SUPER LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

GLENAFTON 1 PETERSHILL 0

Glens followed up their midweek Ayrshire Weekly Press Cup win with a close victory over Petershill in the league.

Glenafton boss Craig McEwan was forced in to an early change when Mick McCann had to go off through injury in the opening ten minutes.

Two minutes later the visitors were unfortunate not to take the lead after great feet by Ciaran McElroy unzipped the Glens defence before he angled a shot from 23 yards out only for the ball to thunder off the cross bar.

Petershill retrieved the ball and Jordon Chisholm wide on the right whipped the ball across the face of goal and although Peter Bradley did well to connect with the ball first time his shot sailed high and wide of target.

Glenafton hit the woodwork two minutes later. David Gray’s free-kick from 25 yard out on the right hand side of the box beat the wall but crashed off the post.

On 16 minutes Chris Dallas turned the Peasy defence before being brought down at the left hand corner of the box. The ball was clipped to the back post where Ally Park’s downward header was pounced on by Dan Orsi and from the tightest of angles his shot cannoned off the base of the aforementioned post.

The early encounters of the second half quickly adopted the pattern of the first, with each side enjoying pulses of pressure.

Dallas’s mobility kept the Peasy defence on its toes while at the other Jordan Lynas and Stevenson combined to set up Michael Daly but his shot from close range was clutched cleanly by Brian McGarrity in the Glens goal.

In 67 minutes Dallas was clearly struggling and left the field to a great reception by the home support as he was replaced by John Paul Boyle.

Boyle was soon in the thick of the action. He gathered a Marlow throw on the left and switched the ball to Orsi on the right who cutely rolled the ball in the box for the incoming Park but his pop at goal skewed wide of target.

At the other end former Glens player Chris Malone lobbed a neat ball to the back post for Daly only for Menzies to win the aerial battle and McGarrity scoop up the loose ball.

The Glens goalie launched the ball up the park and Andrew headed it back to Orsi who took a touch before returning it Andrew. After a neat exchange Boyle was on hand to guide the ball home from just three yards after 77 minutes.

With their confidence up, Glens sought to take the game to Peasy.

Gray gathered the ball deep in the Petershill half before breaking forward and driving a low shot from 25 yards inches wide of the post. The midfielder then picked up the pieces of another Peasy attack broken down by McChesney and McGeoghegan and drove up the midfield only to be upended by a two footed challenge by Fraser Chisholm. The defender’s pleas that he won the ball were not enough to convince the referee who produced a straight red card for the challenge.

Two minutes later Bradley clipped a free kick from the left hand corner of the Glenafton penalty area to the back post for Daly and although McGarrity crouched to get the ball it slipped momentarily from his grasp before he got a stronger hand to it. The Petershill players claimed that the ball had crossed the line but the referee decided otherwise.

As play resumed Orsi gave McElroy the slip on the half way line to open up a free run on goal. A frustrated McElroy swiped the legs from Orsi leaving the official with no choice but to send him packing, reducing Peasy to nine men.

A melee followed and when the dust settled the referee then flashed a yellow card to both Menzies and Stevenson – a second yellow for him – and so the red card followed quickly and Petershill were down to 8 men.

When play resumed Petershill were first to test the keeper with Daly’s looping header held by McGarrity. At the other end Park thundered a shot just wide of target and Orsi’s cut back across the face of goal had just a touch too much pace to connect with Boyle or Andrew.

Glens held played out the match against the eight men to take the crucial three points.

Glenafton Athletic - McGarrity, Menzies, McGeoghegan, McChesney, Meikle, Park, Orsi, Gray, Andrew, McCann, Marlow.

Subs; Dallas, Boyle, McGuffie, Hay, Buchanan.