7/4/'12 : AYRSHIRE DISTRICT LEAGUE
SALTCOATS VICTORIA 3 LUGAR BOSWELL THISTLE 2
Victoria's new signing Lee Munro proved to be the
difference between two otherwise evenly matched sides. The former Dalry
player's pace was a constant threat and his two goals made this a
perfect home debut for him.
Lugar had a lot of early possession but looked shaky in
defence. Another recent Vics acquisition, Paul Monan, pounced on some
hesitancy at the back to test Lee Thompson with a low shot. Monan then
played in Munro but again Thomson blocked the shot.
The visitors responded with a good run down the left by
Steven Harris whose shot was held by goalkeeper Chris Lamb. The Bunnets
took the lead after twenty minutes when Allan Patterson ran in from the
left along the goal line and, as defenders converged, cut the ball back
for Scott Clelland to slot it into the net.
The lead lasted just five minutes however, and Munro was
at the heart of the move that brought the equaliser. He outran the
defence on the right then squared the ball to ex-Lugar man Tam
McClelland who fired past Thompson.
Clelland almost put Lugar ahead again with an attempt to
chip the ball over the 'keeper after a good break from defence but Lamb finger-tipped it over the bar.
Vics hit the front for the first time after 38 minutes
when Munro again beat his man on the right and sent a stunning shot over
Thomson's head and in at the far post from a seemingly impossible
angle.
Thompson had better luck with Munro's next effort which he
managed to push over the bar but, as the half ended, Mark Gilmour
almost got Lugar back on terms with a shot that went just wide.
Saltcoats started the second half strongly and a free kick
from Ally Patrick almost caught Thompson out but on 57 minutes Lugar
drew level. Patterson comprehensively beat Patrick in the penalty box
and the defender upended him for a stonewall penalty. Strangely, in the
light of referee David Dickinson's subsequent performance, Patrick
escaped further sanction and Clelland blasted the spot kick past Lamb.
Parity lasted barely two minutes though, for when Vics
next launched the ball into the Lugar box it broke to Munro who stabbed
it past Thompson while the defenders screamed for offside.
The last half-hour degenerated into the David Dickinson
Show as the official booked a total of NINE Vics players as well as
three of the visitors in a match that had hardly a serious foul in it.
Some of the cautions were petty, such as the one for
Martin Reilly who removed his shirt as he left the field on being
substituted. Manager Keith Stewart's protests at this saw him banished
from the touchline.
The most ridiculous of the yellow cards was for Vics' sub
Sean Quinn who was booked for taking a free kick before the referee's
signal, leaving the spectators to conclude that the official must be
fond of paperwork.
SALTCOATS VICTORIA : Lamb, Gordon, J.McLaughlan, Patrick, Stewart, Gibb, Monan, Reid, Ellis, Munro, McClelland.
Substitutes - Paton, Quinn, Forde, C.McLaughlan, Welsh.
LUGAR BOSWELL THISTLE : Thompson, McIntyre, Reilly, Walker, Frame, Bain, Gilmour, Harris, Patterson, Clelland, Todd.
Substitutes - Miller, Campbell, Fulton, Leonard, Millar, Murdoch.