were still well on top. Only 15 minutes were left when Gary Buchanan scored their next. The wee man thought he had scored when he netted his third scoring header but referee Jim Pearson had already blown for a penalty kick for hand ball. Stevie Day wanted to take the kick but Gary Buchanan, just denied a hat-trick, clung on to the ball and the skipper backed down. The kick was duly dispatched to the back of the Fintry net with Bobby Poole well beaten.

Five minutes from time Gary Buchanan scored his fourth goal with a header from Richard Davidson's cross to confirm Rovers in third place with only one game to play.

RESULTS

July 18: Balfron Rovers 9, Buchlyvie Utd 2.

Saturday: Balfron Rovers 4, Gargunnock 2; Blanefield Thistle 5, Buchlyvie Utd 0; Drymen Utd 3, Deanston 1; Killearn 5, Kippen 1; Thornhill 2, Fintry 3.

Tuesday: Fintry 0, Balfron Rovers 6.

FIXTURES

Saturday, 7pm: Deanston v Aberfoyle Rob Roy, Fintry v Drymen Utd, Gargunnock v Thornhill, Gartocharn v Blanefield Thistle, Killearn v Balfron Rovers, Kippen v Buchlyvie Utd.